MCO immigration

A wave from MCO having spent half an hour in the queue to get to a kiosk only to have to go through prints and photos again with a real person.
This new system is definitely not progress.
TR to follow but it was a great trip.
Relaxing in the Hyatt for the night before driving up to SC where the temp is forecast to be 80F for the first week
Dick D

Have a lovely holiday & enjoy the weather - more rain & wind forecast in Blighty tomorrow ...

the system normally works well but CBP have set the system so that a number of passengers do need to see an officer for screening even if it duplicates the machine.

[buns]

DickeyD

Thanks for the heads up - Not looking forward to encountering Immigration next week as we have new ESTAs, so will have to join the long queue

Keep that sunshine going

buns

The machines are progress as long as you don't get the dreaded X.

Thanks for the heads up - Not looking forward to encountering Immigration next week as we have new ESTAs, so will have to join the long queue

You can still use the automated machines. I had a new ESTA last October and I didn't even get a X - no issue whatsoever.

Enjoy your travels both.

You'll almost certainly get one with a new passport though. Or if the machine doesn't like your fingerprints or photo. Or if it feels like it. Or if Mr Trump says so.

Thanks for the heads up - Not looking forward to encountering Immigration next week as we have new ESTAs, so will have to join the long queue

You can still use the automated machines. I had a new ESTA last October and I didn't even get a X - no issue whatsoever.

Enjoy your travels both.

^^^this

once you've had the very first entry on an esta, your renewal esta 'inherits' that status, you can go to the machines

You can use the machines with a new ESTA. We did last year. We didn't get Xs on our bits of paper but we still had to queue to see an immigration officer who did the entire process all over again. By this time, the people in the "ordinary" queue were long gone and we were the last people in the immigration hall.

From what I remember from last November, they had changed the Immigration approach queue to use a previously unused area. You got to a merge point where an Orlando Airport "Ambassador" would ask you when you were last in the USA & your Visa / ESTA status - you were then sent down the appropriate line for Kiosk or queue for a normal immigration desk.

I got sent down the Kiosk route as I'd been in the USA 7 weeks previous & was an approved ESTA holder. Kiosk said "no" - not even an X - as my passport had less than 6mths left to run. Was fed into the normal queue very near the front by an Ambassador & was through immigration at exactly the same time as my friend, for whom the Kiosk had worked fine (but he then had to queue to see an immigration officer).

On my next trip in June, I'll be on both new a new passport & ESTA, so I suspect I'll be directed to the Kiosks due to last visit being November, but with a strong possibility of an X as first entry on both new documents.

IMO, the Kiosks don't speed things up much for an average Visa Waiver Program visitor (even with ESTA). You are going to have a lot of technophobe passengers who are unsure how to use them (so take ages) & you still have to see an immigration officer anyway - who will re-do the entire process of photos & fingerprints if they want to. If you have membership of a Trusted Traveller / CLEAR scheme (or are a US Citizen) then things could be quite different.

[buns]

Thanks for the responses guys.

My recollection of things was much like Kraken mentioned - the "Ambassador" asks you questions and this is where I seem to think I was asked if I had used the same ESTA before.

Whatever happens, I know that the 15 is the last in, so I am not expecting a quick getaway so this time around will be picking up a hire car before setting off for our usal haunt.

buns

I had the same ambassador type individual on my recent entry into MCO. They mostly divvy you between the queues based on whether you're on a new/repeat ESTA or GE.

The Kiosks have nothing to do with making it better for the passenger and more to do with cutting costs, I bet they have managed to reduce the number of agents required at the border. Just like the self-scan at the supermarket.

I Think MCO seems to get it somewhat, at least they filter passengers, some airports leave it up to the passenger with the resulting confusion when people end up in the wrong line.

The only way to guarantee to get through quickly was Global Entry, however now that it's open to everyone I imagine over the next few years GE lines will also get bigger.

At JFK T4, where there must be at least fifty machines, they really have helped to speed things up.

But where there are only a few machines (MCO, JFK T7) they don't make a lot of difference.

And yes, of course they're not about making life easier for passengers. They're about saving money, just like the e-gates at British airports.