Majuki

It's likely a fingerprint read issue, and this is consistent with the behavior I've seen with a bad fingerprint read. You'll get the same declaration questions but not the question about your inbound flight. Here are a few best practices that have helped:

• Make sure your fingers aren't dry, which they generally are after a long flight. I typically lightly press my fingers against my forehead prior to doing a fingerprint read. (There's a reason why many CLEAR kiosks have lotion pump bottles next to them!)
• Don't fan out your fingers. Keep them pointed straight ahead with no space in between.
• Don't press too hard on the reader since it will smudge the print. I've found that slightly more than light pressure gives the best read.

katan

Thanks. I will give your advice a try. I come into LAX TBIT in about a week and a half, so I'm going to be the best finger print reader I can be.

I have done the spread eagle fingers before, so that could be it. But I would add that I have been a GE member since late 2012 and the spread eagle never made that much of an impact. But since this is since my renewal, I'm happy to follow the rules any way I can. I may have presented my fingers incorrectly.

I would appreciate if the system has the ability to explain to us what is happening outside of the X. After EWR, I thought this was the "Global (Dis)Entry" process. If I need a DOT drivers license renewal style "take a number" room when I come home, this is not better. Hence my frustration.

katan

Well shucks, I came back into TBIT at LAX today and attempted to follow all the advice, and was still ejected with the "X". The visit to the person at the end of the row was uneventful, with zero discussion.

I zeroed in on the fingerprint issue, both not pushing too hard nor spreading them out. They were tight, all registered as excellent. So either that is a deeper issue to be explored, or it is something else.

I don't like to admit that I quit, but this sure feels like it is pushing me to surrender. No method for reasonable feedback, no access to a way to correct it. In anything else in life, unless it is important I'd say move on... So I guess I will just plan for the X.

Majuki

Did you see the two letter code on your receipt? Did it say BF? That indicates a bad fingerprint read.

nrr

Once in some 40 trips over nearly 10 years in GE I got an "X"--the machine printed the slip early in the process; I was sent to secondary, the agent thought it was FP related. There was about a 6 month period were I had to try FPs as many as 4 times before they were accepted. Now my FPs work the first time; either they've improved their reader or my FPs got better.

exerda

Coming back from Ireland earlier this year, both my wife and I got the "X." Agent didn't even bother with me and waved me through, asking if I had anything to declare, and I said, "Just some whiskey."

My wife spent 10 minutes answering questions from the same agent (there was 1 person between us; she finished at the GE kiosk a bit after me, and someone else had already queued behind me). Didn't seem to be any real theme to what the agent asked of her, just confirming dates, where we had gone, etc.

Subsequent entries were fine; no idea what triggered the X for the two of us.

MorganB

My advice to you would be to schedule an appointment with Global entry either via phone or by simply showing up during opening hours. My local office (DFW) does take a limited number of walk in's otherwise they would schedule.

I got the X several times in a row. Ultimately I asked the entry officer who advised me that I needed to speak with the Global Entry office to have it cleared. As there is no way to schedule this online I called my local office at DFW but could never get a person on the phone ( not surprised) and no voicemail was ever returned. I planned on stopping by the global entry office as I reentered the country again but this time the agent was much more helpful. She said my record needed to be cleared as some elements matched someone they were looking for but it clearly wasn't me. She said the guy that handled clearing such issues at the global entry office was working secondary processing that day and offered to take me to secondary and have it cleared. I agreed. I could see her hand the passport to the guy and heard him ask "are you SURE its not him" with a lot of smiles and laughs (so I guess it was super obvious I was not the one they were looking for). He ate a few more of his McDonalds fries, typed some in the computer then called my name and handed me my passport. I haven't gotten and X again. So it can be resolved and I would go to the GE office directly to get it sorted.

Explorer789

YVR version of "X" is "SS." I got to skip the general security line only to be to put into the extensive security line where they asked me if I had electronics in bag (seriously, there's no need to ask 3 times especially since I already had my laptops out), if I had any checked bags, if I packed the bag myself, etc. They even hold your passport and boarding pass hostage until you go through the metal detector, then the body scanner, and finally wait for them to swab everything you own. It also seems at the gate, when GA scanned my boarding pass, it read "security", which required the GA do some additional confirmation on the computer and kept part of the boarding pass that was stamped. I've been in and out of Canada a dozen times this year and I never went through this nonsense at YYZ as they don't even use body scanners for the preclearance area.

blue_can

I have a similar issue with my fingers - some form of Eczema and resulting in skin peeling. They were unable to fingerprint me when I first went for the fingerprints for my greencard and had to be treated for about 2 months before the fingerprints were in a state for fingerprinting. Due to that experience I had to treat my fingers when applying for GE and also now when travelling making sure that the fingers are ok for the fingerprints.

So far 2 GE entries with no fingerprint issues or Xs.

pitoslo

Did you or anyone who had this issue, that is asking for your status to be "demoted", have any advice for how to make it happen? How did you get in contact with them? I've read that it's not possible to make an appointment for this issue.

I have the same issue and need to get into an office to have it updated. After this happened 2 different times, I asked a customs official who told me that I can have it removed, but didn't offer me any other advice. I'd just like to get it taken care of because it's so annoying every single time I go through GE and have to stop and have them review my ticket w/ X.

gsf

TWA884

Hello @gsf,

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

I moved your question to the relevant thread.

TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator

katan

I had a nice little break from travel in the first quarter, but just now getting back at it. I remembered your question, but had no opportunity to test it until now.

I came into LAX on Wednesday from Australia. Boom, the X again. The code was "ER". Anybody have an idea what that means? I handed it to the LAX GE Agent, and without a word he stamped my stuff and let me in. As per my previous resignation to fighting the topic, I didn't ask anything more - it was still fast.

I want to believe this was the same problem, but there was a little more to account for. I did get the "SSSS" treatment in MEL, and didn't have TSA Pre on the LAX-DEN flight.

I come back in through ORD in two weeks, maybe I could ask them at the GE office there. Does the ER error code ring any bells?

Majuki

The SSSS is unrelated and happens from time to time.

From searching, ER stands for Enforcement Referral. Would it be possible to contact to the enrollment center where you originally applied? There has to be something in your profile.

katan

I think I'm at the end of this rope. This feels like an opaque machine that not even those inside of it understand.

I came back in to the USA on FRA-ORD today. Yes the "X" makes its appearance, code ER. I spoke with the CBP officer, which this time actually led to a discussion. I asked him why this keeps happening, which lead to a long "what did you do?" conversation. I tried to try to calmly express frustration, that I didn't do anything. He asked me to review my criminal history, which was not at all enjoyable to be doing in a public forum. After lots of clicking and looking at his screen, he stamped it and let me in. No statements as to why.

I landed at DEN early due to the UA GS teams grabbing me an early flight, which was awesome. Instead of accelerating my shuttle I went over to the Global Entry office. The DEN office doesn't accept arrival interviews, and the wait to get an interview is awfully long. But fortunately they agreed to work me in. The GE officer took my passport and GE card, and then also did a lot of clicking and typing. Didn't ask me any questions - and after about 5 minutes he declares that he sees nothing wrong...at all.

He says that as long as my TSA Pre is working, I'm on the approved list. He speculated it was random, which doesn't make sense considering this is 12+ times in a row. In the end there wasn't much more I could say so I thanked him and left.

I have no idea how I ended up in this case. Funny enough I'm okay now with the "X", it is part of the entry workflow. 80% of the time they just look at it and let me in. But it feels less enjoyable to me when either I'm sent to detention like EWR, or when I have to defend myself that I'm not a criminal like today in ORD.

Thanks for all the advice. Maybe I'll let the dust settle and gather more data from in-processing CBP officer over time. Maybe it will unjam someday.