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Looming APIS rules could mean chaos for foreign flyers to US
Chaos is being predicted for airline visitors coming to the US this fall when federal authorities implement the extension of its Advance Passenger Information System (APIS).
Airline authorities expect the new arrangements to add at least one hour to check-in time.
Airlines will also have to deny boarding to travelers who have not revealed where they are are staying on their first night in the US.
The new rules are set to be in effect 1 October. APIS is the system by which airlines transmit personal details of passengers to Customs & Border Protection within 15 minutes of departure on U.S.-bound flights and 15 minutes before departure on flights exiting the United States.
New rule amendments following 9-11 added various requirments such as naming a passengers hotel. The Bush administration originally intended to introduce this extended version of APIS in 2003 but delayed it after airlines complained they were unready to implement it and did not see what value it would contribute to security.
Department of Homeland Security spokesman Jarrod Agen confirmed the department is reviewing how long before departure airlines must transmit APIS data. “We have looked at different time frames ranging from 30 minutes to two hours,” he said.
APIS is not the only security-related complication to have been thrown in the way of visitors to the US recently, said Business Travel News. As of June 26, travelers with passports from visa-waiver countries have been obliged to present machine-readable passports to avoid having to obtain a visa.
Obtaining a visa to enter the U.S. has also become a more cumbersome process during the past two years, with almost applicants having to be interviewed in person.
Estimated waiting time for a visa to the US: around six weeks.
Report by David Wilkening
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