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Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry kiosks speed up the arrivals process. (Image: CBP)
Oakland International Airport is the latest to add Customs & Border Protection’s Global Entry option for participating travelers.
The airport has installed two Global Entry kiosks in the international arrivals area.
Members of the CBP trusted traveler program can bypass the usual inspection lines and use a kiosk to complete the re-entry process, scanning their passport and fingerprints and answering Customs declaration questions. The kiosk prints out a receipt for presentation to a CBP officer and a quick exit from the area.
Port of Oakland officials said Global Entry has become increasingly important for the airport , which now handles up to 28 international flights a week– primarily from Mexico, but also including a Norwegian Air 787 nonstop that’s helped keep transatlantic fares from the Bay Area in check over the last year.
Global Entry members are also eligible for TSA‘s PreCheck program.
Do you have Global Entry? Is it the smartest $100 you’ve ever spent, or what? 🙂
NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Economy class meals rated + New rules for travel to Cuba + Star Alliance adds fast lanes to security + New international air routes + Gogo speeds up Wi-Fi + Trip Report: Cathay Pacific 777
I got Global Entry last year and like it a lot. It’s good for five years, so figure $20 a year. I would gladly pay $20 a year to skip the long lines and use the kiosk instead. After a 10- or 12-hour flight from Europe the last thing I want to do is wait in line to enter the United States. No, it’s not the smartest $100 I’ve ever spent, but it’s smart enough.
Interesting GE at OAK. Just my option but as the article states, mostly from Mexico full of VFR and the Norweigian flight us full of Euopeans on holidays . Would be interested to see the numbers in a year time to see how well it is used.