Chicago Aviation Department plans to have 32 automated kiosks installed within O’Hare by 1st July. This will allow US citizens to bypass the lengthy paper declaration card process when arriving, saving on time and resources.
O’Hare will be the first airport in the US to receive the kiosks, following a successful trial in Vancouver International Airport earlier this month. The touch-screen kiosks will ask passengers a series of questions, producing a receipt once completed. Passengers then take this receipt, along with their passport and boarding pass, to a Customs & Border Protection officer for verification.
“This technology will help expedite customs processing for passengers arriving to O’Hare, further strengthening Chicago as a global destination,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel: “Being the first airport in the U.S. to implement these advances demonstrates how serious we are about making Chicago the first, best and most welcoming city in the country.”
The kiosks are free to use, require no prior registration, and will address what is frequently listed as passengers’ biggest complaint – waiting times in customs.
