USA TODAY International Edition
Hate waiting in line? DHS can help
Government site compares expedited screening programs
Gerald Steele, a consultant from Grovetown, Ga., joined the Nexus expedited border crossing program to minimize wait times when he was working in western Canada.
“Tremendously long wait time can be experienced during the summer when entering Calgary and Vancouver from the U. S.,” said Steele, a member of USA TODAY’s frequent- traveler panel called Road Warriors.
After the creation of Global Entry, Steele joined that program to clear customs and immigration briskly when returning from abroad. It includes Precheck for screening at domestic airports, which “eliminates the need to take off clothes and remove laptops and liquids from bags,” he said.
For less- frequent travelers, the menu of choices among the alphabet soup of government programs can create a little heartburn.
But the Department of Homeland Security unveiled a website Friday to remove some of the guesswork and uncertainty. The site describes the advantages each program provides and how much it costs.
A questionnaire asks about the person’s travel patterns, to help sort out which might be the best match.
For example, the questions ask about foreign vs. domestic travel, to distinguish between Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry and the Transportation Security Administration’s Precheck.
Frequent visits to Canada or Mexico might point to Nexus or Sentri. Truckers have FAST.
The page also offers a grid to see how the different programs stack up against one another.
The department is trying to recruit more travelers into the expedited programs, both to enhance security and to speed lines at the airport.
“Trusted traveler programs have successfully improved the international arrivals process — reducing wait times at airports across the country while maintaining our primary mission of security,” Kevin McAleenan, acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, told USA TODAY. “Using this new tool, prospective trusted travelers will be better able to decide which program best suits their travel needs.”