WELCOME HOME WEARY TRAVELER: Shelley & I returned home to JFK International Airport last night after a pleasant 8 hour flight from Nice and a fantastic 13 day vacation. Knowing the process of clearing customs is never swift and hassle free, we thought we were prepared for some bumps in the road. Nothing could have prepared us for what ensued. First off there is a new procedure in place, replacing the old declaration sheets you normally fill out while on-board your flight. Now you cue-up to an automated kiosk and insert your passport. The line to get to these terminals took 45 minutes. Many passengers, (mostly the elderly) had difficulty navigating the system and needed assistance, which there was very little. The process involves stepping up to the screen and matching your face up to the head-shot on your PP. Then youre asked the usual questions like are you carrying more than $10,000 in US currency, have you been exposed to livestock while abroad and are you carrying food or vegetable items with you. Completing this step we went off to claim our luggage and cued-up for another 45 minute wait. When we got to the baggage carousel we found our luggage was placed in the aisle due to the extended time before we were able to claim them. This bothered me since it is clearly a security breach. How could I know with any degree of assurance that someone had not tampered with my bags. Now we got into the third and longest line, a maze of humanity zig-zaging the floor, carrying heavy baggage and to make things even more unbearable there was no AC. The temperature had to be at least 78 degrees or more. Worst of all there was a staff of no more than 8 maybe 10 Port Authority employees at best guiding us through the lines. As temperatures began to rise (both figurative and literal) people began pushing and shoving and jumping the lines. After more than an hour on line the entire scene began to take on one of emotionally charged road rage style behavior. I felt as though I had entered a third world nation. After 2 hours and 40 minutes of torture we finally met our driver, tired, sweaty and exhausted. The TSA, Immigration Bureau and the Port Authority need to step up and find a better solution to a process that is clearly inadequate. There is one remedy; a Global Entry Card. This pre-screens applicants and allows them certain priority privileges in reentering the US. The first thing I did this morning was to go on-line, fill out the application for me and Shelley. The cost is just $100 and its valid for 5 years. If it helps to avoid another nightmare scene like last nights, its worth every penny.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 12:52:33 +0000
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