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

[Randall Gellens <[e-mail]>]

At 1:24 PM -0400 8/6/12, Andrew Sullivan wrote:

>  On Sun, Aug 05, 2012 at 12:24:31PM -0400, Don Blumenthal wrote:
>>  You need to choose your security lines better. I haven't filled a US
>>  Customs form out since I started using Global Entry.
>
>  No, he doesn't.  He needs to avoid US transit in Canadian airports.
>
>  Canadian security people don't know the difference between GE and
>  NEXUS and don't care.  They check that you have the paperwork all
>  signed when you enter the US Immigration area (what I call
>  "Americaland" when I tell my wife I am hanging up) in any Canadian
>  airport with pre-screening.  They won't let you into Americaland
>  without your blue paper.

I think we're mixing different things together.  Departing Canada via 
an airport with US pre-clearance, I've not had a problem entering 
security or immigration without a filled-out customs declaration. 
The report stating this was a requirement was specific to transit, 
not departure (different areas).

>  To haul this onto something vaguely IETF-related, it is an excellent
>  example of why having more than one protocol solving the same or
>  closely related problems is a bad idea.  The real issue here is that
>  both NEXUS and GE allow you to be handled specially, but the NEXUS and
>  GE systems have different modes of operation.  Also, some NEXUS people
>  are not GE people and conversely.  Low-level paperwork-checking
>  door-guarding bureaucrats cannot be expected to keep track of all
>  these differences and filter correctly, so they've adopted a different
>  filter: blue paper card.  Teaching them "blue paper card or else this
>  special plastic card" is likely possible.  "Blue paper card or special
>  plastic card if it says GE BUT NOT if it doesn't OR if it's this other
>  card" probably isn't a possible configuration.  The protocols are
>  different because GE was a thing for US-bound immigration only and
>  NEXUS was a transborder initiative.  This is like a case of two
>  vendors solving the same problem differently and the resulting
>  protocol having the union of all their options.  (Therefore, we should
>  shut down BEHAVE, QED. ;-)

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.

-- 
Randall Gellens
Opinions are personal;    facts are suspect;    I speak for myself only
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