Originally Posted by
GUWonder
Still, US DHS has issues with figuring out where I came from even on commercial flights where the entire PNR has been fed to them, including several times over. Here's one exchange: "Which flight did you just come off from?" "The same flight as everyone else here, ___ ___." "Well, that's strange we have no record of you in here." [CBP agent hits a bunch of keys, down, down, down, down the screen.] "Ok, welcome back."
I've never had that happen, but I'm not sure if they always get the full PNR data. For example I'll fly BCN-AMS-JFK on KLM. At BCN when I check in I get all my BP's including a connection BP on DL (Comair) from JFK-SDF.
Upon arrival in JFK, I'm asked what countries I visited and I said Spain --the immigration officer only has a record of my AMS-JFK segment. I then have to explain I only switched planes at AMS and I didn't stay in Holland.
I suppose with Schengen, you're technically entering/exiting at AMS because that is where you go through passport control - but when your PNR shows BCN-AMS-JFK it should be clear I was only a transit passenger.
With the PNR feed the airlines provide, isn't CBP supposed to get all of the flights on the PNR including my actual origination? Sometimes I question what amount of information they have when they scan my passport. Other times I question if their computers are fully up or if there is a communications outage with the central CBP computer system(s) (especially at JFK a couple of times).
I'm usually asked how long I've been outside of the US - which I know is a standard question most passengers get. While there is no exit control, I was always under the impression the airlines turn their passenger lists over to CBP for flights departing the US. That way they should have a record of your departure.
While on the subject of AMS transfers, on the landing card where it asks for the countries you've been to -- do you include The Netherlands when you're only in-transit making a connection, or are you just supposed to list where you've actually been? Normally I'll just put AMS-transit and then list where I had actually been to.
Last but not least, I have seen CBP officers look puzzled when I return to the US on a ticket other than my original outbound as I'll sometimes buy a ticket with a one year validity, use the outbound, and then travel to/from the US on new tickets before using the final leg of the first ticket a year later. Based on that I suspect the airlines do send them departure PNR info... (?)