The Belgian family of four was on their fourth trip to the United States. They feared the long queue at passport control when they entered the country, but they had heard about a new app they could use to make their way easier and decided to give it a try. Within minutes they had skipped the long line at Washington Dulles International Airport and were waiting for their bags.
“It was always a long queue,” Piet De Staercke said of the queue to go through passport control. He, his wife and two children were visiting Washington and Chicago. “We were a little scared. But now with the app it’s great.”
As travel continues to grow in the wake of the pandemic crisis, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expanding the use of technologies like the mobile passport control app used by the De Staercke family in an effort to manage the ever-increasing number of passengers traveling internationally. And with events like a rare solar eclipse, the Paris Olympics and summer holidays continuing to drive international travel, these numbers don’t look like they’ll be decreasing anytime soon.
Customs and Border Protection officials gave The Associated Press a behind-the-scenes look at some of the technologies they have used and what to expect in the months and years ahead.
The numbers
During fiscal year 2023, the agency processed more than 394 million travelers at ports of entry. This is an increase of 24% compared to the previous year. Analyzing the country’s top 20 airports by passenger volume, agents welcomed 31% more travelers, while average wait times increased by 11%. And at some of the busiest airports, wait times have seen negligible increases or even decreased. At New York’s JFK Airport, for example, wait times decreased – by an average of 0.4 seconds – while CBP agents processed 33% more travelers.
Increasingly, people are traveling abroad with their families rather than going abroad alone on business.
More apps
Officials are moving more towards app-based technologies to speed up the movement of passengers through the airport. The Mobile Passport Control app used by the Belgian family is an example of this. It is available to US citizens, but also to lawful permanent residents, some Canadians, and travelers from countries that are part of the Visa Waiver Program who have already been to the United States at least once.
Passengers upload their photos and information to the app. When they enter the screening area, they are directed to a separate line. The officer then only needs to take a photo of one family member and displays photos of the entire group and related information.
CBP launched the app in 2021, but is now trying to get more people to use it, including by working with airlines to allow the app to be downloaded while the plane is in flight and by posting signs at airports to let travelers know. Last year, a record 4.1 million people entered the country using the app.
“Every second we can save in the process saves time because it adds up in the end,” said Marc Calixte, the top CBP official in Dulles.
Last September, the agency also created an app specifically for passengers using Global Entry. This is one of the “Trusted Traveler” programs administered by CBP that allows certain low-risk passengers who make an appointment for an interview and undergo a background check to travel more quickly through customs and passport control when arriving in the United States United
Global entry improvements
Last year saw a record 3.2 million people apply to the Global Entry program, and this year the agency is on track to field about 4 million applications, said Brendan Blackmer, CBP Branch Chief for Trusted Traveler Programs. But passengers have complained about the time it takes to process applications and difficulties getting appointments. On its website, CBP says it takes on average four to six months to process applications. In February, 17 members of Congress wrote to CBP requesting information, saying they were receiving complaints from constituents about wait times.
Blackmer said the agency has pushed to improve the process, including by allowing nearly 100% of people who renew their status to do so without having to go to an enrollment center. This frees up appointments for first-time candidates. And there’s a push to ensure more people are able to complete the process while they’re at the airport, whether leaving or returning from a trip.
There are also more appointments available, Blackmer said, although some cities like San Francisco still see so much demand that appointments can take more than 90 days to get.
“We have worked hard over the last year and a half and now the agency is in a better position and able to meet the demand for the program. And we will continue to work,” Blackmer said.
Tariff increases
Starting October 1, people using some of the Trusted Traveler programs will see increases in the fees they pay. The cost of NEXUS, a U.S.-Canadian program designed to facilitate travel between the two countries for pre-approved travelers, will range from $50 to $120. Global admission will go from $100 to $120. SENTRI, for pre-approved travelers at the southern border with Mexico, will drop from $122.50 to $120.
But now the fees will cover everyone under 18, regardless of which program you participate in.
What does not change is that the approval of the programs will last another five years.
What’s next?
Calixte said perhaps by the end of the summer the airport will open so-called E-Gates where passengers using Global Entry will be able to use the app, bypass an officer at a booth and instead go to a gate where their photo will be taken and matched to their passport and, assuming no red flags, the gates open and they exit the customs and passport control area and are on their way.
Further on the horizon, Blackmer said the agency is exploring a concept called smart queuing, in which the app assigns passengers to certain lines depending on information they’ve entered into the app, such as whether they have goods to declare.