Customs Faces Long, Hot Summer At U.S. Airports, Says USA Today

Passengers flying into U.S. international gateway airports face long waits this summer as Customs and Border Protection struggles with a shortage of agents, according to a story by Barbara Delolis in the May 22 issue of USA Today.  The fun is already starting, with passengers at LAX having to wait three hours in line at Tom Bradley International Terminal May 19, reported the airport's deputy executive director, Paul Haney.

But Miami International Airport started working last fall with Customs to shorten lines for travelers coming back in the country.  The airport opened two  Federal Inspection Service processing facilities, said Dickie Davis, terminal operations division director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department in my May 13 story (subscribers only) in Aviation Daily.

"The first was a satellite facility in an annex building next to Concourse E that we hadn't been using.  We were able to activate 16 existing lines there and get Customs to staff it, We converted an empty in-transit waiting area in Concourse F for processing and added another 18 lanes," said Davis. "We also added a special services lane and opened a one-stop-shop lane for flight crews in Concourse E. When you add it up we went from 65 lanes to 103 lanes, a 58% increase." The special services lane is for passengers needing extra assistance, along with diplomats and VIPs.

The Travel Industry Association of America has also been quite vocal about the long waits at Customs, which I covered in the Dec. 14 issue (subscribers only) of Aviation Daily.   "We've seen a significant falloff of foreign visitors since 9/11," said Rick Webster, TIA's VP of government affairs. TIA has found that the U.S. share of the total global tourism market has decreased 18% between 2000 and 2005, and 35% between 1992 and 2005. U.S. travel and tourism's declining share of the growing global market has cost the economy an estimated $286 billion in lost revenue in the past 15 years, according to TIA. In 2005, this loss was estimated at $43 billion, it added.

"TIA has been very concerned about the screening and inspection of international travelers, including their treatment and long waits, said Webster. "While most incoming foreign travelers have a positive or neutral experience, there are too many times when there's been a negative encounter with a Customs officer, and we want to provide a warmer welcome," he said. "We believe that men and women of Customs do a great job, but it's the exceptions that end up coloring people's perception of the United States as an unwelcoming nation."