New Transborder Process at YYZ
 

I noticed this on aircanada.com: "On May 17, 2016, Toronto Pearson is launching a new process for U.S.-bound passengers whereby Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) screening will take place before U.S. Customs and Border Protection (US CBP) inspection."

I'm having trouble picturing how that would flow through the building. Did anyone go through T1 transborder today?

More information: http://torontopearson.com/updates/#

"...towards the rotating knives."

I just went through the new set-up at T3. All the new security machines and lines leading to them just past the check-in counters.

Once past security, US CBP and GE kiosks.

T1 wasn't finished when I went though a couple of weeks ago, but I'll assume others will report back.


By the way, this is the key part from the YYZ T1 page

Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) screening will occur prior to US Customs and Border Protection (US CBP) processing in Terminal 1 for US-bound passengers.

* Passengers will be able to check baggage with the airline first so they can move through security screening and US CBP more comfortably.

* Connecting passengers bound for US destinations will have a more streamlined experience.

http://torontopearson.com/rethink/t1/#

So you give up your checked bags before going through pre-clearance now?

That presumably requires a system to pull your bags before they are loaded on the plane in the event you get delayed (and miss your flight) or refused entry at pre-clearance doesn't it?

Yes, it's in the link I attached

All that says is

My ? was intended to indicate a rhetorical question

Doesn't address the question of pulling the bags if you don't get on the plane because of pre-clearance failure.

I am wondering if this will end up causing more delays.

I know it didn't answer your specific question. I'll assume the US CBP has some sort of provision for pulling bags in such a situation

I did the new process today - yyz transboarder. I went in around 7:50am. Nexus.

Security first - nexus line completely empty, no issues.
Showed my nexus again to get into the GE area.
GE normal.
They had CBP folks scanning BPs and checking GE receipts before passing the interview... line..of..boxes.. (that I normally just walk right past).
Then normal line to turn in GE/customs receipts with everyone else dumping into the old security area, all roped off and walking straight to the escalators.

I asked if checking GE was the new normal. I got a "for now" response. General experience... other than the GE checking, no real noticeable difference to me.

A bit of a kerfuffle
 

Quite confused today were the yellow jackets. If you have nexus/ge, but no checked baggage, you got your ge machine receipt and headed towards the usual funnel where you hand it over. If you have checked bags, you have to see an officer, where you are shown a picture of your bag on a belt (since you left it at checkin, same as you would for domestic or international) , your bp is stamped and off you go.

But the yellowjackets couldn't figure out how to tell people this, and there was no dedicated officer for ge, and so they were intermixing with regular line, and at one point there were two ge lines for no apparent reason, and people (including me) were getting irritated. What's the point of ge if you end up in the line anyway?

Should be a dedicated ge officer, since its a 3.2 scond process.....

I was there this morning, the new process is a downgrade for Nexus holders, everybody need to line up and talk to a CBP officer after obtain receipt from GE machine, only 1 line was open around 5:00 AM. The officer checked my nexus card and ask me to confirm my checked bag picture, the process takes about 30 seconds.

I've done this a couple of times at T3. You checkin and get your bag tagged. You take the bag to a conveyor where you scan your BP and then place the bag on the conveyor. It scans your bag and it enters the system.

You now go through security as normal. Nexus, priority, etc. After you clear security there is a computer station where you scan your BP and enter the number of checked bags. I assume this check is to let the system know that you are through security and ready for CBP. I also assume that they can't release the bags until this check?

You then proceed to US customs and immigration. GE terminals and everything else is the same as before except you're not lugging a suit case. You clear immigration (or GE) and then proceed to customs. You hand your paper slip to the customs officer.

I have always just proceeded to the gate but I assume that at this point if they want to search your bag, they can scan your BP, and the system will automatically bring your bags. The same would be true if you were rejected by immigration.

I'm not sure if the bags are automatically released to the airline if you're not stopped or if there is a time limit but they do magically get there :)

Altogether a much better system as no one is dragging bags through customs.

Yes they do. CATSA can pull any bag if US CBP wants to screen it. Thats how the system is designed.

I was able to dropped my bag at (UA) check in counter while getting my boarding passes.

This may also be true for the airlines at T3 but I have only ever printed my baggage tag at a self service kiosk.

This sounds pretty similar to what they have setup at YWG. Dropped off suitcase at the DL bag drop, went through CATSA security, talked to CBP officer who showed me my suitcase on the screen and asked if it was mine, then off to my gate.

Now in the case of YYZ, who knows if this'll help alleviate the massive lines that buildup just for an AC agent to beep one's bag tag into the system. I don't know if that's by design, but the experience of arriving at the start of March break at YYZ and then doing the same at DEN was like night and day.

This was the standard process with transborder connections at YYZ; you had to wait in line for a desk agent no matter what, compared to the "just walk by" if you were on the other side's GE entrance (non-connection).

This should be moved to the Canada thread, since it has no relevance to Aeroplan/Air Canada.

Going to give this a try in a week... hopefully the kinks are worked out by then.

Went through this morning.

Very nice and simple. Have global entry and very smooth.

As with any new process they wanted everyone to see an officer. They did that when they first introduced all the global entry machines too. Then after awhile it was not necessary.

I think this is great .

Has the US-bound YYZ connections process improved? Specifically, does anyone know if connecting pax no longer need to go through security at YYZ? Do we get dropped directly into the GE / CBP area? Or is that a future development?

Getting to skip security after going through it at YOW just an hour earlier would be a blessing.

This change was implemented at YVR a year or two ago, with the important distinction that once you check your bag you don't have to do anything more about it. You go through security then CBP as normal. I assume that if they want to look at your bag they can call for it, but there is no other bag-related hassle. With Nexus and GE I've never had to queue more than a couple of minutes.

I have had no issues with the process (except for the one time Mrs. Sopwith had renewed her passport and forgot to update Nexus. Don't do it!)

I recently cleared customs/immigration at LAX (for the first time ever - in fact, I've cleared through IAH more times than even SFO, where I live).

There seemed to be a line after the GE machines, so I got in it.

Then one of the CBP officers shouted "ANY GLOBAL ENTRY!??!?!"

So I waved my card, and he waved me through.

I don't know what all the other people were doing in that area. But it was not "easy". The only reason I was through quickly was that the one officer was shouting for me :)

It seems like in Canada's airports with preclearance, GE doesn't mean much, because most of the passengers have US/CA passports anyway, which are "trusted".

Whereas at SFO/LAX/IAH/etc., having GE makes you godlike.

I just find it annoying when going through Global Entry with a checked bag, sometimes they ask you to verify your checked bag on a screen, sometimes they don't. They need to clarify the process.

I went through T1 today and it was very busy with the CATSA queue streaming out into the terminal The NEXUS/Global Entry line flowed reasonably well. In essence they have moved Security before the Immigration...so I suspect there will be real challenges with the queues at peak times!

+1

+2

Has the new setup affected AC check-in locations at all? For priority check-in, can we use the new 'Business Class' check-in area for US flights now?

There is a new hallway built for US connections from the International Arrivals corridor. Rather than going down to the Canadian customs hall, you now go to the right and follow the signs. I presume this will now put you into the US customs area, but I'm not sure.

No. This was actually part of why that was excluded to begin with as the US check-in desks now feed to the separate US-bound system. Previously you only had your bags tagged and carried them with you, so the area totally could have done that, but the excluded US bound form the start as they knew this change was coming quickly.

Why would you want to?

It's a much further walk.

It's not like they don't have a priority and SE line for transborder check-in.

I think the question was more for domestic-TB connections, as although I highly doubt YYZ would make that change, it would be quite welcome. I never saw any construction near the D gates, though.

Why? Unpredictability is an advantage in such security processes.

Are people consistently being asked to show a Nexus/GE card to even get to the GE machines now, or is that just for security?

I did transfer preclearance a few weeks ago and was only denied expedited security due to my not being eligible for a card - no issues with GE itself - but I might have to visit YYZ (and go through normal preclearance) at some point this summer.

(That journey still had the old preclearance setup with security after CBP, all GE members going via transfer preclearance had to speak to a CBP officer but got to bypass the usual queue - in my case I got fingerprinted again and had to show the officer my KTN, I did however have an X presumably related to Visa verification.)

I was thinking more along the lines of AC being able to reduce check in areas used.

That would force such a long walk though :p

Last month while heading to preclearance at T3 one of the yellow smocked greeters gave my girlfriend attitude when we tried to go to the nexus security lanes.
As we walked towards the nexus nook the greeter asked if i was nexus I said yes and continued to walk. She then yelled at my girlfriend saying she needed to have her nexus card visible. It was very bizarre. Funny thing was my gf was holding both our cards and the protective case was visible.

Most likely just a case of one low level person trying to maintain some authority, whether not it was theirs to have.

At T3, they do ask to see the Nexus card. One person in front of me had to fish it out of his bag. They have always enforced that even before the change in security/DHS. Out of habit, I always have it out and flash it as I walk by.

I was at T3 this weekend and the new format is easier, and TBH makes more sense.

having said that

For those of us connecting at YYZ from domestic to transborder, it is annoying to go through security again, but I think it is necessary because we merge with people coming from international to US.

There is no point asking to see the card because if you said you had GE only (no Nexus), you would not have a card I believe, just a passport. They have only asked me to show my BP.

I've seen GE cards and they look nearly identical to the Nexus cards except they say Global Entry where the Nexus cards say Nexus