Qantas Eases Customs

<H1>Qantas Eases Customs</H1><H3>by Jay Campbell</H3>Australia-based Qantas Airways said it can save travelers up to 45 minutes in arrival procedures using a new electronic customs clearance program. Called Advanced Passenger Clearance, the procedure provides an interactive link between the airline and the Australian Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. When a passenger checks in at a Qantas counter in Los Angeles, his or her passport is swiped through a computer reader, automatically entering visa and flight information which is uplinked to Australia. After the swipe, the passenger's name, birthdate, sex and other personal information is printed onto a special incoming passenger card that is swiped again for clearance upon arrival in Australia.

Howard Goldberg, Qantas' manager of passenger sales in the Americas, said the program is part of a stepped-up effort to focus on the business traveler. That effort, he said, also includes direct negotiations with U.S. companies. "In the last 12 to 18 months, we've done a lot to focus on business travel," said Goldberg. "Each of our 32 salespeople has talked to about 25 companies. We'd like to have hundreds of agreements; we now have tens."

Qantas' competition on what Goldberg called the "bread and butter" L.A.-Sydney route is United, which has a much larger sales force but a smaller focus on that market. It was the L.A.-Sydney route on which the new passenger clearance program was tested for six months. Qantas said the program will be installed worldwide.