Forum Index > Trail Talk > Passport line at SEA is huge
 Reply to topic
Previous :: Next Topic
Author Message
Malachai Constant
Member
Member


Joined: 13 Jan 2002
Posts: 16088 | TRs | Pics
Location: Back Again Like A Bad Penny
Malachai Constant
Member
PostWed Nov 02, 2022 11:49 pm 
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
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Bronco
Member
Member


Joined: 20 Jun 2010
Posts: 133 | TRs | Pics
Bronco
Member
PostThu Nov 03, 2022 8:28 am 
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?

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Stefan
Member
Member


Joined: 17 Dec 2001
Posts: 5084 | TRs | Pics
Stefan
Member
PostThu Nov 03, 2022 9:42 am 
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

Art is an adventure.
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
thunderhead
Member
Member


Joined: 14 Oct 2015
Posts: 1510 | TRs | Pics
thunderhead
Member
PostThu Nov 03, 2022 10:32 am 
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.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
joker
seeker



Joined: 12 Aug 2006
Posts: 7953 | TRs | Pics
Location: state of confusion
joker
seeker
PostThu Nov 03, 2022 3:17 pm 
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).

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
schifferj
Member
Member


Joined: 07 Mar 2015
Posts: 224 | TRs | Pics
Location: 509
schifferj
Member
PostThu Nov 03, 2022 5:16 pm 
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.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Pyrites
Member
Member


Joined: 16 Sep 2014
Posts: 1879 | TRs | Pics
Location: South Sound
Pyrites
Member
PostThu Nov 03, 2022 9:35 pm 
Is it the normal passport peeking or looking at luggage?

Keep Calm and Carry On? Heck No. Stay Excited and Get Outside!
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
BigBrunyon
Member
Member


Joined: 19 Mar 2015
Posts: 1450 | TRs | Pics
Location: the fitness gyms!!
BigBrunyon
Member
PostFri Nov 04, 2022 12:45 am 
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!!

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Malachai Constant
Member
Member


Joined: 13 Jan 2002
Posts: 16088 | TRs | Pics
Location: Back Again Like A Bad Penny
Malachai Constant
Member
PostFri Nov 04, 2022 6:54 am 
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
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
ejain
Member
Member


Joined: 27 Apr 2009
Posts: 1497 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle, WA
ejain
Member
PostFri Nov 04, 2022 6:56 pm 
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.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Pyrites
Member
Member


Joined: 16 Sep 2014
Posts: 1879 | TRs | Pics
Location: South Sound
Pyrites
Member
PostFri Nov 04, 2022 7:03 pm 
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!
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
ejain
Member
Member


Joined: 27 Apr 2009
Posts: 1497 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle, WA
ejain
Member
PostFri Nov 04, 2022 7:03 pm 
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...

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
RumiDude
Marmota olympus



Joined: 26 Jul 2009
Posts: 3579 | TRs | Pics
Location: Port Angeles
RumiDude
Marmota olympus
PostSat Nov 05, 2022 9:36 am 
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
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
jinx'sboy
Member
Member


Joined: 30 Jul 2008
Posts: 927 | TRs | Pics
Location: on a great circle route
jinx'sboy
Member
PostSat Nov 05, 2022 10:50 am 
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
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
seawallrunner
dilettante



Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 3305 | TRs | Pics
Location: Lotusland
seawallrunner
dilettante
PostSat Nov 05, 2022 12:07 pm 
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
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
   All times are GMT - 8 Hours
 Reply to topic
Forum Index > Trail Talk > Passport line at SEA is huge
  Happy Birthday speyguy, Bandanabraids!
Jump to:   
Search this topic:

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum