International Arriving Passengers at JFK T4 to Bypass Customs Baggage Inspection under ‘Modified Egress’ Program

Passengers arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 4 will soon be able to bypass the bottleneck of a secondary inspection after retrieving baggage.

The program, called “modified egress,” is a change in U.S. Customs and Border Protection exit controls that will allow most passengers to collect their baggage and leave the Federal Inspection Area unless stopped by a CBP officer.

The CBP officer at the primary inspection checkpoint will determine if a secondary inspection is necessary and travelers requiring this will still have to proceed to a secondary inspection.

The implementation requires a variety of infrastructure changes in the Federal Inspection Area after baggage claim including in some cases the placement of Plexiglas-type barriers and checkpoint podiums plus the reconfiguration of queue stanchions and ribbons.

In some instances, travelers being referred to secondary inspection will have their documents such as a passport placed in a secure, tamper-resistant box that will trigger an alarm if he attempts to leave the Federal Inspection Area with it.

The program has been piloted in several locations including Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

(Photo: Accura Media Group)