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Source: Chicago TribuneAug.文件倉 15--The use of touch screen kiosks has helped dramatically to speed up long lines of arriving travelers queued up for passport-control processing at O'Hare International Airport, customs and city officials said Thursday.Average wait times during busy periods have fallen to 34 minutes from 50 minutes since 32 self-service kiosks were installed last month, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.The kiosks, which are replacing paper declaration forms for U.S. citizens only, currently, are freeing U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from administrative duties so they can focus on questioning passengers and inspecting items that are being brought into the U.S., officials said."The new technology is exceeding everybody's expectations," Chicago Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the airport.The number of passengers waiting more than an hour have been reduced 58 percent since the kiosks were deployed in July in O'Hare's international terminal customs facilities, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.United Airlines has reported a 31 percent reduction in passengers who missed their flight connections because of backups in the custom hall.An increase in international travel has fueled long lines -- and waits that can extend for several hours -- this summer in airport customs halls at major U.S. airports.Exorbitant wait times have occurred at O'Hare, Los Angeles International, Kennedy International in New York, Dallas-Ft. Worth International, Miami International and other major hubs, according to the airlines and groups representing business travelers.Hours-long waits have frustrated travelers who h存倉ve already been sitting on planes for up to 17 hours on some long-haul flights from Asia. Many travelers complained they have missed connections because of under-staffed customs facilities.O'Hare is so far the only U.S airport to use the automated passport control kiosks, said Kevin McAleenan, acting deputy commissioner of U.S. Custom and Border Protection.After deplaning, passengers using the kiosk, instead of a paper declaration form, to answer questions on the touch-screen computer. A receipt is issued and the passengers give their passport to a customs officer for verification.At O'Hare Thursday morning during a peak period of airliners coming in from Asian countries, U.S. passport-holders were processed by the kiosks in less than 15 minutes, while the line of foreign citizens entering the U.S. at the airport snaked around the customs hall and passengers encountered extensive delays.Critics say the Customs agency needs more funding to expand the kiosks to other U.S. airports and to beef up staffing of officers."Customs has to do a better job relieving endless wait times for millions of people," said Joseph Sitt, chairman of the Global Gateway Alliance, a group that advocates for improvements in air transportation in the New York-New Jersey area."We think New York should be first for solutions because of our impact on the rest of the country, but the bottom line is the agency needs a full-court press at all our major airports to improve quality of life, business efficiency, and the U.S. brand," Sitt said.Jhilkevitch@tribune.comTwitter @jhilkevitchCopyright: ___ (c)2013 the Chicago Tribune Visit the Chicago Tribune at .chicagotribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services自存倉