Delays at CBP Ports of Entry.

We have personally experienced delays in Florida:

Key West, Florida (KEYW), on March 15, 2013 we remained locked inside our aircraft for 1.5 hours waiting for officers to show up despite a call from Mexico prior to departure, an update to Miami Radio in the air one hour prior to arrival and 2 telephone calls on the ground to the CBP Communications Center.

Fort Lauderdale Executive, Florida (KFXE), on March 22, 2013 we had to wait 2 hours and 45 minutes on the ground until we were able to be processed by CBP. ATC had to park aircraft all over the airport to wait for CBP to process the aircraft that were waiting. At one point there were over 25 aircraft in line on the ground waiting to be processed. To make matters worse, ATC lost control of the sequence and began clearing aircraft to the CBP ramp that had landed after aircraft that were still waiting. The radio calls that resulted from this were predictable.

We have also heard from other Caribbean Sky Tours members that these issues are also being experienced at some airports on the US-Mexico border as well. If you are planning an international trip, you should check for CBP delays at the Airport Of Entry (AOE) you plan to use.

Rick Gardner
Caribbean Sky Tours