Passengers flying with Qatar Airways to New York JFK will no longer have to collect their baggage at the carousel and clear customs before immediately rechecking it for an onward flight, as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continues to expand its ‘remote screening’ initiative.
Unlike in many countries, passengers arriving in the United States from an international flight with an onward connecting flight have traditionally been required to clear immigration and then wait for their baggage at the carousel before they could continue onto their gate.
The reason is that passengers arriving in the United States are required to pass through the arrivals CBP checkpoint on the off chance that an officer wants to inspect their luggage. In most cases, passengers pass through the checkpoint without being stopped and then have to immediately recheck their luggage.
Last year, however, CBP launched a trial with American Airlines and Australian authorities that would eliminate the need for connecting passengers to collect and then recheck their luggage.
The first test was limited to American Airlines flights between Sydney and Los Angeles, whereby every bag being loaded onto the plane would be X-ray screened by airport staff in Australia. These images would then be transmitted to CBP.
While the plane was in the air, CBP officers would be able to review the images. If there is no concern with the bag, then it gets sent straight to the passenger’s connecting flight. If CBP flags a bag, however, the passenger is directed to collect their bag at the carousel and submit themselves for an inspection.
Since going live with the initiative on the American Airlines SYD-LAX route last April, remote baggage screening has been extended to Delta Air Lines flights from Seoul Incheon (ICN) to Atlanta Hartsfield (ATL), Minneapolis (MSP), and Detroit (DTW).
Delta claims the initiative saves connecting passengers, on average, around 25 minutes.
Now, remote baggage screening has been extended to Qatar Airways flights from Doha to New York JFK, which arrive at the New Terminal One.
The initiative requires a fair amount of cooperation between CBP, the airline, and the national authorities where the plane originates. CBP has to be confident that processes are in place to ensure that every bag is X-ray screened using advance machinary that can then transmit the images to CBP in the United States.
Another, and perhaps even more important, element of modernization efforts for transit passengers arriving in the United States is the introduction of ‘One Stop Security’ in which passengers are considered security cleared at their point of origin.
That means that on arrival in the United States, connecting passengers are cleared by CBP at the gate, allowing them to enter the departures concourse without collecting their bags or going through the TSA security checkpoint.
Again, there are very few routes that currently offer One Stop Security. The program started with American Airlines on flights from London Heathrow to Dallas-Fort Worth, and then extended to Delta Air Lines, on flights also starting in London Heathrow and going to Atlanta Hartsfield.
