INSPASS Makes Headway Cutting U.S. Customs Time

<B>INSPASS Makes Headway Cutting U.S. Customs Time</B>

By Robert Selwitz

While the Immigration and Naturalization Service Passenger Accelerated System won't make checked bags arrive any earlier nor shorten Custom's luggage-checking procedures, typical processing times--ranging from 11 to 20 minutes--can be significantly slashed for international business travelers exiting many U.S. airports. INS spokeswoman Eyleen Schmidt estimated that the time from plane door to street curb for those who hand-carry luggage could shrink to 10 minutes or less.

"We know that one of the prime concerns of frequent business travelers is the efficient use of their time," said Schmidt. "That's why they have cell phones, laptops and other devices to maximize what they can do within a limited time frame. Therefore, time saved via INSPASS definitely benefits them."

The time-saving process involves INSPASS participants first encountering ATM-like kiosks, where a card, similar to those issued by VISA, MasterCard or American Express, is inserted. Once the encoded data is scanned, the passenger then punches in the arriving flight number and places a hand in a hand geometry reader. When this validation procedure is completed, a receipt is issued and the passenger proceeds to collect luggage, then move on toward U.S. Customs inspection.

INSPASS Cuts Lines

Mark Thorn, a New York INS spokesman, said the program benefits both passengers as well as INS. "INS has a mandate to clear each international flight within 45 minutes," said Thorn. "With INSPASS, users can avoid the lines of our primary inspection and quickly pass through immigration."

"There currently are 45,000 INSPASS participants who've made more than 300,000 admissions since the program began in 1995," said Schmidt. "To date, some 10,000 compliance checks of INSPASS-admitted travelers have been conducted with no fraud found." Furthermore, she added, INS "knows the people it deals with on a regular basis and understands they are definitely low- risk travelers. Therefore, it's better for us to take them out of our lines so we can focus our energies on people we do not know. They are more likely to present higher risks in terms of fraudulent documents, drug smuggling, etc."

INSPASS can be used at Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York JFK, San Francisco and Washington Dulles airports, as well as at U.S. pre-clearance sites in Toronto and Vancouver.

Though INSPASS was designed for U.S. citizens, it also is available to citizens of Bermuda, Canada and 29 other countries--mainly in Europe--whose citizens do not require visas for standard-length visits to the United States.

There is no charge required to apply for INSPASS. Applicants are pre-screened, particularly with an eye toward any criminal background that might make someone ineligible for being regarded as low risk. Schmidt said, however, that the inspection is no more intense than that a company might conduct during an executive job search.