USA Entry - CBP Mobile Passport control app [MPC]

[Katie]

I entered LAX in the MPC line after QF12 a week and a half ago. The queue took about 20 mins, and there were 20 or so people in front of me, including at least one family group of 5 people. There were 3 CBP agents, and one finished his shift while I was waiting. A few APEC or whatever people came along and they were served before the MPC queue.

Passengers from the regular non-US lines were being taken over to the US citizens line.
I eventually went through with the CBP agent staffing the queue for air crew (I think??) to the right of the MPC queue. He brought 5 or so of us across and once talking to him, the process was swift.

 

[OzzRod]

An update on US entry via HNL using MPC. My daughter got through in no time flat after arriving on QF103 last Saturday morning. Took her selfie as now required and submitted her entry application via the MPC app while waiting for her plane's doors to be opened. She was using her Australian passport for the first time, together with first time use of a new ESTA, having entered before on her previous passport and an older ESTA. It seems commonsense prevailed. My turn on the same flight tomorrow!

Oh well, it can't be roses all the time. Uploaded my selfie and submitted by MPC form while waiting to exit QF103 in Honolulu this morning. That bit worked fine. Then entered the Arrivals Hall to see a queue about 40 long at MPC and another at least twice that size for the regular entry method. So I opted for the MPC queue. Only two blokes on duty but they abruptly shut up shop after I'd waited about 5 minutes. Just left as if the queue of customers didn't exist! End of shift perhaps, but no replacements. Everyone was eventually ushered to the other now even longer queue. However, when I got to the checkpoint, all the officer did was glance at my Australian passport, took my photo, seemed quite uninterested in my MPC Submission receipt, and asked where I was staying and for how long, so I guess coming in on a brand new, unused ESTA on an old (but current) passport, is quite OK. The only other takeaway I guess is that a lot more people know about and use MPC now and the arrival time of one's flight is still as relevant as ever.

 

[SeaWolf]

The only other takeaway I guess is that a lot more people know about and use MPC now and the arrival time of one's flight is still as relevant as ever.

I had noticed with MPC that it didn't seem to be doing anything to make the actual process any more efficient, it's basically just access to a shorter queue. As more people start using it, that advantage will gradually disappear as well.