Family Life

08.14.09 | FL News Team

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection pilot program that streamlines the airport screening process for trusted travelers is being expanded to 13 additional airports across the country. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the Global Entry initiative expansion Wednesday, saying that the program improves customer service for trusted airports travelers and allows more concentration on higher-risk travelers.

Global Entry allows pre-approved members an alternative to regular passport processing lines, reducing average wait times by 70-percent. They can simply insert their passport or lawful permanent resident card into a document reader at a kiosk, provide digital fingerprints, answer customs declaration questions on the touch screen and then present a transaction receipt to CBP officers. New Global Entry enrollment centers and kiosks will open at the additional international U.S. airports on August 24th. Those include airports in Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Francisco and Seattle. Global Entry kiosks are at the seven existing locations in Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare, Houston Bush Intercontinental, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Miami and Washington Dulles. About 16-thousand members have enrolled in Global Entry, which began in June, 2008.