Waiting times at some US Customs and Border Protection checkpoints are about to get shorter thanks to an agreement to increase the number of hours customs agents are permitted to work.
Rules take effect next year and will allow airport operators and governments to reimburse the CBP for the extra overtime costs in line with passenger volume increases at selected airports around the country.
Airports including Orlando, Las Vegas, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco can authorize additional working hours from agents to help cut long wait times and handle ever increasing volumes of international inbound passengers.
The agreement also includes border crossings in Texas and ports in Florida, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
"This is a major next step to facilitate growing trade and travel coming across our borders," said Kevin McAleenan, CBP acting deputy commissioner.
It follows similar agreements the CBP made with other airport authorities this year in Dallas Fort Worth, El Paso, Miami and Houston.
The agency claimed checkpoint wait times at these airports decreased thirty percent on average while passenger volumes rose seven percent.
"Our current agreements are helping out a lot in the summer," said McAleenan
Costs reimbursable under the agreements are for border security, agricultural processing, customs and immigration inspection at ports of entry.
