"Sir, the bottle that you bought in Duty Free is not a normal shape." "uh huh. So?" "Our machine is having problems scanning it." "uh huh. So?" "You're gonna have to either check the bottle or dispose of it." "Like hell I will. Get your supervisor." "Okay, I'll go check this other machine." They disappear for five minutes. "Okay, it checked out." "Pfft." They seem to confuse a problem they have with their machine with a problem I have with my liquor I legally purchased. Don't let them trample on your 4th amendment rights. read more

I stopped by for my Global Entry appointment this morning. I had a 12:55pm flight and took the earliest appointment I could get at 10am. I arrived at the office around 8:30am hoping they might take me early. When I arrived, there was no one at the desk. I saw a sign-in sheet so I signed in and found a seat to wait. The waiting room is pretty sterile. Benches made out of stainless steel and glass separating us minions from the officers on the other side of the desk. Plenty of plugs available in the waiting area though. They took me back around 9am although it sounds like they would have taken me much earlier had I known that once someone came back to the desk I was supposed to give them my passport. When I got asked back I sat down at a chair next to a desk. They took my picture with a webcam looking thing. The officer asked what I do for a living and then asked a series of simple questions, like whether I traveled out of the country for business or pleasure (both!). I signed a paper, and then they took my fingerprints on a scanner. And.. that was it! I wish I had timed it because it was probably about 4 minutes total. I was given a sheet with my known traveler number, and a bunch of other instructions about the benefits of global entry. Then I was told I was done. I got through way faster than others for some reason, but most people it seemed to take no longer than 5-10 minutes. The location was initially tough for me to find. The office is located outside of security, so if you are traveling on a domestic flight, I'd recommend taking the shuttle near the rental car tram from the domestic side to the international terminal so you don't have to go through security twice. If you're here on a layover just take the plane train to terminal F and exit security. If you enter on the security/departures level, you'll need to go downstairs to arrivals. The office is right next to the Starbucks, near the exit of customs. A couple of things: they have these great business-card things right next to sign in. They fold in half and have instructions on how to go through the Global Entry kiosk. I'm sure that will be really helpful the first few times. Secondly - once you have your known traveler number, you need to go into your airline account (and travel agency account if you have one) and add it to your profile. Additionally, you'll need to add it to any existing reservations if you had already booked them without the known traveler number in your profile. Overall I'm really looking forward to using the program, but the staff here is pleasant and gets people through quickly. read more

As a US citizen, I arrived back from a trip to China and on my way back through customs, I noticed a sign that I need to declare all food items or possibly face heavy fines. So I did what I was told and declared the dried fruits and herbal products that I bought and they sent me to secondary inspection. Fair enough. So I ended up waiting in line for what seemed like forever at the secondary inspection area and the few inspection workers there were proceeding slowly (though not in a careful way - they were chatting and dawdling and only spending a fraction of the time actually asking ppl questions and inspecting our baggage.) Keep in mind I was dead tired after flying for 20+ hours AND was expected to STAND in line for like 2 more hours AND had a connecting flight with just a 3 hour window, not to mention I seem to have been singled out - no one else on my flight seemed to be in line. There were maybe 5 of us ahead of me and I waited for almost 2 hours, barely able to carry myself after the exhausting flight. The kicker? When the customs officers finally got to my luggage, they spent maybe a total of 3 or so minutes before giving me the all clear. Thanks for wasting my time, especially during a time when I desperately needed the rest. Oh well, at least I didn't miss my connecting flight! read more

#Yelp #Yelp365 28 - Can a government agency receive four stars? Am I sober? Am I jet lagged or experiencing a lapse in memory? No! I travel internationally more in the past two years for my job. Returning back to the US can be a hit or miss in customs, with a line of 200 or 5, all depending on the arrival pattern of the other flights. Usually the line is quite long. I had been giving consideration to Global Entry, and finally bit the bullet. What an easy process, did the form online, was accepted, showed up in Concourse E before a flight and was processed. I called ahead to see if I could arrive early, not a problem. Was processed through by two very friendly officers. Now when I return, I scan my passport, fingers, answer 4 questions, confirm my flight, and skip the lines of US customs, all for $100 for 5 years with no annual fee. I wish I had made the decision many years ago. read more

Mid-afternoon F terminal arrivals. Line backed up to the restrooms. Perhaps 45-50 minutes long, it's embarrassing. It's an embarrassment. "Welcome to America, and oh yeah, by the way, you're going to miss your flight." How can other countries do these inspections so much more efficiently, but the US lacks? When you're being eclipsed with better customer service from third world nations there's a problem. I'm a GE member, but I'm still embarrassed to see such inefficient operations. That being said, these are some of the friendliest CBP employees I've met to date, guess we just need more of them. read more

I see some reviews for the Int'l F Terminal location, yet that is not what location this thread is for. This review is for the Global Entry program. Also, the location is actually on Tradeport Dr. If you're at 4341 Int'l Parkway, turn around - you're at the old location. I already have GE and it was at the old location. I signed up my fiance and, upon going to the old location, she informed me she saw a sign for Customs/Border further back up the road. Gee, thanks, hun. We arrived a good 2 hours early. We were going to go to the zoo, but didn't want to rush through that, so decided to try our luck coming early. It paid off. They run in 20 minute intervals, and we arrived at 10:01. We asked about the possibility of interviewing early, and we were able to. NOTE: this won't always work, but if there was a location and friendly crew that would ever do this if time allowed, it would be here. She was back in the lobby at 10:10. Interview complete. It was that short. It's a MUCH more streamlined process in their new (14 months, now, I was told) location. Every officer was incredibly friendly. Another couple came in around 10:03 (10:40 appt and the wife having one two weeks later) and it sounded as if both of them were going to be able to interview after my fiance, as well. They did NOT have to grant any of us this priveledge. A govt program that does it right deserves to be recognized. Keep up the good work, folks. read more

I enjoy being able to fly back into the country with out any issues. With that said. I LOVE US CUSTOMS. Ya'll are GREAT. Smoochies!!!!