Same Issue at BWI
 

I've had this similar issue within the last few months at BWI after OLCI. When I try to give them my nexus card at the gate for document verification they insist on seeing a Passport now. They told me something about a software change a few months back (who knows if it is true or not).

At DCA I used my nexus card all the time but I have not flown through there recently. I will have to try next time and report back.

It doesn't make much sense as Air Canada allows you to enter your Nexus information for APIS instead of a Passport. You think that is the information the gate agent would be looking for.

Had to show passport, despite entering Canada on Nexus, when declaring "goods to follow" and needed paperwork to support no duty payable when goods actually arrived. This was downstairs in secondary inspection.

But but but...... the rules say you don't need a passport!!!!!

Who needs rules when you have Flyertalk?

Strange, so to enter Canada there is no problem with showing nexus card only but to go domestic you need a passport?

It happened once to a FlyerTalker, so yes, it must be the official requirement.

You definitely don't need a passport to fly domestically within Canada. Nexus or no Nexus, you can show any government-issued ID, like a driver's license or a provincial health card. Plenty of people travel within Canada who don't even have passports.

The agent at SFO was smoking something, methinks.

You and keitherson are the only ones here talking about official entry requirements.

Even the thread title is about what AC allows, not what CBSA says they require.

Good point. In the absence of company policy stating otherwise, I'll reply 'yes they are'. At least for me.

What does AC say they allow?

hmm.

https://res.aircanada.ca/APIS/

https://beta.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco...documents.html

hmmm

who cares about rules though

There are two possibilities:
(1) You had a brand new agent that was not up to speed on the acceptance of Nexus. If at the checkin, this could also be the agent does not want to go through the extra steps to verify enter the nexus as the checkin screens default to passport.
(2) You had an agent that is misinterpreting the requirement for dual citizens to use a Canadian passport. This requirement has caught a few dual Canadian citizens since implementation and enforcement began mid November.

The CBSA officer might not have been on the Nexus terminals. Did you have to skip over a few kiosks and be handled by an agent that primarily does regular passport only primary inspection line duties.

The above has been my experience at YYC (old terminal). Also traveled with my family in March 2016 and after wife and I handled Nexus, we waited in line to process Little Cage. Got motioned over to a regular PIL station and had to use passports for all three of us. Next time advised wife to not be so insistent on going outside the Nexus queue as the PIL officer rescinded our Nexus clearance and sent us all to secondary inspection.



There needs to be some clarification on the risk of fines and other sanctions as a result of travel document issues from pax. Simply put, there is very little risk of fines. I base my thesis on the classical Enterprise Risk Management risk calculation ("impact of a single incident" * "probability of incident occurrence").
- Impact is low as the maximum fine is $10,000 (low im comparison to a $10B at AC and $4B WS).
- Probability is also low. Per 2014 Auditor General of Canada report on CBSA activities. the agency levels less than 1 million dollars of fines per annum across all airlines when they could intake over 10 times as much through enhanced enforcement. CBSA does even fine airlines when they dump a plane load of international pax into the domestic concourse. Additionally from reading both the AC and WS corporate social responsibility reports, both airlines annual fines for all international travel and security infractions is less than 1 million combines (WS has a five year average run rate of $200k and AC run rate is approximately $500k).

From reading the documents mentioned above (particularly the Auditor General's report) the threat of fines is used as an education tool to ensure that airlines handle their responsibilities. But actual fines are not used as an enforcement tool.

If your passport expires, the CBSA or USCBP agents will immediately know about the situation.

Just over 4 years ago my passport expired but not Nexus card. When I got the passport I entered the new information into GOES. Next trip i got an expired document notification on the USCBP agent screen. Looking at the screen I could see that both my new and old passports were in their system. The USCBP officer deleted the old passport and the situation was resolved. Same experience on the return with CBSA.

WHTI supersedes the general requirement for US citizens to have a passport on their person when leaving the USA.

I don't think the US passport exit requirements or Canadian entry requirements are poorly communicated or miss understood. Rather, like other higher up the thread the issue is more with convenience of the document check agent.

I have had several run ins with gate agents regarding the acceptance of Nexus cards on leaving USA (and few on entering USA from Canada). The most honest answer I have received on three occasions(AC SEA, UA SFO, UA ORD): '"yes I know what Timatic says regarding Nexus cards, but I only accept passports".

I wouldn't fault the employer on a lack of training/education/enforcement or policy. Rather this is a pervasive problem with airline agents choosing to unilaterally not follow the fine print details of various international travel document regulations.

The problem is not just with Nexus cards. An example over Christmas. Good friend and her family were travelling USA to Egypt, everyone dual citizens. Three year old's passport denied by the USA airline because it has less than 6 months validity. Despite the the existence of Egyptian passport and birth certificate to prove citizenship in the destination country. End result was the family was split up over the holidays as mom and son had to stay back. It was a battle just to get back their airfare.

If we bow to the lowest common denominator of airline employee intelligence or desire to do their job appropriately; then how do you expect to ever partake in the extra conveniences afforded by the governmental regulatory systems? Rhetorically, how about elite perks (a topic for another thread)?

The easiest approach from an airline employee perspective is to have all pax operate as VBIT (Vacation Bound Infrequent Traveler). Arrive at the airport 3 hours early(even for domestic flights). Only use valid new passport. Only use tourist entry permissions (so no need to inspect work or education visa). Only have one small personal item and check the rest in one bag. etc. etc. etc.

It is your choice whether to take the path of least resistance or respectfully disagree and challenge the agent. However, if another traveler wants to take up the challenge, so long as the other traveler remains respectful, they should not be impeded by others.

In your situation at BWI, I suspect that the software change is at the contractor agency level and not with AC systems. Last summer i traveled through ATL and they would only accept Passports and manual ATL issued BP. I talked with the gate agents at length, the issue at ATL is that the gate agents are contractors and do not use AC systems because they operate flights for several different airlines. Rather than learn 2 or more airline systems, they learn one system that acts as a GUI for every airline.

Sorry... (<- another proof of my Canadian citizenship) didn't mean to stir up the debate.

I'm not advising people to travel without passports between Canada and the United States -- they can make their own choices. The freedom and convenience are preferable though, e.g. those enjoyed by EU/EEA/Swiss citizens who may travel freely in the region with credit card-sized national ID cards, or Hong Kong and Macau permanent residents with Chinese citizenship who may travel to and from China with two credit card-sized cards.

I went through at T1 YYZ this AM and got an X on my Global Entry form (it is not giving me my new L1 visa on the entry options yet), and spoke with the officer. I asked if you need a passport, and he said that you absolutely need to have your passport in addition to Nexus. The US Customs can be inconsistent (thus why I have an L1 now), but I don't think it would be worth it to leave the passport at home. I have actually forgotten mine and travelled successfully, but not something I would

That's because of the L1 status. I was advised on my last L1 renewal to make sure to always travel with my passport and not just Nexus because I may be asked for it at any time (including within the US). That being said, he didn't point me to a written rule so maybe he was making it up :)

In any case, better safe than sorry and I always carry my passport. Case in point, last week at YOW, the airport security that checks tour boarding pass (BEFORE CATSA) refused to allow me to proceed without a passport. He said I had to show it or he couldn't let me pass and Nexus wasn't valid for Air Travel - it really wasn't worth the argument.

I bring both but keep them in separate location, generally passport in pouch or secure pocket, Nexus in wallet.

Figure I don't want to lose both at same time.