Is there a more convoluted govt. site/process than Global Entry ?

I've been wanting it forever and it just seems so convoluted that I never finished the process.

I probably fly 3-4 times a year at most, and out of the country once a year, so its not THAT necessary for me.

I don't know what you're specific issues with GE are, but I love it. Did my interview in 2020 at MSY, got approved before I got home. Did it for my whole family.

We just got back from Paris this past weekend and breezed right past immigration without even taking our passports out. frick standing in line with the unwashed masses.

Like I said the CONCEPT is great....the 'process' is what is sorely lacking ! My examples have been stated....i.e. 'application' site is horrendous...no-one answers ANY of their 'help' numbers, their own 'information posts' are WRONG i.e. they say the whole process is backed up and it takes 6-9 months for approval....WRONG ! my brother inlaw just completed his mandatory airport interview FOUR weeks after his initial application ! How can a govt. agency be sooo fouled up ? Btw. he arrived at the Gulfport/Biloxi airport one hour before his scheduled interview and there was no one at the office...this was AFTER 10am....after calling the contact # posted on the door [NO ANSWER] he flagged down a border patrol truck in the area and that guy made a call to Global Entry and 45 minutes later an unapologizing 'agent' shows up ! This crap needs to be streamlined and cleaned up...problem is..not one person I've spoken to will take ownership,relay complaint or god forbid DO THEIR JOB ! If I complain much more I know I'll never get 'approved' !

CBP is testing an entry system similar toe-gated. It's called APC and being tested in Philly and a few other airports.

You don't need it to speed yourself back into the country.

Use the CBP MPC (Mobile Passport Control) app. You can register your whole family for free, and will end up in the very short line with the crew and maybe some people in wheelchairs. I've only had the MPC lines shut down in the middle of international arrivals (all in SFO) a few times. I've never seen it closed in Houston.

You take pictures of your people, and enter the information that used to be on the little blue card you filled out. The app saves your info. You land, turn on cell service, and answer the customs questions, which are good for four hours. You head past the general queue, to the MPC line, they scan your QR code, and you're pretty much done and off to baggage claim. There's a decent chance I can beat some of the Global Entry holders out of of immigration depending on the route. It doesn't cost anything, and is available at every major airport you'd fly through, including pre clearance locations like Shannon and Winnipeg.

New Orleans is *not* one of those locations, but MSY is not an airport that is catching multiple 777s within a half hour of each other, either.

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a BA 777

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*A* 777? LOL.

I've never had issues in Houston on return from overseas. Except for Parking Spot shuttles. I do make an extreme point of not connecting at US airports though. ORD, EWR during the non summer months? Great idea! Nah, I'll fly from somewhere to FRA or IST, and take a direct flight home. I wanted to do long haul on LOT to test it out, but it always required a connection in ORD. Uh, no. I cut my teeth on connecting through ORD to shitty little flights to Harrisburg, PA, (and similar routes) and took notes.

SFO inbound has sucked worse than any other airport I've been through on Star Alliance.

On topic, I don't know what purpose Global Entry serves with MPC live. MPC used to cost $20? a year, and it was well worth it. I think the only disadvantage is that none of the premium credit cards reimbursed you for it, even though it's been free for years.

On top of that, if you walk like you have a purpose, even if you're seated in the back, you'll clear almost every passenger except maybe business class, before you get to CBP, without GE or MPC. The risk is multiple widebodies landing within the same hour, but MPC made that a non issue for me.

So, what you're tracking on is that FedGov online services suck? Just trying to clarify.

I mean it was pretty easy to secure. Filled out the application and interviewed with a customs agent after coming back into the country one time and now I will have it for the foreseeable future.

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I appreciate the quicker lines for returning to the country, but I use it more for the domestic TSA pre check. I will gladly pay the extra 15 dollars over pre check for global entry every 5 years, it really isn’t a question which one I would choose

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Ya, you're going to pay $85 for Precheck on its own, so the $15 for GE isn't a big deal. Not to mention credit cards that pay for it.

The new GE machines are incredibly fast. No questions to answer at all at the kiosk anymore. No fiddling with an app. Take picture, talk to agent for 5 seconds, and done.