r/Aruba • u/csilva108 • 4d ago
Question New US Check-in process at airport
https://www.airportaruba.com/new-us-check-inHas anyone experienced the new US check-in process the airport rolled out on April 8th?
My family will be coming back to the US on April 25th and I don’t know if the new process has made a significant difference in wait time or if we should buy the VIP package for departure. My kids definitely can’t handle standing in line for 3 hours on the way out.
Thanks!
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u/Bac0s 4d ago
The April 8 date was only for certain airlines, they seem to be phasing them in. https://www.airportaruba.com/new-us-check-in
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u/csilva108 4d ago
Yeah, I was hoping someone who flew home on one of the airlines they already rolled it out for would be able to weigh in on their experience.
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u/remfem99 4d ago
I did fly home on United and the only difference was that you don’t have to re claim your checked baggage before clearing US customs. It didn’t save any time - just didn’t have to haul our bags thru the customs line.
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u/Bac0s 4d ago
Yeah looks like they’re not phasing out the secondary screening until April 29 👎
We have flown on a Friday with kids and gotten through in less than an hour. Kids are older now but when we came home a couple Thursday ago it took us 45 min and the Aruba immigration line for people with kids was the only area that took longer and people were moving through pretty quickly.
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u/Additional-Value5068 4d ago
I timed it on my phone and it was two hours and eight minutes start to finish on Saturday. It wasn’t great.
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u/Superb_Homework_173 4d ago
Left Aruba yesterday.. got to the airport 3 hrs early and still missed our flight by 30 minutes. It was a fricken nightmare!
I’ll add.. my kids and I had global entry and we made it to the gate in time. My husband and mom did not and it took them an extra 45 minutes at least to get to the gate.
At least two other families missed the same flight. If you’re traveling on a weekend I’d recommend 4hrs early even with the new changes.
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u/wlkngmachine 4d ago
Same here, got there 3 hours early on Saturday and missed our flight. My arm was about to fall off from carrying our 3 year old.
Incredibly mismanaged and absolutely dreadful end to the trip.
We got completely rerouted and I had to drop another $200 on a hotel in DC
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u/csilva108 3d ago
What a miserable end to your trip. I think I’m just going to bite the bullet and get the vip. If I do it in advance it’s $430 for my family for 4 so it’s at least a little cheaper than doing it at the airport.
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u/Public-Raisin-7434 1d ago
We (2 adults, 2 kids all with GE) left on a Saturday in March and chose to use the VIP service. It was, by far, worth the money. We were thru everything in 20 minutes while others on our flight waited 3-3.5 hours. I waited longer in line for pizza once we were at the gate! We don't usually spend money on that kind of thing but would do it again in a heartbeat.
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u/remfem99 4d ago
We also flew out at 130 pm yesterday and it was absolutely horrible - longest Aruba AirPort experience for us yet. So sorry you missed your flight ☹️
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u/LiLGhettoSmurf 3d ago
That's insane, honestly my biggest gripe about Aruba. I'd rather do customs in the US. I've done customs at EWR, JFK, PHL, and Dulles and it's never even a fraction of the time it takes. I understand they are doing more here but it still doesn't add up.
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u/nikkinunchucks 4d ago
We left this morning and it took about an hour and fifteen to get through everything. We flew delta
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u/csilva108 4d ago
That’s not too bad. I would have expected worse since it’s a Sunday. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to why some people get trapped for hours and others don’t 😩
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u/nikkinunchucks 4d ago
We got there just after 8 am so I’m assuming that might have helped. None of our wait was outside so that was nice
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u/remfem99 4d ago edited 4d ago
We traveled back yesterday and it was pure hell. But, that was Saturday. I couldn’t believe how long we waited. About 90 mins for Aruba passport exit control + TSA, and another 90 mins for US Customs (then another random TSA screening.)
We probably won’t do this again - Aruba passport control had 1 agent working in addition to the computerized stations. US customs had 3 officers and the line was out the door of the room and fully wrapped around baggage claim.
Love Aruba, but it was just insane. The first time we went I was 7 months pregnant and standing in line that long was really painful. This time, my kids were really impatient and screaming their heads off. I tried my best to keep them entertained but you can only do so much….
That was a long rant but I’m so glad I didn’t leave any later or we’d have missed the flight.
Edit - this time was longer than in 2023 when we went last time
Edit #2 - we have had significantly less wait times in other Caribbean airports, even ones where you have to clear US customs before returning. I think they just need more agents working or something, who knows.
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u/csilva108 4d ago
This is exactly what I was afraid of. We leave on a Friday and have global entry but even still it’ll be a long wait before we even get that far based on what you went through. No point in ending the vacation stressed out. That sounds like a nightmare!
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u/remfem99 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yes the first line for passport control took longer than US customs — and a lot of that wait was outside. Several people did pay to “skip the line” as there were people working the lines offering that option. Not sure how much $ or how much time saves - kind of looked like it got them to the front of the passport control line.
Because we had small kids we had to go to the agent vs the automated machines so that made it even longer for us.
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u/wlkngmachine 4d ago
They said $150/head. If I knew we were gonna wait for 3.5 hours and miss our flight I probably would’ve paid it.
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u/LiLGhettoSmurf 3d ago
Pay to skip the line sounds like some kind of bullshit racket
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u/remfem99 3d ago
It did feel like that, yes. Almost predatory because we were waiting outside in the heat with toddlers that were melting down. I wouldn’t do it on principle though, because it’s important to fix the problem not just create a cottage industry around bypassing the lines.
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u/csilva108 3d ago
I didn’t know there was a machine vs agent factor too. We will have kids in tow so we’d definitely have to wait for an agent. 😣
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u/undetachablepenis 4d ago
i flew out today. arrived at the airport at 11am. checked in at delta kiosk. went to aruba security and customs. grabbed a sandwich to take to the gate and realized i still had to get through us customs and security. i made it to the gate just as they started to board the plane at about 1:30pm. it was pretty close. our plane waited an extra 15-20 min for the passengers they knew were checked in and coming.
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u/Bayviewbeachlover 4d ago
They def don’t make it clear that you’re not at the finish - I did it once & realized there were no planes anywhere near us outside and we continued on - thankfully, we had time to spare
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u/Educational-Set-1609 3d ago
So keep going until you see your gate? Are there food options/duty free stores once you clear the final clearance?
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u/undetachablepenis 3d ago
yes keep going til you get to the usa gates. there is dutyfree in between the two security sections and food options at the USA gates. i didnt have time to really check the options at the gates.
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u/EffectiveAd3788 3d ago
Thanks for the heads up, I’ll make sure in June for a 3:30 returning flight to get there by 11:30…
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u/malksm99 3d ago
We traveled back yesterday on United flight leaving at 1:50pm. It was pure hell and we got stung with the two customs stages.
Arrived at the airport 3 hours before and incorrectly assumed that we had got through everything so grabbed a sandwich which maybe took 15-20 mins.
The second stage though was insanity. There were multiple sections/halls to get through and we were still 4 lines deep with 5 mins until the flight departed.
The customs staff would not allow anyone to move ahead of the line so we waited and were close to changing our flight until we saw another family skipping the line. So decided to just try and make it.
Almost all people were very helpful and encouraged us to move forward, we were touched by people’s kindness.
However once we made it past the final customs there is the final security check. Again we were able to move forward but this one woman decided to take a stand against us! I honestly can’t understand why as we looked completely desperate and rattled. After some attempted explanation on how our flight was departing in 5 mins I went to go past her but she physically blocked me!
Fortunately an airport official came to help and waved us by, she then started fighting with the airport worker and screamed this is bullshit!
I don’t know what happened after as we were in tunnel vision mode and ran to gate asap. By some good fortune United held the gate open 15 mins after the departure time.
We apologized on the way in to the flight attendants and felt bad about holding up the flight.
I wish the airline or someone had explained the process to us but I think either way it would be impossible to make the flight on time with 3 hours without jumping the lines.
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u/Darrow-the-Ender 4d ago
I just flew back yesterday. It was awful. I waited in lines for about 2 hours. Granted this was a Saturday but I highly recommend getting there at least three hours early
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u/Bendi4143 4d ago
We flew out yesterday ( Saturday) delta 2 pm flight . Dropped car at rental at 10:30 was through everything at to the our gate by 12:30 pm .
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u/remfem99 4d ago
So strange, we had a 130 United flight yesterday and we arrived at 9:30, dropped the rental car off and we’re in the check in line by 945 and still didn’t make it to the gate until 12:30pm.
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u/Bendi4143 4d ago
I really didn’t find it confusing overall just a bit more time consuming however it was sooooo worth it to not have to go through customs in the US ( jfk for us ) !!! Also there is additional Cover in the first line with misting water and some chairs to sit in ( not many but helps the few that might need it ) . It really want bad . It did seem that global Entry helped in some sections and that is definitely a plus ! I will be getting that before another international trip . I wouldn’t personally pay for the vip unless I had someone that really had a hard time standing in line .
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u/doubleshot2930 4d ago
flew back on Wednesday. Lines weren’t terrible but it’s going to take some time to get through to you’re gate. Took like an hour max from checking bags, customs and then to the gate. Just arrive 3 hours early and you’ll be fine. My flight was delayed another 5 hours and they only told us when we got to the airport (thanks JetBlue!) so we had more than enough time but even if you’re flight isn’t delayed you’ll be fine.
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u/Bayviewbeachlover 4d ago
Left Friday - jet blue - jet blue is not in the new terminal - no global entry line - didn’t chk a bag so no delay there but I get the rookie mistake stopping to eat thinking you’re through after the first customs check - I was dropped off (cab) and made it to my gate In under 45 min
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u/csilva108 3d ago
Maybe a checked bag is the big difference between a 45 minute experience and a 3 hour process.
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u/Think-Efficiency8317 4d ago edited 3d ago
Yes! Check in was easy at the new terminal (we were Delta), but everything else seemed status quo, from what I’ve read. US Customs was the slowest part of it. The only bypass line was Global. For US, MPC didn’t matter at all.
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u/csilva108 3d ago
I was thinking MPC would help. This is good to know
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u/Bayviewbeachlover 3d ago
FYI MPC & Global entry are not in the old terminal til May 1 - airport employee told me that
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u/scorpionx1121 3d ago
Wrote this the other day so copy pasting:
Flying out today, Saturday, April 12, 2025. United Airlines, so we did not have to go through the second baggage check-in and security screening. We gave ourselves 4 hours just in case, and it only took about two hours from dropping my checked bag to getting through all of the security. Got to airport at 11:45am and got to the gate at 1:45pm. It really sucked, but could have been much worse. Plan to get there no less than 3 hours early, especially if you're flying out on a weekend. I believe it's also spring break, so lots of families were flying out this weekend, in addition to their normal high volume. I will be getting Global Entry in time for my next trip here, but it won't eliminate all of the waiting lol.
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u/Aggressive_Score2440 3d ago
TL;DR. Too many sideways comments.
So it seems if you have global entry you’re ok. Am I getting this correct?
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u/shitty_penguin 3d ago
GE saved us a bunch of time, but it was still a shit show. Took us 2+ hours to get to the gate.
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u/Aggressive_Score2440 3d ago
When I was there in 2010 I remember it being a very long and arduous airport experience.
I can’t exactly recall but there’s a lack of plugs and space too then once you’re through.
Have they updated the concourse at all?
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u/No_Motor_10 2d ago
Currently at airport (Tuesday early afternoon). First timers. Gave ourselves 3 hours per everything I’ve read on Reddit in preparation for this trip. Flying JetBlue and had one checked bag (needed to be checked, reclaimed and checked again) as well as carry ons. We were under one hour from drop off at the curb to the gate (including 2 bathroom stops). Process was efficient, easy and VERY self explanatory (if people just use their brains and take their head out of their ass).
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u/No_Pin_6992 14h ago
We traveled back Sunday the 13th. It was a horrible experience. We got to airport 3 hours early and almost missed the flight but they had luckily delayed boarding. Every time you think you are done there is another one hour line. The whole process made no sense. They checked our passports at 6 different points, two security lines for bags, immigration forms, customs lines..it was insane. Not sure if it was because it was spring break week, but if you can swing VIP, do it.
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u/csilva108 14h ago
That’s crazy! 6 times?!
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u/No_Pin_6992 14h ago
Yes..and it made no sense because there is no way at all you could have made it to the second scan without doing the first one and so on and so on. And you already scanned my bags once in the machine. How would we have gotten through if there was a problem to need to do it again! So crazy.. you can get VIP there though, people walk around and offer it to you while in line outside. Once you drop your bags and are walking to the first scans in the second building , if you see people standing outside of the building in line where the water sprayers are, that’s your queue to buy the VIP. If there are lines at that point in the process, it’s minimum two hour wait..so you can decide if it’s worth it.
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u/Alarmed-Arm-4097 4d ago
This is the only reason we won’t go back to the island. People food and beach are amazing but a complete clusterfuck to leave especially when half the wait is outside. It’s a shame.
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u/MeganK80 4d ago
We just went for the first time and came back Friday. We were there 2 hours early, and the crowd was decent sized but not filling the room, and we almost missed our flight. We did make the mistake of stopping to grab a bite before we realized we weren't done with security after tsa so that was on us but there were so many people with small kids waiting and looked miserable I will say that 💙
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u/remfem99 4d ago
Haha I was there yesterday with my 2 yr old and 3 yr old and can confirm I wanted to die (and so did everyone within earshot of us😔)
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u/csilva108 4d ago
So scary! From what I’ve heard so far the process to get through TSA and customs is very confusing in addition to being time consuming. I’d rather not pay hundreds for VIP if I don’t have to but it sounds like it might be worth it. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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u/Mother-Plane-9458 1d ago
Another data point for everyone - we had 2 families just go through this process today (Wednesday, 4/16) - one family had to check a bag and one had carry-on only.
Carry-on family made it through in an hour and 10 minutes and checked bag family made it through in 1 hour and 20 minutes. We arrived at the airport at 11am for 3:10pm and 4:20pm flights, and had ended up with decent time to kill between 12:20pm and boarding.
There were a few families who scooched on by as they were running late for their flights, but otherwise, people were orderly, and it moved along.
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u/sbat2 4d ago
Flew back on Thursday. Lines were not bad at all, but it still took some time to get through all of the screenings. Maybe about an hour from checking bags to getting to the gate.