Don’t get locked out of Global Entry program

If you’re a traveler looking to ease airport wait times by enrolling in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry program, now’s a good time to check your application status.

CBP officials, scrambling to send more staffers to cope with conditions at the Mexican border, closed the byappointment Global Entry Enrollment Center at LAX in late June. But many travelers say they never got word that their appointments had been canceled.

CBP spokesman Jaime Ruiz acknowledged “a scheduling system glitch” that resulted in some travelers arriving at the LAX center and finding the doors locked. Ruiz said the problem has been fixed and that CBP is urging travelers who are conditionally approved to go online and schedule (or reschedule) their appointments for the agency’s Long Beach Seaport facility at 301 E. Ocean Blvd., Room 670.

That office is open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, but walk-ins are not being accepted. Travelers need to have an appointment, which can only be made online.

Travelers with upcoming international trips can also enroll on return arrival at LAX or one of 48 other participating U.S. airports, including San Diego International, San Francisco International and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana. No appointment is necessary.

The by-appointment Global Entry Enrollment Centers at San Diego International Airport and San Francisco International Airport remain open.

The Global Entry program gives expedited Customs clearance to low-risk travelers who agree to pay a $100 application fee and provide fingerprints, a photo and information in an interview. If the application is approved, the traveler gets the expedited procedure for five years and also gets PreCheck, the airport security program that expedites screening in the U.S. before boarding a flight.