Stumbled across this on Timatic:

USA (US)

TWOV (Transit Without Visa):
- If flying Cathay Pacific (CX) between Hong Kong and Toronto,
via Anchorage, Alaska:
A Transit Passenger Inspection Pilot Program (TPIPP) has

been introduced for passengers travelling between Hong Kong
and Toronto, Canada that operate via Anchorage, Alaska. This
does not reinstate the TWOV or ITI program and currently,

only Cathay Pacific (CX) is a signatory to an In-Transit
Lounge Agreement at Anchorage.
TPIPP passengers are not permitted outside of the sterile,
Federal Inspection Service (FIS)/CBP area.

The In-Transit Lounge agreement between the CBP and Cathay
Pacific applies to alien passengers who are seeking to pass
through the USA in an immediate and continuous transit,

without a stopover and whose scheduled travel includes a
single stop within the USA at Anchorage International

Airport (ANC), due to the flight routing. Transfer of

passengers to another aircraft is not permitted.
However, the TPIPP program is not available to nationals of

Cuba, Iran, Korea (Dem. People's Rep.), Sudan and Syria.
The carrier must provide 100% Advance Passenger Information

(API) in advance of the aircraft's arrival at Anchorage for
all TPIPP passengers. If less than 100% information is

provided, those TPIPP passengers for whom information is

insufficient or unacceptable, must be presented to the CBP
for full CBP processing, which may also include an
inspection of their baggage.

How interesting. I suspect that DHS/CBP and the local airport authority at ANC were willing to accommodate CX with this kind of TWOV-style arrangement for two reasons:

1) ANC has nowhere near the international flight volume as continental US hubs like MIA, ORD, DFW, JFK, etc.

2) The CX flight continues on the same aircraft. So it's just a question of moving the pax off and then back onto the same bird. No connections, no gate changes.

3) CX probably was willing to offer some kind of consideration to DHS/CBP.

4) It might save DHS some money on staffing, especially if the CX flight arrives at an irregular time when there is not full staffing in the FIS area.


I would LOVE to see MIA and DFW offer this kind of arrangement for pax transiting from Central/South Am to Canada and even Europe. But I don't see it happening anytime soon because MIA and DFW are huge hubs and virtually EVERY connection involves a change of aircraft. It would be too logistically difficult to deliver TWOV pax to the correct connecting aircraft within the sterile international arrivals area (where gates are not even signed). And too much risk that these pax might come into contact with pax or goods inside the USA during the transit.

Also a big problem if there were IRROPS that required aircraft to be deplaned...those pax could be deplaned into the concourse by mistake and then walk out the door and be illegally inside the USA. Or they could pass items illegally to others (domestic-origin pax) who then could deplane.

It would make sense for several US hub airports, including LAX and ATL to offer a purely international terminal. All over Europe it is done with no trouble whatsoever; just a few security modifications to the existing airport terminals. It would be fairly simple in Atlanta to sequester concourse E into a strictly international terminal. Once you get in, no one goes back landside without clearing CBP.