Global Entry applicants denied for long-forgotten infractions of the law

- Oct 09, 2012 5:58 am

Skift Take

Fliers are going to lengths to prove their innocence for teenage pranks gone wrong in a trend that highlights both the popularity of the trusted traveler program and the sharp memory of the US government.

— Samantha Shankman

The government’s trusted traveler program has proved itself more popular than officials expected, with 1.2 million people now eligible to speed up their entry to this country using a self-service kiosk rather than waiting to speak to a customs agent at the airport.

But some people have been surprised to find that their applications for Global Entry and other trusted traveler programs have been rejected — not for some serious infraction but for a minor brush with law enforcement or customs inspectors that turned up during the required background check.