Emergency, lost passport. Stuck in seoul.
Jul 21, 2017, 11:00 am
#47
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: South Dakota
Programs: HH Diamond, DL Platinum
Posts: 587
Since you have GE, aren't you able to just go to the machine scan that and go right through and not actually have to pull your passport out? Maybe you'll get lucky there... I forget if you have to have the machine scan your passport or not. Either way you should be ok since they can verify your info as you're a citizen. Just may take a little time there.
Jul 21, 2017, 11:03 am
#48
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: South Dakota
Programs: HH Diamond, DL Platinum
Posts: 587
Appreciate your kind words. I'm buying a passport holder on Amazon as I type this.
Jul 21, 2017, 11:15 am
#49
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: DL PM MM SC; GE; Bonvoy Titanium; IHG Diamond
Posts: 2,310
Jul 21, 2017, 11:54 am
#50
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,427
First and foremost I want yo thank you all for the responses. Passport is gone. I'm currently sitting in my seat headed back to Seattle.
Back story
When I landed at Seoul it didn't even dawn on me to check my bag for the passport as it's always on one particular place in my backpack. After I deplaned and was going to transfer to my gate I was asked for the passport which I could not procure. I was able to run back to the plane and hot lucky that a DL agent was walking g by the closed doors. I told him I had left my passport back on the plane. He opened the door to the jet bridge and went to my seat but didn't find it. He then came out and let me go onboard to my seat and unfortunately still did not find it. I was escorted off the plane where I'm in full panic mode because my turnaround time is 1.25 hours. I just so happen to meet a exceptionally caring DL rep by the name of Hyun Jung. She took me to the transfer station and somehow worked magic. I gave her my Global Entry card and ID and she made a call and spoke with someone who I presume was CBP. I was granted access thru the transfer station and she ran me to my gate as the plane leaves in 1 hour. At the gate I was asked to sit and she made another call and informed me I will not be allowed back onto the flight that now leaves in 45 min and I'd have to leave the airport and go to the American Embassy for a emergency passport. It's 4:40pm or so Seoul time and I presume the Embassy closes at 5 so I'd be stuck at least thru the weekend. When she told me that my heart sank and I honestly thought I was having heart palpitations and was going to get sick. This is the point where I reached out to you all. About 45 minutes later and as everyone has boarded she came back to me and on her phone she was speaking with a CBP agent. She asked me some detailed information and by the grace of everything holy I was cleared to fly.
As I sit here I'm wondering what's going to happen in Seattle once I land. Like I said I do have my Global Entry card and ID. I have a three hour window before my flight to Chicago leaves so I do have time. I gave torn my bag apart every which way till tomorrow and the Passport just isn't here. Like I said, I took a pic of it with the ticket against the backdrop of Seoul on the gate monitor so I had it to get on the plane but when I landed it wasn't on me. I have no idea if it was potentially stolen on the plane or slipped down into the seat somewhere (the original DL rep took the seat apart to try and locate it)
Once again, thank you all who posted. I'll post how the experience unfolds once I reach CBP in Seattle.
Back story
When I landed at Seoul it didn't even dawn on me to check my bag for the passport as it's always on one particular place in my backpack. After I deplaned and was going to transfer to my gate I was asked for the passport which I could not procure. I was able to run back to the plane and hot lucky that a DL agent was walking g by the closed doors. I told him I had left my passport back on the plane. He opened the door to the jet bridge and went to my seat but didn't find it. He then came out and let me go onboard to my seat and unfortunately still did not find it. I was escorted off the plane where I'm in full panic mode because my turnaround time is 1.25 hours. I just so happen to meet a exceptionally caring DL rep by the name of Hyun Jung. She took me to the transfer station and somehow worked magic. I gave her my Global Entry card and ID and she made a call and spoke with someone who I presume was CBP. I was granted access thru the transfer station and she ran me to my gate as the plane leaves in 1 hour. At the gate I was asked to sit and she made another call and informed me I will not be allowed back onto the flight that now leaves in 45 min and I'd have to leave the airport and go to the American Embassy for a emergency passport. It's 4:40pm or so Seoul time and I presume the Embassy closes at 5 so I'd be stuck at least thru the weekend. When she told me that my heart sank and I honestly thought I was having heart palpitations and was going to get sick. This is the point where I reached out to you all. About 45 minutes later and as everyone has boarded she came back to me and on her phone she was speaking with a CBP agent. She asked me some detailed information and by the grace of everything holy I was cleared to fly.
As I sit here I'm wondering what's going to happen in Seattle once I land. Like I said I do have my Global Entry card and ID. I have a three hour window before my flight to Chicago leaves so I do have time. I gave torn my bag apart every which way till tomorrow and the Passport just isn't here. Like I said, I took a pic of it with the ticket against the backdrop of Seoul on the gate monitor so I had it to get on the plane but when I landed it wasn't on me. I have no idea if it was potentially stolen on the plane or slipped down into the seat somewhere (the original DL rep took the seat apart to try and locate it)
Once again, thank you all who posted. I'll post how the experience unfolds once I reach CBP in Seattle.
Jul 21, 2017, 12:22 pm
#51
Join Date: May 2010
Programs: Delta Kryptonium
Posts: 1,144
Delta should have had a scan/record of your passport from when you boarded at ATL - they require you to put the passport in the kiosk to verify it, so that record would have verified to DL that you are a USN.
Jul 21, 2017, 12:56 pm
#52
Join Date: Jan 2006
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Jul 21, 2017, 1:02 pm
#53
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Brooklyn
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Posts: 5,050
Unfortunately the agent who takes your GE kiosk slip when you exit the baggage hall usually does want to see your passport alongside the slip, and so at that point you may have to explain what's happening and go through whatever process is required to verify your identity.
But if you get lucky and they don't ask for your passport when they collect the slip, you can easily get all the way through customs and out to landside without the passport at all.
Jul 21, 2017, 1:04 pm
#54
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,698
Having said that, I'm generally asked to show my passport at some point along the way so it will probably be problematic to not have it. However, you should be able to eventually convince the customs and immigration folks to let you through since you're a citizen and the Global Entry stuff should make it easier.
Jul 21, 2017, 1:06 pm
#55
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Since the OP has a GE card, my instinct upon arrival would be to go toward the GE machines and then go to an CBP agent, the same as you would do if you get the "see officer" on the GE receipt. You cannot use the GE kiosks without inserting your passport, although I guess one could experiment to see what happens if you just try to go directly to the fingerprints. That *might* pull up the passport and flight information.
AFAIK in most airports now, USA citizens are expected to use the GE kiosks, the machines, or the mobile passport app. I don't think there's a way for a USA citizen to go directly to an agent and the GE lines are likely to be faster and might be marginally nicer to the OP.
Jul 21, 2017, 1:11 pm
#56
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Basically, the purpose of Mobile Passport is to enter the same info into your app as you would at a kiosk, so you can bypass the machines and go directly to an officer. It's simply FAB!!
Jul 21, 2017, 1:18 pm
#57
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MCI
Posts: 698
Wow OP you had luck and some very nice people on your side. I think you having GE really helped out as whoever the Koreans called on your behalf likely found in a pool of "safe dudes" in the GE database.
I'm having my GE interview done in just a couple weeks and can't wait to get it.
Of course the other lesson is to keep very very important track of your passport. I don't care if fanny packs look stupid or those necklace wallet things look tacky....if it helps you NOT lose important stuff...I"m all for it!
I had some trouble in China just last month and the airport personnel (FOC) was not friendly at all.
I'm having my GE interview done in just a couple weeks and can't wait to get it.
Of course the other lesson is to keep very very important track of your passport. I don't care if fanny packs look stupid or those necklace wallet things look tacky....if it helps you NOT lose important stuff...I"m all for it!
I had some trouble in China just last month and the airport personnel (FOC) was not friendly at all.
Jul 21, 2017, 1:18 pm
#58
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Jul 21, 2017, 1:36 pm
#59
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Jul 21, 2017, 1:41 pm
#60
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: New York, New York
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My God! What an adventure! The kind that I'd gladly spend a life time without. Whew... Hope the Arrival isn't too tense. Good luck!