WLGNZ

Three data points mean I always get "special" attention. Even though it is not me they are after!
Never use the machines on arrival to the US as it is a waste of time.

sbiddle

That is now outdated . Even on a new ESTA you still use the kiosk. Previously you could only use the kiosk f you had previously entered the US on the same passport and ESTA.

The only thing that annoys me in that at SFO returning ESTA visitors can head right and use the US citizens kiosks and screening. At LAX you can't.

sbiddle

I don't know about other airports but at places like LAX you have to use the kiosk.

sbiddle

Secondary screening has always occured at AKL for US flights. A few years ago you used to have to show your passport and boarding pass again before you got to the gate and randomly selected people on each flight were marked on their manifests to undergo this.

I'm guessing that process has changed now.

WLGNZ

Not with an APEC card.....

brucelee

best thing ever for the business traveller- to skip all those long tourist immigration queues.

Kumulani

The passport check at AKL was just to make sure your ESTA/visa is in order, it had nothing to do with the X on your receipt when entering the US.

As for the X, there are a lot of reasons why you could get it. Every APC receipt has a 2 letter code that explains the result. Codes that require additional scrutiny by a CBP officer give you the X. The codes are:

PG = Passage Granted
ER = Enforcement Referral (you're on a list)
DR = Declaration Referral (you answered yes to any customs declaration question)
AP = APIS Problem (your name wasn't found on the manifest of any arriving aircraft)
EA = Entry Authorization (you inserted a non-US or Canadian passport and don't have a valid ESTA or visa)
BF = Biometric Failure (your fingerprints don't match, or this is your first time visiting and CBP doesn't have your fingerprints on file)
CD = Check Documentation (your passport is expiring in less than 6 months, or you inserted a US passport or green card and the kiosk couldn't verify its validity)
TR = Technical Referral (miscellaneous issues, or kiosk not working properly)

Even if you get Passage Granted and no X you still have to see a CBP officer to talk about your trip, though you will usually be processed much more quickly than if you did have an X. The purpose of the kiosks is to automate the process of taking fingerprints and checking your passport against ESTA/visa, API, and watchlist data. The kiosks don't replace the screening done by CBP officers, rather they allow officers to focus more on the parts of the screening that can't be done by a computer. The only way to get a SmartGate style experience in the US and avoid talking to a human is with Global Entry.

everywhere

The APC just rejects me with a message that the passport isn't valid for long enough whenever I try to enter with a passport that has less than 6 months to run. Oh well, APEC card as backup. Albeit at LAX the APEC line can be extremely long because it is shared with Crew .

sbiddle

That's interesting since you don't need 6 months validity to enter the US.

Kumulani

You don't, but you need to have an officer manually process you if your passport is expiring in less than 6 months.

sbiddle

Reminds me of a friend who has an APEC card and last year got rudely told by some crew that he was in the wrong line!

WLGNZ

I have KLM crew do exactly this. Another reason why they don't get my business.
Saudi crew have been most gracious and insist I go in front of them

jawnbc

I always get the X. Just attributed to being a dual national.

codyc1515

That's interesting. FWIW I did get probably 50% of the way through the greencard process up to the point of having the interview scheduled at the embassy in NZ before I left, but no mention was made of that.

Markhm

I check in online here in Chc. Can bypass the checkin (I only travel with carry on). Never an issue with scanners at border control. However, the lounge will not/cannot verify passport so this needs to be done at gate. When I'm flying back from Syd or BNE, I also check in online, print BP and no worries, the lounge ladies print new BP.

I did get a reprimand last week for not having a BP (forgot to check in), but that was from lounge staff. No effect on immigration scanners.