Originally Posted by
bt_yyz
I am a Canadian citizen with NEXUS and I'll be travelling to the US in the next couple days. However, I am applying for a visa (foreign country, not US) so I plan to travel WITHOUT my Canadian passport.
From YYZ, I will fly UA and then 3 other domestic US flights on UA (I guess I could use a drivers lic, or NEXUS), and then AC to fly back to Canada.
Is this an issue with airline GAs? It appears that CBP and CBSA are fine for using NEXUS as ID, proof of citizenship, entry document, etc. But a bunch of other forum threads have mentioned problems with GAs.
Should I have any concerns? Otherwise I will have to bring my passport and pay extra for rush/expedited visa application.
Haven't tried in a while, but IME, UA agents will not accept Nexus card for ID at check in or boarding..they'll ask for your passport, and won't check you in without one. At minimum, it will likely be a fight for it, so if you try it, give yourself well more extra time then normal. Don't forget...you'll need to show it at both check in (unless you are checking in online and don't have any bags...if you don't have your passport on file in the 'system' on UA, you won't be able to check in online anyway since you'll need to scan your passport when checking in on the app, or you won't be able to complete it) and at boarding...so you'll need to convince two different people.
Personally...its not worth that kind of fight for me. And that doesn't even mention CBP. In the last two years, I travel with a child who is also GE, but even though we all use the kiosk, with kid getting the X, and having to go to an agent, a lot of the time, the agent asks for our passports also. Prior to that, of the times I've been sent to secondary (either due to declaration or random), I'd say about 50% of the time, I was asked for Nexus card only, and the other 50%, specifically asked for passport...I don't know what agents would say if I didn't have one, and to be quite honest, I'm never going to find out.
IMO, much better to travel around getting a visa. In best case, yes, you can get through. But there is risk. If you get asked, best case is UA denies you check in/boarding before you leave, as it would preempt potentially worse scenarios. For example - they accept it for travel into the US, but AC doesn't accept it for your return (though I'd think this scenario is most unlikely - IME, AC is better about accepting Nexus only for travel, though still not perfect). Of course, also possible, and worst case, is that you get sent to an agent at US CBP (or on your return with CBSA), get asked for it, tell them you don't have it, and get NEXUS revoked. Certainly possible.
It's all up to your risk tolerance - like I said, I would never do it.