Interesting note

Coming in from SAL to IAH I noticed that CUSTOMS totally revamped the entry system into IAH. You remember how the flight attendants walk down the aisle and hand you entry paper work to fill out to show at the customs people? Now upon entry into IAH at the customs line they have a bunch of KIOSK machines, probably some 100 or more in groups of four scattered at the end of the customs line, kind of self explanitory, you touch the screen, it ask you to swipe your passport, it ask you a few push button questions like if you have anything to claim and then it prints you a receipt to which to take it to the customs guy and he passes you through. You then pick up your luggage at baggage claim, and show the receipt to the baggage customs people and they wave you on by if you have nothing to claim. The fastness of that line depends on if the customs person at the end of the slow line isn't jacking her jaws to another or not. (That aint no lie.)

First thing I thought of when I was looking at the screens and kiosk. Man I can see the Florida voters again. Are you really going to throw a bunch of computers to a bunch of old ladies and guys just coming off a plane? The other half of me thinking......do we really need all those customs agents sitting on their duffs waving me buy?

They have the same set up at JFK T4.........I find it a bit stupid, because the kiosk is just an extra step........you still have to go to the immigration guy before claiming bags(or walking right past all those suckers with checked bags to claim)

Is this just for US citizens or everyone? Going to be difficult not just for the old folks but the people for whom English is not their first language.

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Originally Posted by isppilot

Is this just for US citizens or everyone? Going to be difficult not just for the old folks but the people for whom English is not their first language.

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It's just for U.S. citizens. Good thing about it is you don't have to fill out the stupid form coming in though I am so used to it anyway. Surprisingly, the line moved quite thorough. I can see a bit of an issue for old U.S. citizens that English was not their first language. There are some people there to help them out. Only issue I had with the kiosk was you are supposed to scan your passport, and the demonstration was a bit weak on how to place it on the glass. Kind of like putting a dollar bill in the soda machine if you don't place it with George Washington's head facing the right way, it won't work. Other than that, it wasn't bad at all.

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Originally Posted by ColoAvs19

They have the same set up at JFK T4.........I find it a bit stupid, because the kiosk is just an extra step........you still have to go to the immigration guy before claiming bags(or walking right past all those suckers with checked bags to claim)

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You are right, it is an extra step, only the immigration guy doesn't have to take your picture and scan your passport. The KIOSK does this for them and the receipt has your mug on the receipt. They had only one guy that I could see waving on the pax after the kiosk did their job.