Airside Mobile Passport

The only time saved with Mobile Passport is not having to fill out the forms using the kiosk screens. There was no special line in Atlanta airport for Mobile Passport users. Those who had used the kiosks were in the same line as Mobile passport app users and the lines were very long on that day. Perhaps if there were long lines at the kiosks having MP would have helped, but that wasn’t the case the day we arrived. Ive used the kiosks in the past and found them pretty quick to use. This was my first time using Mobile Passport. I’d probably give it another try, but I have to say that I expected it to be more of a timesaver than it was on this first try. The frustrating part was waiting in a long line while customs workers hauled people from the end of the line to form a new line sending them through first and letting people with problems at the kiosks go to the front of the line also. There was no special line for people in wheelchairs either. They were sent to the front of the same line. If Customs were interested in promoting the use of the Mobile Passport app they should encourage people to use it by figuring out a way to get passengers through the line faster. Pulling people from the back of the line to form a new line to go ahead of those waiting doesn’t help either. I liked the app, but it was hindered by the Atlanta airport process at Customs.

I don’t even remember how I found out about this app but so glad I did! When we got back to DFW from a trip to Mexico today they didn’t say anything to us about going through customs nor did they give us the papers to fill out. They just made us get off the plane and go to a bus that took us to the international terminal. We saw one sign in the hall after getting off the bus that mentioned global express and mobile passport so we stopped and opened the app right there (I had downloaded it before we left). Super easy and fast to use! We used one account for both of us and it worked great! Once we got to the customs area we saw a small sign near global express that said mobile passport but it wasn’t really close to the actual line but the ropes were green instead of black and we asked the officer standing there if we could go in and she said yes. I think the signage could have been better but since we were looking for it we found it. They funneled us in with the global express people, which they seemed to not like, but it was so fast! The officer never looked at the app though. He just scanned our real passports. But that didn’t matter because being able to say we had the app got us in a short line and skipping the line with 200 people in it. We were through customs in less than 15 minutes. You need to download this app if you’re traveling internationally!!

What is one of the worst things about vacationing someplace foreign and exotic? Yep, having to go through the grueling customs and security process after your already long day of the whole traveling, airport, and flight process leaving your vacation. How would you like to skip through the line of 300 people waiting in the herding lines at customs? GET MOBILE PASS! We just flew back from Cancun to Denver yesterday. After spending only about four minutes completing the process on the app, we got off the plane and entered the cavernous customs area. It was like a line for a ride at Disneyland on a summer Saturday. HUNDREDS of people shuffling along in the several queues for them to enter. We looked to the right and there was the Mobile Pass/Global Entry queue. How many people were in it? ZERO. My wife and I sauntered right through the straight rope lines along the massive zig zag maze of people. We got to the head of the line where the customs booth are located in mere moments. The officer motioned is over right away ahead of the other eight lines that had been waiting. She asked to see our Mobile Pass QR codes, which we showed her. We went staring to a booth, had the officer process us, and was on the other side in what I estimated to be less than four minutes from getting off the escalator into the customs warehouse. Such a fantastic app and way to enter back into the States!

Used Mobile Passport for the first time. We did skip a long line which probably would have an hour’s wait while we only had 3 folks in front of us. Still it took longer to get ready for the line than I anticipated. I hadn’t realized the free version has to be re-populated with all your passport information including a picture within 4 hours of submittal. So even though we were in the airport I had to stop to re-enter all the information. That doubled our wait time. I guess you could fill in information while still on the plane to not have to deal with this inconvenience. I just wish it had been more clear in the instructions as I got the impression it was just the 5 security questions that needed to be answered in less than 4 hours before landing. So be better prepared than me if you use the free version. I’m not sure if it was us, the agent at SFO, or the use of Mobile Passport, but we got almost a snarling reception from the agent and he asked us twice if we were bringing in food (as if that isn’t asked in the 5 questions already). I have never had such a cold reception when returning to the US. And we (I’m a 72 year old great grandmother traveling with my 17 year old niece) were returning from an ecotour of Costa Rica., so I didn’t think we presented much of a threat. Hope others don’t have the same odd experience with this time-saving app.

Used Mobile Pass the second time arriving at LAX. The App works great but both times upon arrival the LAX personnel insisted I had to cue up with everyone else at the huge pass port control line, they didn’t even look at the App. Half way through another guy was yelling that Mobile Pass user needed to cue in a different line and I was allowed to move to the Mobile Pass cue further away where I wasn’t allowed to venture before. Just 3 people ahead of me and super quick here, however after picking up my luggage I again had to cue with everyone else at customs. When it was finally my turn after a 25 Minute wait I was told I had to cue at booth 6 - that cue was cordened off for everyone but crew members, so you couldn’t get there in the beginning. Some people however had been verbally instructed to move over there earlier and got upset as from their perspective I was skipping the line. But the custom officer waived me through, a 10 second scan of the App and i was done. So this was just a variation of my first experience at LAX with Mobile Pass - App works great and would save a lot of Time if LAX personnel was better trained, cue lines clearly marked, announcements actually clearly audible. Ideally you’d get a text upon arrival where to cue with your Mobile Pass - if you could have reliable wifi in the LAX arrival area which is yet another problem