McCarran International (LAS) is now utilizing Phase 4.0 automated passport control kiosks to help move international travelers through the Customs and border process quicker. Business or tourist visa holders, Mexican travelers with border-crossing cards and airline crew members are now able to use the APC kiosks when arriving in the U.S. It is the first airport to use Phase 4.0.
The kiosks are provided by SITA, which offers border security and IT solutions to governments, airlines and airports. LAS unveiled the kiosks in March.
“McCarran welcomed nearly 43 million travelers in 2014, the most since 2008, with much of that growth coming from outside the U.S.,” says Rosemary Vassiliadis, Clark County director of aviation. “We expect the volume of international travel will continue to rise, and offering the speed and convenience of SITA’s APC self-service kiosks for passport processing to a greater number of travelers will allow us to accommodate that growth while continuing to deliver an exceptional guest experience.”
Phase 4.0 increases passenger eligibility from the 38 “visa waiver” countries outlined by Customs and Border protection to include basically all of the airport’s international arrivals, features enhanced embedded video and is consistent with the Global Entry experience.
“SITA is helping airports worldwide deliver an end-to-end, hassle-free and secure passenger journey,” says Paul Houghton, president of SITA. “Whether at check-in or upon arrival, automating routine and often time-consuming processes like passport control has proven to significantly cut wait times, enabling airports to improve operational efficiency and passenger satisfaction. In the U.S., our automated passport control kiosks have reduced wait times for passengers by as much as 40 percent.”
