either they are not following the program intentions and will fall in line over the next 6 months or...

the US is on alert and requires a second screening.

I use Nexus and GE, and last month in YVR, I used Nexus kiosk and normally just walk through. A CBP goon pulled me aside and asked tricky questions. That was new, but it was the day after PrinterGate, so I let it slide. It was still faster than normal immigration.

But if you are standing there after GE, waiting to go through a manned lane, while 50 other people are standing in the queue for that lane, I can see problems occurring, as you cut them all off.

I called CBP in ATL. They told me to look for the crew lane. That must be on the right side of the CBP hall.

This is just airport specific. ATL & IAH are the ones that come to my mind that are adamant about you checking in with someone before proceeding. What's funny is that they act like you should KNOW better than to try to walk on without seeing them first! (I got lectured along those lines once @ ATL.) I guess they've never been to ORD, DFW, IAD, etc where no one cares about such things.

Did the CBP officer just look at your receipt and wave you on or did he ask the normal processing questions?

The SFO folks seem to like CBP. They always thank me when I show them the receipt. The difference between customs exit at LAX and SFO:

LAX in October: "Let me see your passport. Purpose of trip. Who do you work for? Etc."

SFO in November: "Connecting?" Yes. Then points to the left.

I don't understand. If you have a receipt without an X you proceed to baggage claim and customs. If there is a separate GE line for customs then you use that, otherwise you queue up with the rest. If you have an X, then you stand in eyesight of a CBP officer in a booth with your X visible. If there are 50 people in line for that booth, too bad.

As for problems, keep in mind that CBP officers are armed. Keep your CBP sticker and receipt visible at all times, and you'll be fine ... they won't be shooting at you. :D

The OP said there was a rope at the exit from the kiosk that forced him to go to a regular passport lane and the CBP officer told him that was the normal procedure. That just seem so different from other airports.

GE is to validate your identity in an expedient manner. It does not exempt you from zipping through customs. The agent on duty can ask you whatever s/he likes, search your luggage, etc...

cheers....,

--J

I don't understand. When I went in for my interview at LAX a few days ago, they told me that if I had an X, to just cut to the front of the line. They made it very clear to me that I was to cut every line if there was one. Cut the customs line, cut the waiting to see CBP agent if you have X line, and go through crew lanes if there is one.

Who said anything about "zipping through customs"
I specifically said, I was directed to a CBP officer on the immigration lines, NOT customs. In ATL, they have a special customs lane for crew and GE right in the middle anyway. The problem was after clearing the GE kiosk, with NO X, one should be able to go right to customs.

I suspect that as the volume of travelers using GE increases, we will see the number of "random" screenings increase, as well, to ensure that everyone using it keeps a little bit of fear of CBP in their hearts.

Greg

Nothing random here. EVERYONE had to go to a manned lane, as the exit for GE had a removable barrier rope in place.

Oops. So I returned through IAH a few weeks back, my first time through there since getting GE and after finishing with the kiosk it kind of looked like there was no lane to go through - the kiosks themselves block the lane they are in front of. There were no signs or different instructions though.

That made no sense, and I clearly remembered my instructions from the interview, so I just ... squeezed around them and went on my merry way, my no X receipt in plain sight. No one said anything - it didn't even occur to me that an individual airport could decide to have a different process than the rest of the country - that's how TSA operates, but I though CBP was subject to actual rules and processes not whims of individual stations...

I can only tell you that I've had probably 50+ GE entries since the program started, and you just have to kinda go with the flow. I always try to have the receipt visible as I walk by. Sometimes I need to hold it up for them to see, sometimes officers are clearly monitoring them passively where you may not even notice, and sometimes there is no one within 50 feet of you. I agree that it is odd, but in no case has it caused me more than a 30 second delay.

Look upthread for the ORD customs exit "CBP sticker must be visible" rule that arose last year for a similar example. I just comply and move on - if GE is a 99 out of a 100 because of quirks like this, I am still 100% satisfied :).

Yet another story in favor of GE.

Arrive ACC-IAD at 5:20 am this morning. CBP is not 'open' yet. :rolleyes:

So we sit on the plane for 20 minutes, then do the damnable IAD people mover dance to the main terminal.

At the main terminal my fiancee has to go to the line, I go to GE kiosk and wait for her.

Turns out there were only TWO CBPers for any nationality. Thus even when the airport was empty of passengers there was a good long wait.

BTW, there was not a soul to be seen over by the kiosks so the flight crew (the only other people at the kiosks) and I just used the machines and went through an empty CBP lane. One of the FA's from the flight was upset to get an X on her receipt, though. She was confused about what to do, so just headed over to the customs guy who collects them at the door. But she was behind me (I LOVE beating the crew out of the airport at IAD!) so I didn't get to see how it got sorted out.



And today at noon my fiancee had her interview/enrollment so no more kiosk-to-CBPers comparison reports from our experiences! ^ ^ ^

If you could tell that she didn't know what to do, why didn't you just tell her and save everyone the hassle? :confused: