Global Entry 'e-gates' are coming to a major airport. It could help set the stage for a kiosk-free future

02.04.2024 - 19:59 / thepointsguy.com

Dulles International Airport (IAD) outside Washington, D.C., is set to test first-in-the-nation technology for Global Entry, allowing certain travelers to pass through customs without ever interacting with — or even passing by — a human officer.

In the coming months, Dulles plans to launch a pilot program testing the use of so-called e-gates at customs.

The new, high-tech process would work in concert with the recently launched Global Entry mobile app, allowing members to handle nearly every aspect of passport control and customs declaration on a smartphone, before proceeding to state-of-the-art gates that would open following a quick facial scan.

Want more aviation news? Sign up for TPG's free biweekly Aviation newsletter.

More broadly, it's part of an evolution for Global Entry that could, in the not-so-distant future, render the program's signature kiosks virtually obsolete in favor of newer, higher-tech options, a top U.S. Customs and Border Protection official in charge of the program tells TPG.

"The reality is everyone's moving to their phone — it does everything," said Brendan Blackmer, CBP branch chief focused on Trusted Traveler Programs. "We do see, long term, that's the platform."

Walk into Dulles' customs facility right now, and among the 44 lanes at passport control, you'll find a bit of an empty space where it appears booths should be.

As nondescript as the space looks, it's the epicenter of some big plans CBP has, Dulles port director Marc Calixte explained during a tour of the facility Monday.

CBP is finalizing plans to install, at least temporarily, the new electronic gates at that spot. The agency is eager to test how well a process light on human interaction works — and whether it might be a model for its other airport facilities in the future.

This is specifically intended to be a new option at Dulles for travelers enrolled in Global Entry, the fast-track Trusted Traveler Program that gives paid, vetted members an expedited trip through U.S. customs facilities (the program also includes TSA PreCheck access).

The Dulles pilot program is expected to launch by late summer, Calixte said — though an exact date has not been set. It's also not clear how long the e-gates might be in use as part of the pilot.

The concept would integrate heavily with the new mobile concept CBP rolled out to Global Entry as an additional option for travelers last fall.

Already today, you can skip the kiosks and proceed right to an officer by answering a few questions and snapping a selfie using the Global Entry app.

Launched in September, the app is now available at 38 U.S. airports and will be an option for travelers at nearly all of the 77 airports with Global Entry by the end of this year, CBP told TPG