Self-serve machines at Honolulu International Airport
HONOLULU (AP) — The state of Hawaii says new self-service machines at Honolulu International Airport have significantly reduced average customs wait times for passengers arriving from other countries.
Hawaii Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara said May 10 average wait times have declined by about 10 minutes. Before the department installed the 32 kiosks in February, people waited an average of 20 to 30 minutes in line.
Sakahara says 43 percent of arriving passengers have used the machines. The department expects wait times to decline further as more people use them.
About 7,000 passengers arrive in Honolulu from abroad each day.
Passengers use the machines to scan their passports and fingerprints before they are processed by immigration and customs officials.
Many foreign visitors wait in long lines in Honolulu because many flights from Asia arrive around the same time each day.