By REBECCA SANTANA (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON — A family from Belgium had been worried about the long line at passport control when they arrived in the US. However, they found out about a new app that could help. They decided to try it and were able to skip the long line at Washington Dulles International Airport and wait for their luggage within minutes.
“The line for passport screening was always long,” said Piet De Staercke, who was visiting Washington and Chicago with his wife and two sons. “We were a bit scared. But now with the app, it’s amazing.”
As travel continues to increase after the pandemic, US Customs and Border Protection is using more technology, like the Mobile Passport Control app the De Staercke family used, to handle the growing number of passengers traveling internationally. With upcoming events like a rare solar eclipse, the Olympics in Paris, and summer holidays, international travel numbers are not expected to decrease soon.
Customs and Border Protection officials showed The Associated Press some of the technologies they have been using and what to expect in the coming months and years.
In the fiscal year 2023, the agency processed over 394 million travelers at entry ports, marking a 24% increase over the previous year. At the country’s top 20 airports by passenger volume, officers processed 31% more travelers, while average wait times increased by 11%. Some of the busiest airports had minimal wait time increases or even decreases. For instance, at JFK Airport in New York, wait times decreased by an average of 0.4 seconds, while CBP officers processed 33% more travelers.
More and more people are traveling internationally with their families rather than alone for business.
Officials are increasingly using app-based technologies to expedite passengers’ movement through the airport. The Mobile Passport Control app used by the Belgian family is one such example. It’s available to US citizens, lawful permanent residents, certain Canadians, and travelers from countries in the Visa Waiver Program who have previously visited the US.
Passengers upload their photos and information to the app. When they reach the screening area, they are directed to a separate line. The officer then only needs to take a photo of one family member, and the app displays the entire group’s photos and their information.
CBP launched the app in 2021 and is now striving to encourage more people to use it, including by collaborating with airlines to enable the app to be downloaded during the flight, and by displaying signs at airports to inform travelers about it. Last year, a record 4.1 million people entered the country using the app.
“Any time saved in the process adds up eventually,” said Marc Calixte, the top CBP official at Dulles, explaining the importance of saving time.
In September of last year, the agency made a special app for people who use Global Entry. This is one of the programs where low-risk passengers can go through customs and passport control more quickly by making an appointment and passing a background check.
Last year, a record 3.2 million people applied for the Global Entry program, and this year, the agency expects about 4 million applications. Brendan Blackmer, CBP branch chief for the Trusted Traveler Programs, said passengers have complained about how long it takes to process applications and get appointments. CBP's website says it takes four to six months to process applications. In February, 17 members of Congress asked CBP for information due to complaints from their constituents about long wait times.
Blackmer said the agency has worked to improve the process, including allowing almost 100% of people renewing their status to do so without visiting an enrollment center. This frees up appointments for first-time applicants. The agency is also trying to allow more people to complete the process at the airport.
Blackmer also mentioned that there are more appointments available, but some cities, like San Francisco, still have high demand, resulting in appointments taking more than 90 days.
Blackmer stated that the agency has made a lot of progress in the past year and a half, and is now in a better position to meet the program's demand. They will continue to work on improvements.
Starting on Oct. 1, fees for some of the Trusted Traveler Programs will increase. The cost of NEXUS will go from $50 to $120, Global Entry from $100 to $120, and SENTRI from $122.50 to $120. However, the fees will now cover all kids under 18, regardless of the program they are in.
There is no change to the fact that approval for the programs will still be valid for five years.
Calixte mentioned that the airport may open E-Gates by the end of summer, where Global Entry passengers can use an app to bypass an officer at a booth and go to a gate where their photo is taken and matched to their passport. If there are no issues, the gates open, and they can leave the customs and passport control area.
In the future, the agency is looking into a concept called smart queuing, where the app assigns passengers to specific lines based on information they have entered, such as whether they have goods to declare.
You can follow the AP’s travel coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/travel.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection is using more technology to handle the increasing number of passengers as travel increases following the pandemic-related decline.
