Customs checks intensify
By Jeannine Aversa
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — More rigorous baggage inspections are under way for air travelers arriving in the United States on airlines that haven't turned over advance passenger lists for screening.
The Customs Service instituted the stepped up inspections last week and said it will continue for air carriers that don't supply information on passengers before they arrive in this country. Most have been providing this information for years.
But passengers flying into New York's JFK on Saudi Arabian Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Aeroflot Russian Airlines and Uzbekistan Airways have been subjected to heightened inspections, said customs spokesman Dennis Murphy. Some traveling to Los Angeles, Miami and Phoenix also have been affected.
Since Thursday, the more stringent procedures have affected dozens of flights. Many, carrying an average of 125 to 150 passengers, underwent searches of every bag, checked or carry on. Because of the more intensive inspections, it was taking longer than usual for people to clear customs, Murphy said.
In Hawai'i, all but one airline had agreed last week to submit passenger manifests to customs officials.
The holdout, Polynesian Airlines, is facing increased delays because of stepped up security checks when its planes land in Honolulu. The airline serves Tonga, Western Samoa and Fiji through Hawai'i.
Passengers on some of those flights took more than an hour and a half to clear customs and the new 100 percent baggage check.
Under the new aviation guidelines, the airlines are required to provide the name, date of birth, gender, citizenship and passport number of passengers before they arrive in Honolulu.
The action comes as customs shifts its focus from drug smuggling to counterterrorism.
A new law gives the airlines until next year to start providing the information under the so-called Advance Passenger Information System, but Customs Service Commissioner Robert Bonner wanted immediate action. In a letter recently sent to 58 carriers, Bonner issued an ultimatum: immediately begin providing the passenger information or face heightened inspections.
Correction: Asia Pacific Airlines is a cargo carrier and not affected by regulations requiring international airlines to submit passenger manifests. Because of incorrect information from a news source, the airline was included in a previous version of this story.
