Decorative [Inoperative] passport machines at LAX TBIT

[HockeyMonkey]

The last few times I’ve been through LAX TBIT, all the electronic passport machines are switched off and replaced with a 9 layer deep snake of queuing passengers serviced by a handful of immigration officers.

I’m sure those machines were working at some point.

Why do they make it so difficult?

 

[Himeno]

When was this? Every time I've been through LAX since the ABC kiosks were installed, the vast majority of them have been on and usable.

 

[maccaisking]

I went through in October, the machines were working but only gave you a slip of paper, after the machines there was the 1 hour plus queue with not enough agents on duty.

 

[eric2011]

IIRC I went through late in October from QF15 6.00am arrival and they were roped off and switched off. 3rd off the plane from J section and took nearly 45 minutes. PITA

 

[HockeyMonkey]

They were off for me in Oct 21 and Aug 12

 

[snabbu]

Agreed, off for my last couple of times through LAX.

 

[Silvia]

I had the same issue back in Sept, many people really distressed as they had connecting flights and we were there for an hour and a half.
We feared it would be a similar issue coming into T2 from MEX-LAX but the machines were working and we were out from the plane to shuttle exit in about 20 min.

 

[Himeno]

My last LAX arrivals were QF93 4 July and AA135 24 Oct.
Only a few kiosks off each time, the bulk were in operation.

Even with the airside tunnel from T4 to TBIT FIS from AA135 and people from other flights pushing in line for the kiosks, I was still through faster in Oct then I was in July.

Since they were rolled out, I've entered the US, at ports where they were installed, 9 times. 6 of those times at LAX TBIT. The longest wait I've had, before getting the entry stamp (ie, immigration, not counting customs), was around 90 minutes, with most of that after the kiosk.

The only reasons I could think of about why they would all be off is either it was early/late and they didn't have enough staff on shift to handle the lines, or the server running the kiosks was offline.

 

[jsoprano]

Been arriving in LAX on 29 Oct off QF93 connecting to QF11, and vast majority of machines were working. Reasonably fast-moving snake line to the machines (~15 mins), 5 mins to get your "slip", then slow-moving line to the CBP officer for the stamp (~40 mins), there were only about 1 in 4 stations manned that morning so it created a lot of backlog. All in all took me just over an hour from getting off the plane to the luggage belt.