Re: [84attendees] YVR Checkin Counter Opening Hours (for US)

[Andrew Sullivan <[e-mail]>]

On Mon, Aug 06, 2012 at 10:57:29AM -0700, Randall Gellens wrote:
> In fairness, there's nothing in any of the trusted traveler programs
> that I'm aware of that requires anyone check that you have a customs
> declaration form before entering an earlier stage (e.g., security).
> I believe they check as a courtesy, to avoid you getting through the
> first stage and then needing to go back.

It's an interoperation check between airport-traffic needs and
border-check needs: the airport needs to keep the lines (traffic)
flowing, and the border security people need certain forms.  The
transit-door form-checkers are there to make sure that there's no
exception generated when traffic gets to a point that it needs a form
without that form.

What GE and NEXUS do is create a new traffic path that is form-free,
but it's just too hard to teach the transit-door form-checkers about
this.  So we end up with a legacy feature that is partly unnecessary
but ends up being a practical requirement anyway.  Only it's not
written down in any protocol document.  (The harder I work this
analogy, the more I like it.  This is probably indicative of some
condition from which I suffer.)

Best,

A

PS: yes, you were right, the original case was only when using a
Canadian airport for transit to US.  That's what I meant too, but I
think I wasn't clear enough.  Apologies.

-- 
Andrew Sullivan
[e-mail]