Passengers Arriving at JFK Accidentally Allowed to Skip Customs
Passengers mistakenly directed to the domestic arrivals terminal bypassed passport inspection and customs. (Photo: iStock/Skyhobo)
Thirteen passengers on American Airlines Flight 1671 from Cancun, Mexico, to New York’s JFK International Airport were accidentally allowed to bypass the U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when they landed last Friday.
Out of 76 passengers, 13 were directed to the domestic arrivals terminal instead of the international one, where they would have undergone passport inspection and a customs check.
American Airlines has stated, “We are reviewing the matter with CBP to ensure three U.S. citizens complete the process and to prevent this from happening in the future.”
All of the 13 passengers were contacted and called back for screening; 3 U.S. citizens remain to be processed.
As you’d expect in the current climate, authorities are taking this very seriously. One passenger told the Daily News, “They’re telling me that I am here illegally, that I’m trespassing. They said, ‘If you don’t come in Monday, we’re sending FBI agents to your house.’”
The mistake has been attributed to employee error.
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