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Malachai Constant Member
Joined: 13 Jan 2002 Posts: 16088 | TRs | Pics Location: Back Again Like A Bad Penny |
As many of you know we recently returned from an Asian trip. The line for passport control was over an hour with only 4 BC agents for hundreds of passengers. In previous years it only took minutes if you chose the kiosks. It turns out this is a nationwide occurrence. The kiosks have been removed or fenced off. They were supposed to implement AI facial recognition which did not work well with kiosks. If you are transferring make sure you take the transfer line, one poor devil mand the wrong choice and missed his flight. The USA was far worse than Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, ROC, and Thailand. There was no Customs check because the line was so long.
If this is not appropriate for this forum you can move elsewhere.
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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Bronco Member
Joined: 20 Jun 2010 Posts: 133 | TRs | Pics
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Bronco
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Thu Nov 03, 2022 8:28 am
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We flew in from the UK on the morning of 9/29 and there was no line at all with a dozen agents working. Our luggage didn't make the connection so customs was easy peasy. Maybe because it was morning it was less busy?
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Stefan Member
Joined: 17 Dec 2001 Posts: 5085 | TRs | Pics
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Stefan
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Thu Nov 03, 2022 9:42 am
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It all has to do with staffing. I have heard both sides of the story.
I came in from London. There were 8 agents working. There was no fricken line whatsoever.
I thought they were overstaffed at that time.
There does not seem to be a knowledge of staffing for this passport control there at SEA
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thunderhead Member
Joined: 14 Oct 2015 Posts: 1511 | TRs | Pics
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Its a bit of a crapshoot*. Staffing is planned based on scheduled arrival times... but planes dont always go as scheduled. If you are first off the first international arrival of the day... or an arrival after a bit of a gap, then you breeze through. If you are the tail end of a bunch of arrivals that happen to stack up... especially if a number have been delayed from an earlier expected busy period and staffing thus decreases... you get screwed. Its a bit of luck sometimes, hard to say if your arrival will be first or last during common busy periods.
This is true for many airports.
*except Miami and LAX. These incompetent facilities always suck.
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joker seeker
Joined: 12 Aug 2006 Posts: 7953 | TRs | Pics Location: state of confusion |
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joker
seeker
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Thu Nov 03, 2022 3:17 pm
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If you're flying internationally enough, joining the Global Entry "trusted traveler" program is so worth it. I'm pissed that I spaced and let mine lapse after leaving corporate life. When I went to renew it along with TSA Pre-Check, the pandemic monkey wrenches in the system made it MUCH easier and faster to just renew Pre-Check and let the GE go for now (the screening for GE involves more including a background check and in-person interview for which I had to go down to SeaTac for an appointment that at that time, maybe around 2011 give or take, I had to schedule a few months out).
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schifferj Member
Joined: 07 Mar 2015 Posts: 224 | TRs | Pics Location: 509 |
My wife just returned from Africa on Qatar Airlines into SeaTac. She has Global Entry and breezed thru in under two. Inutes. She said they had 9 agents in the regular passport agency and it didn’t seem like that big a bottleneck.
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Pyrites Member
Joined: 16 Sep 2014 Posts: 1880 | TRs | Pics Location: South Sound |
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Pyrites
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Thu Nov 03, 2022 9:35 pm
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Is it the normal passport peeking or looking at luggage?
Keep Calm and Carry On?
Heck No.
Stay Excited and Get Outside!
Keep Calm and Carry On?
Heck No.
Stay Excited and Get Outside!
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BigBrunyon Member
Joined: 19 Mar 2015 Posts: 1450 | TRs | Pics Location: the fitness gyms!! |
It's because of all the people shouting profanities in the line!!! These days there's always several individuls SHOUTING profane obscenties!!! These people must be DETAINED and it slows down the line!!
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Malachai Constant Member
Joined: 13 Jan 2002 Posts: 16088 | TRs | Pics Location: Back Again Like A Bad Penny |
Pyrites wrote: | Is it the normal passport peeking or looking at luggage? |
It was just the passport peeking. Absolutely no looking through luggage, we could have had 10 kilos of China white in our bags. No dogs no nothing.
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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ejain Member
Joined: 27 Apr 2009 Posts: 1497 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle, WA |
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ejain
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Fri Nov 04, 2022 6:56 pm
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Pyrites wrote: | Is it the normal passport peeking or looking at luggage? |
Both: Instead of the old setup, where you'd queue for passport control, and then again for customs (after collecting your checked luggage), you collect your luggage first, and then queue once.
This also has the advantage of spacing out arriving passengers a bit better.
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Pyrites Member
Joined: 16 Sep 2014 Posts: 1880 | TRs | Pics Location: South Sound |
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Pyrites
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Fri Nov 04, 2022 7:03 pm
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Wouldn’t it be as effective just to move them to rear of line. Wash, rinse, repeat.BigBrunyon wrote: | It's because of all the people shouting profanities in the line!!! These days there's always several individuls SHOUTING profane obscenties!!! These people must be DETAINED and it slows down the line!! |
Keep Calm and Carry On?
Heck No.
Stay Excited and Get Outside!
Keep Calm and Carry On?
Heck No.
Stay Excited and Get Outside!
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ejain Member
Joined: 27 Apr 2009 Posts: 1497 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle, WA |
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ejain
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Fri Nov 04, 2022 7:03 pm
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Malachai Constant wrote: | The kiosks have been removed or fenced off. |
Are you talking about the Global Entry kiosks? First time I arrived with the new setup in place, I overlooked the kiosks, and headed directly for the Global Entry queue, but it made no difference since the customs/immigration officer was double-checking everyone's passports anyway...
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RumiDude Marmota olympus
Joined: 26 Jul 2009 Posts: 3579 | TRs | Pics Location: Port Angeles |
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RumiDude
Marmota olympus
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Sat Nov 05, 2022 9:36 am
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When we left Dublin the end of August we went thru "pre-customs" in Dublin Airport and didn't have to do any customs when we arrived back in the US in Philly.
Rumi
"This is my Indian summer ... I'm far more dangerous now, because I don't care at all."
jinx'sboy
"This is my Indian summer ... I'm far more dangerous now, because I don't care at all."
jinx'sboy
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jinx'sboy Member
Joined: 30 Jul 2008 Posts: 927 | TRs | Pics Location: on a great circle route |
RumiDude wrote: | When we left Dublin the end of August we went thru "pre-customs" in Dublin Airport and didn't have to do any customs when we arrived back in the US in Philly.
Rumi |
I’ve done this a couple times on the DUB - SEA AerLingus flight. It is a sweet, no hassle deal! You get off the plane just like you flew in from a domestic flight.
What I can’t figure is why Dublin gets this honor? Why is this not used, going through other even more high-volume cities, flying into the US?
(or, maybe I just don’t know about it….)
RumiDude
RumiDude
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seawallrunner dilettante
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 3305 | TRs | Pics Location: Lotusland |
Vancouver BC also offers this. We go through US Customs before departing from YVR.
And, this was in the 90s, it was similar from Stockholm to Chicago. I went through US Customs there, before landing at ORD.
RumiDude
RumiDude
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