Clearing Customs More Quickly at DFW Airport

Automated system to be rolled out Monday

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is unveiling new technology it hopes will make clearing customs faster.

On Monday, the airport is rolling out 30 new kiosks that will allow 30 passengers arriving on international flights to electronically clear customs at the same time.

Last summer, hundreds of international travelers experienced an extreme 4-hour wait time, as three customs agents tried to clear passengers.

The DFW Airport Board approved nearly $200,000 for the Automated Passport Control hardware. The airport's own IT department developed their own software and is one of the first airports in the country to launch the new technology.

DFW Airport leaders hope it will help reduce the wait time for customers and make U.S. and Canadian passport holders happier.

"This has been an issue for us. As far as an imperative, a strategic goal for the airport to provide great customer service. It's very hard for DFW to do that when you've got to wait three hours to get in,” said David Magana, with DFW Airport.

A system like the on being installed at DFW is already in place at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Travelers using APC at O’Hare answer questions at the kiosk, get a receipt, then check out with a customs officer.

Sean Donohue, the CEO of DFW International Airport, and Kevin McAleenan, the Acting Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency, will demonstrate how APC will work at DFW Airport on Monday afternoon.

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