New technology is now providing international travelers a faster way to get through the customs entry process at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Today the Port of Seattle and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) introduced 14 Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks that cut the entry process in half for eligible U.S. and Canadian citizens. Sea-Tac is only the fifth U.S. airport to have the expedited service in operation.
“This is the latest in our cooperative effort with CBP to provide simple, easy-to-use and customer friendly solutions to make the traveling experience as positive as possible,” said Charles Goedken, Manager, International Services for the Port of Seattle. “This is necessary to meet the demands of the rapidly increasing number of international flights we are seeing at Sea-Tac.”
Automated Passport Control does not require pre-registration, is easy to use and maintains the highest levels of protection when it comes to the handling of personal data or information. As a result, international travelers will experience shorter wait times, less congestion, and faster processing upon arrival at Sea-Tac.
“Automated Passport Control enhances both security and passenger facilitation at our nation’s airports”, said Michele James, CBP Director-Field Operations, Seattle Field Office. “Passengers choosing to utilize the APC self-service kiosks will benefit from an efficient new system of expedited CBP processing.”
Instead of filling out a declaration card and taking their travel documents to a CBP officer, passengers who are eligible and choose to use Automated Passport Control can proceed directly to a self-service kiosk in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection passport-control area. Travelers will follow the on-screen instructions to scan their U.S. or Canadian passport, answer the customs declaration questions using the touch screen, receive a receipt confirming their information and proceed to the CBP officer to finalize processing. The kiosk allows up to four people residing at the same address to be processed together.
Sea-Tac is the latest airport to implement the self-service kiosks, which are currently in use in Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Montreal, Miami, and JFK-New York.
The kiosk technology, BorderXpress, is a product of the Vancouver Airport Authority.
Watch a video of the new Automated Passport Control at Sea-Tac Airport: (YouTube link)
More Information on International Traffic at Sea-Tac
International traffic at Sea-Tac Airport has increased at a rate of nearly ten percent in each of the last two years (8.8% in 2012 and 10.1% through November 2013). Fourteen new intercontinental services have been added at Sea-Tac since 2007: Air France (2007 to Paris, transitioned to Delta, 2012), Lufthansa (2008 to Frankfurt), Hainan (2008 to Beijing), Icelandair (2009 to Reykjavik), Delta (2010 to Beijing and Osaka, 2013 to Shanghai and Tokyo-Haneda, with London, Hong Kong & Seoul beginning in 2014), Condor (2011 to Frankfurt), Emirates (2012 to Dubai), and ANA (2012 to Tokyo).
Sea-Tac currently has international nonstop connections including six cities in Asia (Beijing, Tokyo, Osaka, Shanghai, Seoul, and Taipei), five cities in Europe (London, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt and Reykjavik) and Dubai in the Middle East.
