Hong Kong Club Reports

[BrotherMouzone]

So I guess the best solution for those without global entry is to take the $10 bus ride across the border. As the bus as a special lane that bypasses the regular vehicle line.

I'd guess that's one of the better solutions. I've never taken any of those buses / vans that get offered so I wouldn't know anything about them personally but my guess is they are legit.

For those without global entry (such as myself), one way to manage border crossings is to plan ahead and get to the border early to minimize changes of something like missing your flight. USA Customs and Border Protection has this website: https://bwt.cbp.gov/details/09250401/PED.

That monitors wait times for pedestrian crossings at San Ysidro. MOST of the time (though not always) the estimated wait times are reasonably accurate (I. E. , accurate to within 20 minutes of the estimate or less), though it should be emphasized that those are just estimates. Especially if I have a flight to catch, I monitor that site often and plan accordingly. The site also tracks historical wait times so you can look up how long it typically takes to cross on a certain day of the week at a certain time.

[Dogers69]

Tuesday night report. Both men and woman volume down 60% than last week. But the guys here going up to room every 30 seconds as I wait for a chica. Reduced price at nearby bars.

[ClownDays]

I know a few guys' that have used this service. It's $30 but they all had their appointments moved up to within a week.

https://appointmentscanner.com

I haven't used the service, but can confirm that a bunch of appointment slots randomly pop up that are much sooner.

A buddy of mine could not get an appointment at LAX until July 22, and he randomly checked SFO and found appointments available in Jan 22, but on a re-check, he saw an appointment like 2 weeks out and nabbed it. He just ended up going up to see family, and grabbed his outbound flight on the day of his appointment.

If you're willing to make a day trip out of it (it's worth it IMO), look at the other places where you can have your interview where the location is at the Airport. SFO and PHX have offices in the airport.

[Rambo1969]

I know a few guys' that have used this service. It's $30 but they all had their appointments moved up to within a week.

https://appointmentscanner.com

This free tool lets you know of openings at SFO as they become available: https://twitter.com/GOESbot.

And, you can always do interview on re-entry from abroad to US via most airports.

So, fly from a Mexican airport to San Diego airport:

See https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-t...llment-arrival.

[Fmojo]

The earliest global entry appointment I can find is in March 2022. Need something ASAP.

I know a few guys' that have used this service. It's $30 but they all had their appointments moved up to within a week.

https://appointmentscanner.com

[BlackThought]

Don't believe there is such a Bus?

What bus is dogers referring to? I'm going to miss my flight if I have to wait in line for 4 hours. Is it only 4 hours due to the holidays? My friend told me it was no more than 30 minutes a few years ago.

[Phordphan]

Exactly how I feel. If there was no line cutting a 3 hour wait I could swallow. But the only reason a 3 hour wait is 3 hours and not 1 hour is due to line cutting. The amount of line cutting is probably 2 people cutting for every person in line. Not even counting sentri as line cutting. And where I'm from, cutting a line in a grocery store would lead to a physical fight and maybe worse. Its just not accepted. But these California's are a mellow bunch. Everything you need to know about how the USA government works, with the different $$ corporations, and big business, and $ non profit $ political organizations pulling the strings of our government, can by seen right at the border. Basically everyone tells the border patrol what to do. It wasn't good enough for the border patrol to allow people to cut the line on busses, and have to stand in line for the last 20 minutes. Now they put another line, even faster than sentri, on the right of sentri for bus, people. What bus? Who paid or dqueezed border patrol to do that? I don't know. What I will say, I'm fairly certain, any Americans denied global entry could easily win a lawsuit for all the hours they stand in line while they have organized line cutting, much of it with USA border patrol in cahoots with.

I have news for you. CBP has zero control over the shenanigans that happen on the Mexico side. If there are line cutters, it's Mexico's problem. And Mexico isn't going to do anything about it.

CBP, long ago, was more or less forced to come up with a way to accommodate buses. Processing them through regular lanes isn't practical. You have to have a method of screening all the passengers. So, what do you suggest?

Still, I'm not sure where you get your bus information, maybe things have changed since I quit walking across. But I've taken the bus option a couple times. Sometimes it's faster than standing, sometimes it's not. If you're in a bus, and there are two other buses in front of you, it make take you a very long time to get through. They have to unload the bus, which may have 10, or it may have 50 people on it. They have to process all those people. (Yes, sometimes that line does go quicker than the "regular" lines). They have to inspect the bus. They have to reload the bus. If you're three buses back you're in for a long wait, too.

Of all the times I crossed on foot with SENTRI, I have never had to wait while the bus line was processed. I've also never been threatened with violence the couple of times I got suckered into "cutting" the line for a fee.

[Gregyyr]

I realize it's "Mexico" and all but they really should have some large signs giving people direction on which lines to get into for regular, Global Entry, Sentry. Mexico does many things great as we all know, but they don't need to just do a half ass job with signage as they have for years at the border.

G.

[Gregyyr]

The earliest global entry appointment I can find is in March 2022. Need something ASAP.

One option a friend did was not select his city for the Global Entry interview. He selected some other city (don't remember which but it was like 6 hours east of San Diego) Just because they had an earlier interview date and just did a road trip and got the interview. Saved him several months of waiting.

G.

[MoneyShot]

So I guess the best solution for those without global entry is to take the $10 bus ride across the border. As the bus as a special lane that bypasses the regular vehicle line.

Don't believe there is such a Bus?

[WombatEd2]

If you can't wait in line like everyone else don't go to Tijuana, you give the rest of us a bad name with your better than everyone else attitude and you can buy your way for what you want.

Amen!

We are guests in Mexico and should act accordingly!

[Dogers69]

I'm a very patient person and actually didn't mind waiting in those ped lines. Of course it did help that the GF insisted on waiting in line with me until I crossed. But all those line cutters were really raising my blood pressure even ended up in a couple confrontations. So in the name of good health I finally got Global Entry. Now I'm a legal line cutter. WOW after bypassing these recent crazy lines, if they told me the cost of GE went up to $1000 I would happily pay it, that card is priceless.

Exactly how I feel. If there was no line cutting a 3 hour wait I could swallow. But the only reason a 3 hour wait is 3 hours and not 1 hour is due to line cutting. The amount of line cutting is probably 2 people cutting for every person in line. Not even counting sentri as line cutting. And where I'm from, cutting a line in a grocery store would lead to a physical fight and maybe worse. Its just not accepted. But these California's are a mellow bunch. Everything you need to know about how the USA government works, with the different $$ corporations, and big business, and $ non profit $ political organizations pulling the strings of our government, can by seen right at the border. Basically everyone tells the border patrol what to do. It wasn't good enough for the border patrol to allow people to cut the line on busses, and have to stand in line for the last 20 minutes. Now they put another line, even faster than sentri, on the right of sentri for bus, people. What bus? Who paid or dqueezed border patrol to do that? I don't know. What I will say, I'm fairly certain, any Americans denied global entry could easily win a lawsuit for all the hours they stand in line while they have organized line cutting, much of it with USA border patrol in cahoots with.

[BlackThought]

Even though this "works" (as far as reducing your time in line) it's a scam. Really you're just paying a random person to walk with you to cut the line, which you're not allowed to do. I tried it once last year not knowing how it worked and thinking it was somehow some "legit" operation they had and felt bad afterwards, LOL. When I did it last year, I countered the $20 price with $10, which was quickly accepted. That should've been a red flag for me.

One thing I noticed this year is they do seem to have a couple of Mexican policia towards the front of the line watching the line, seemingly at least in part to catch line cutters.

So I guess the best solution for those without global entry is to take the $10 bus ride across the border. As the bus as a special lane that bypasses the regular vehicle line.

[Captain Solo]

I flew from Medellin to Mexico City on Viva Aerobus last Friday. Mexican Customs announced that special procedures apply to flights from Colombia, due to it being a major source of drugs. We were sniffed by dogs, luggage were sent through X-ray machines; one young woman was targeted, her luggage was opened up and searched carefully.

I flew from MEX to LAX arriving in the afternoon Monday, pulling along my carry-on suitcase. The walk was very long from the terminal to US Customs booths. Couple hundreds people queued up in front of the booths, none was in the GE lanes; I was the only one. A Customs woman told me to go ahead to the dozen GE machines, take my hat and mask off for the picture. The machine already read the GE card in my wallet via RFID, automatically detected and took my picture. It was all done in less than 30 seconds. That was it, I was cleared. The woman said I could go.

Meanwhile hundreds other passengers were waiting in line to be interviewed, body scanned, luggage Xrayed and searched by US Customs.

Get your GE card with the US government's trusted travelers privileges.

[BlackThought]

I'm a very patient person and actually didn't mind waiting in those ped lines. Of course it did help that the GF insisted on waiting in line with me until I crossed. But all those line cutters were really raising my blood pressure even ended up in a couple confrontations. So in the name of good health I finally got Global Entry. Now I'm a legal line cutter. WOW after bypassing these recent crazy lines, if they told me the cost of GE went up to $1000 I would happily pay it, that card is priceless.

The earliest global entry appointment I can find is in March 2022. Need something ASAP.