WASHINGTON (AP) — The Belgian family of four was on their fourth trip to the United States. They were afraid of the long queue at passport control when they entered the country, but when they heard that there was a new application they could use to ease their way, they decided to try it. Within minutes, they had skipped the long line at Washington Dulles International Airport and were waiting for their luggage.
“There was always a long line,” said Piet De Staercke, who was waiting in line to undergo passport scanning. He, his wife and two sons were visiting Washington and Chicago. “We were a little scared. But now with the app, it’s great.”
As travel continues to increase following pandemic-related lulls, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expanding its use of technologies like the Mobile Passport Control app that the De Staercke family is using to process growing numbers of international travelers. These numbers are not expected to drop anytime soon as events such as the rare solar eclipse, the Paris Olympics and summer holidays continue to increase international travel.
Customs and Border Protection officials told The Associated Press behind the scenes of some of the technologies they use and what to expect in the coming months and years.
NUMBERS
During fiscal year 2023, the agency processed more than 394 million passengers at ports of entry. This means an increase of 24% compared to the previous year. Looking at the nation’s top 20 airports by passenger volume, officers processed 31% more passengers while average wait times increased 11%. At some of the busiest airports, waiting times have increased to negligible levels or even decreased. At JFK Airport in New York, for example, wait times decreased by an average of 0.4 of a second, while CBP officers processed passengers 33% more.
Increasingly, people are traveling internationally with their families rather than going abroad alone for work.
MORE APPLICATIONS
Authorities are turning more to app-based technologies to speed up the movement of passengers through the airport. The Mobile Passport Control application used by the Belgian family is an example of this. In addition to U.S. citizens, it also applies to lawful permanent residents, certain Canadians, and travelers from countries covered by the Visa Waiver Program who have been to the United States at least once.
Passengers upload their photos and information to the application. When they enter the screening area, they are directed to a separate line. The officer then needs to take a photo of one member of the family, revealing photos and information of the entire group.
CBP launched the app in 2021, but is now trying to get more people to use the app by working with airlines to allow in-flight downloads of the app and by posting signs at airports to let travelers know about it. Last year, a record 4.1 million people came to the country using the app.
“Every second we can save in the process saves time because it eventually adds up,” said Marc Calixte, the senior CBP official at Dulles.
Last September, the agency also developed an application specifically for passengers using Global Entry. This is one of the “Trusted Traveler” programs CBP operates that allows certain low-risk travelers who make an appointment for an interview and are subject to a background check to get through customs and passport control more quickly upon arrival in the United States.
IMPROVEMENTS IN GLOBAL ENTRY
Brendan Blackmer, CBP branch chief for Trusted Traveler Programs, said 3.2 million people applied for the Global Entry program last year, and this year the agency is on track to submit nearly 4 million applications. However, passengers complained about how long it could take for applications to be processed and that they were having trouble getting an appointment. CBP says on its website that applications are processed in an average of four to six months. In February, 17 members of Congress told CBP they had filed complaints with voters about wait times in requests for information.
Blackmer said the agency is trying to improve the process, including allowing nearly 100 percent of people to renew their status without having to come to the registration center. This frees up appointments for first-time applicants. And it’s pushing for more people to be able to complete the process while they’re at the airport when leaving or returning from a trip.
Blackmer said more appointments are available, but some cities, like San Francisco, are still seeing so much demand that it can take more than 90 days to get appointments.
“We have done a lot of work over the last year and a half and the agency is now in a better position and able to meet the demand for the programme. “We will continue to work,” Blackmer said.
WAGE INCREASES
Come October 1, people using some of the Trusted Traveler Programs will see an increase in the fees they pay. The cost of NEXUS, a U.S.-Canada program designed to make it easier for pre-approved travelers to travel between the two countries, will increase from $50 to $120. Global Entry will increase from $100 to $120. For pre-approved travelers at the southern border with Mexico, SENTRI will drop from $122.50 to $120.
However, fees will now cover all children under 18, regardless of which program you are on.
What hasn’t changed is that approval of the programs will be valid for five years.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Probably by the end of the summer, the airport will open gates called E-Gates, where passengers using Global Entry can use the app, bypass an officer in the cabin and instead go to a gate where their photo will be taken and matched, Calixte said. They take their passports and if there is no red flag, the doors open and they leave the customs and passport control area and set off.
On the horizon, the agency is exploring a concept called smart queuing, where the app assigns passengers to specific lines based on information they enter into the app, such as whether they have goods to declare, Blackmer said.