CBP headquarters allocates staff to  ports. International Passengers’ Wait Times Vary by Airport and Are Affected by Three Primary Factors

The amount of time passengers from international locations have to wait  before completing CBP inspections to enter the United States varies within  individual airports and across the 20 airports at which CBP records wait  times. Although wait times vary across airports, on average, CBP  processed passengers within 45 minutes during the 2-month period for  which data were available. Based on  our observations and analysis of wait time data, as well as our discussions  with airport and airline officials, we concluded that the primary factors  affecting wait time are passenger volume, the number of inspection  stations available at an airport, and the number of CBP officers available  to conduct inspections. The U.S. Specifically, three  of the five international airports we visited had built new or expanded  federal inspection facilities to accommodate future growth in passenger  volume and minimize wait times for internationally arriving passengers. Additionally, three of these airports assigned staff to assist passengers in  preparing documentation to minimize wait times. Airline officials we  spoke to acknowledged that large volumes of arriving passengers may  increase wait times, but said that, to accommodate market demand,  airlines do not spread flight arrivals evenly throughout the day. Airports and airlines also have taken other steps to minimize passenger  wait times. CBP officials said this program is essential for increasing staff flexibility  so that staff can conduct different types of inspections within airports. CBP is also developing a staffing model to assist in determining officer  allocation levels. Recommendations

To assist CBP in its efforts to develop a staffing model that will help  provide a basis for budget justifications and management decision-making  and to establish goals and performance measures to assess its progress in  completing its staffing model and its cross-training program, we  recommend that the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security  direct the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to take  the following five actions    provide ports with targets and milestones for having staff cross-trained  to measure the progress of its One Face at the Border program while  being sensitive to work demands in setting training schedules;  incorporate wait time performance measures in the staffing model  currently under development as required by the Enhanced Border  Security and Visa Protection Act of 2002;    use the staffing model under development to determine the optimal  number of staff at each airport nationwide;    systematically solicit input from the field on staffing needs and include  uniform, agencywide guidance on how they should assess their needs  and environment; and    set out milestones for completing CBP’s planned staffing model. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

To assess CBP’s progress in minimizing wait times for international air  passengers while ensuring security, we analyzed (1) the wait times at the  20 U.S. international airports that receive most of the international traffic  and factors affecting wait times; (2) the steps airports and airlines have  taken to minimize passenger wait times; and (3) how CBP has managed  staffing to minimize wait times across airports.
Why GAO Did This Study

While the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Protection Act repealed a 45 minute standard for inspecting international passengers, minimizing wait times at airports remains an area of concern for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Shortly after its creation in March 2003, CBP assumed inspection functions from the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the U.S. Customs Service, and the Department of Agriculture. The new agency's priority missions are to prevent terrorism and to facilitate travel and trade. To assess CBP's efforts to minimize wait times for international air passengers while ensuring security, this report answers the following questions: (1) What are the wait times at the 20 U.S. international airports that receive most of the international traffic and what factors affect wait times? (2) What steps have airports and airlines taken to minimize passenger wait times? (3) How has CBP managed staffing to minimize wait times across airports?

What GAO Found

The amount of time passengers from international locations have to wait before completing CBP inspections to enter the United States varies within and across airports. On average, CBP processed passengers within 45 minutes during the 2-month period for which data were available, although some flights had significantly longer wait times. Based on our observations and analysis as well as our discussions with airport and CBP officials, we determined that the primary factors affecting wait time are passenger volume, the number of inspection stations available at an airport, and the number of CBP officers available to conduct inspections. These factors, in different combinations at each airport, affect passenger wait times. Three of the five international airports we visited had built new or expanded federal inspection facilities to accommodate future growth in passenger volume and minimize wait times for internationally arriving passengers. Additionally, some airports assigned staff to assist passengers in preparing documentation to minimize wait times. Airline officials we spoke to acknowledged that large volumes of arriving passengers may increase wait times, but said that, to accommodate market demand, airlines do not spread flight arrivals throughout the day. CBP, in its efforts to minimize passenger wait times at airports, has taken steps to increase the efficient use of existing staff at airports. For example, CBP is cross-training its officers so that they can conduct different types of inspections. CBP is also developing a staffing model to allocate staff among its ports. However, the new model fails to address weaknesses identified in assessments of staffing models used previously by Customs and INS, such as not including wait times as a performance measure. CBP also has not developed milestones for completing its staffing model and cross-training program at all ports. Until these weaknesses are addressed, CBP will be hampered in forming a basis for management decision-making concerning staff allocation and staff needs and providing budget justifications.