No Global entranceNo problem in several of the most busy airports in the United States.
Passengers who return home to the United States from a trip abroad have a new way of moving quickly through passport control (and without taking a passport) in more than half a dozen main centers. And you don’t need a membership, an interview or a rate to qualify for access.
US Customs and Border Protection recently expanded its new program called improved passenger processing, which uses high -tech software and a biometric scan to quickly clean US travelers and move them through the international arrivals area.
The new process almost feels a bit like that of the agency Global Rapid Monitoring Input Program, But without the application rate of $ 120, and could generate an attractive alternative for travelers who leave the country only once a year or so.
“It really is a change of play for us in how we welcome US citizens back to the United States,” Diane Sabatino, CBP’s interim executive commissioner said on Friday at a press conference at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
How the improved processing of passengers works
The improved passenger processing, or “EPP”, debuted silently nine months ago as part of a trial at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
The first results were promising, reducing the waiting times for passport control for US citizens by 25%, CBP reported; That means less time in line after a long flight, easily one of the least pleasant parts of an international trip.
Travelers who use EPP walk to a tablet to take their photo. They do not need to get a passport or any other documentation; The program compares the image taken at that time with the passport or visa photos that CBP already has in the file.
I saw a traveler after another to use the DFW service on Friday, and I saw that most clearly cleared in seconds. In some cases, the officer who supervised the lane asked him a question or two questions about the details of his trip, and then most was on his way.
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“The whole process is without touch, it is efficient and is safe,” Sabatino said on Friday.
It is also increasingly available in many of the most busy international doors in the country, and a previous CBP installation abroad.
Where is the improved passenger processing available?
Last month, TPG reported the arrival of technology At the Orlando International Airport (MCO), one of the largest destinations in the country for vacationers.
Beyond DFW and Orlando, CBP has also expanded EPP A:
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
- O’Hare International Airport (Ord)
- Denver International Airport (DEN)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Los Angeles International Airport (Lax)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea)
- Dublin Airport (Dub) in Ireland, where passengers are selected before a flight to the United States
CBP points out that offering this fastest processing option for US citizens has also reduced waiting times for non -citizens, releasing lane space and officers, which means more lanes available for visitors.
During the test phase of the new DFW program, the maximum waiting times for non -American citizens fell from more than 50 minutes, the agency said, less than 35 minutes.
A better option than global entry?
To be clear, no other passport control program, even this new PPE, exceeds the speed of global entrance, particularly as CBP works to accelerate that program paid with newer and more technology tools.
The global entrance remains a superior “hack” for travelers who often fly abroad, offering both the ultra -grape trip through passport control, along with access to the TSA Precheck lanes.
Read more: How to request global entry: Tips for beginners
However, travelers who fly internationally can be less excited about the registration rate of $ 120, which is good for five years (although Some credit cards will reimburse the rate).
Mobile passport control of a third alternative
There is another option that saves time for travelers that:
- I have no global entrance
- They are reaching an airport that still does not have the new EPP
- Or that they don’t want to use EPP
The widely available Mobile passport control program It allows passengers to send personal information before their arrival through the mobile application, before continuing to a dedicated line for processing.
End
Whatever the program you choose, there are now a lot of ways to omit the longest lines after a long distance flight.
“We are not everything in a solution,” Sabatino said. “We want to make sure we have such a wide set of options for all the different types of travelers who come.”
Although Persistent concerns about travel demandairlines have said The demand for international travel is still strong Among customers. The recent weekend of the Fallen Day brought two of the five busy days at US airports.
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