Loren Pechtel

It sounds like the people on the ground know the reason for the flag is bogus.

It reminds me of a flight we took soon after 9/11. We were flagged presumably because my wife had managed to negotiate a discount for paying cash. (That saved the travel agent the credit card fees.) This is back when they were doing gate checks instead of at security.

Flight #1: We are flagged. I note that everyone else that's flagged is young and alone and the passports I see are all foreign. We are middle aged and a couple, US passports, not to mention having more baggage than they did. I could see there was no hope of giving us all a proper screening in the short time they had--they "solve" the problem by telling us (lowest threat, most screening time) that there was a mistake and we shouldn't have been flagged in the first place. Really now? The mere fact that your printout is facing you and not me doesn't mean I can't read it! I saw our names.

Flight #2: Flagged. They give our rollaboards a couple of quick pokes, they ignore the personal items. I'm stopped from removing my fanny pack by a lady with a wand, it of course reacts (keys & money) but she doesn't react at all.

Flight #3, Shanghai.

Flight #4: I can't remember what happened there but I do recall there was more farce.

justsawaufo

This has 0 things to do with what is OP is talking about; CBP secondary.

Loren Pechtel

I was talking about being flagged and then nothing being done.

Jay K

I was once told by CBP that the kiosk was not savvy enough to reconcile the hyphen in my middle name. This resulted in an "X" everytime. Do you have a hyphen, umlaut, etc in your name?

justsawaufo

myself, no. I know why I get flagged, due to an incident with cbp a few years ago while on tourist visa, but beside that, I am GE + LPR + Redress # now, hopefully it will be better. as for OP, not sure.

FlyerTalker68098

Assuming I understand the automated kiosk correctly (as in not the GE one but the one I can use as an ESTA holder)

I ALWAYS get a X on mine without fail. I enter a different line to wait for a CBP agent who typically taps away on the computer for a few minutes, take my prints again plus photo and ask if I have ever lost my passport. Following that the passport is stamped to approve entry... I have to use a different line (and my wife without an X has to join me) but never escorted over to secondary screening.

When we entered in Sept-14 I asked why I got the X and was told my prints didn't read correctly on the automated terminal.

In May-15 I used the same hand that was retaken at the desk in Sept-14 thinking it would solve my problem but again got an X. CBP agent wasn't talkative so I didn't ask why but was quickly stamped with approval to enter.

In Sept-15 I got the X again and there were some issues with the hotel address. They needed to be reentered by the CBP agent.

When we entered in Dec-15 the agent perhaps picked up on my comment that "i'm the one with the X" and she joked that I was a "regular in the X line". I probed why I got the X and she suggested the address formatting that transfers over from the ESTA / Airline sometimes screws things up which is what she was correcting on the computer.

The odd thing is if the address issue is the reason; I use the same formatting for ESTA/Airline as I do for my wife who does not get a X.

Not travelling to the US until Sept-16 so planning to apply for GE. Fingers crossed.

jms_uk

I have a hyphen in my surname - never had the problem using APC kiosks.

About to have GE interview later this month, so will see about the GE kiosk experience afterwards.

user2013

Very Informative... I recently got my GE approved and was planning to apply one for my wife but there is an issue with her name . She currently holds a foreign passport wherein the last name is blank. However , her name on LPR is opposite - First name : No name Given and her last name matches the first name in the passport.

Due you guys think even with her GE ( If it gets approved ) , she will get an "X" everytime due to name mismatch ?

CKBA

Oddly everytime I use GE I get a circle, and haven't recently (18 months+) had an X if using the APC instead. The problem is that the GE specifically asks about 'food', but APC gives a list of specific 'foods'; so with GE I (honestly) declare 'food' (chocolate/cookies) which is what automatically triggers a secondary check. The CBP people get annoyed (as well as me!).

Points Scrounger

I have thought that you could say no initially, and then if selected for having one's bag searched at random, could tell the agents before they started looking, " I have chocolate, tea, whatever, do those really count?" as an amended declaration keeping the traveler within the rules? I could swear that passengers have the right to do that, so that any goods that they want to confiscate for whatever reason they can do, but you are not violating the law.

Dubai Stu

This is obvious, but still worth repeating. Look for any variance between your ticketed name and your passport name. Sometimes even the smallest difference can cause a problem. I have a close friend whose name is similar to Maribeth Smith Jones, but it turns out that the airlines had her as "Mari Beth Smith Jones." That created a huge problem with the CBP's computers. I know someone who bought an extra seat and that created the problem.

USCTrojan83

My one thought is that if you have GE, CPB has the ability to override the Xs, depending on the circumstance. Therefore, you might get a little better service/information if you have GE. As many here have discussed, should you have an arrest on your record, the system Xs you automatically. CPB can make the X disappear and override it going forward.

joetravellerr

I applied for and received GE last summer after 9 weeks of approval waiting. since then, I have returned to USA 4 times and have received X every time without exception. Never secondary inspection, but rather, seems they need to scan the PP into the mainframe for unknown reasons. There exists reason codes published on the kiosk X which not even the CBP agent can decode. Ready to cut the card up and return it to the desk of the person who approved it. From there, it can go upline to Washington and they can chew on that. also, it is no longer valid outbound at TSA pre-check for travellers going to Paris.

chollie

Forget making phone calls. It may be inconvenient, but you need to go to an GE office. They can run the passport there, actually see the code(s) that are bouncing you, and help you get it sorted out.

chollie

That may work without GE if you are secondaried and reasonably small amounts of stuff are found that you might plausibly have overlooked.

I wouldn't count on getting away with it with GE - you might lose your privilege.

Some agents take a zero tolerance with GE - you've had an interview, you are by definition 'trusted' not only because of your background check, but because you know the rules and have agreed to follow them to the letter.

Failure to declare an item, even when you are sure it will be allowed, is still a fault.

If you got a real angry agent, you could lose GE for failing to declare a box of plain chocolates. Your error would not be the chocolates - they are usually (but not always!) allowed. Your error would be in failing to declare them.

I always declare food now. That way, if I have a granola bar or an airplane snack or something I've bought and completely forgotten about, I'll still be OK if challenged.

Very early on in my travels (blue paper forms), I got home and unpacked and was horrified to find a couple shirts that I had bought, packed, carried around and forgotten completely. They were cheap shirts, but I would have been in violation if I'd been secondaried because I hadn't listed them on my form.