In-Transit Waiting Area in USA Airports?
I'm interested in finding out a little history on how International Transit has worked historically in the US. I know that the current situation is that transit is not permitted and all passengers must enter the US prior to transiting, but I am wondering if it has always been that way.
The thing that piqued my interest into this question was arriving into Tampa International Airport, and walking past a room (in the International Arrivals corridor toward Customs/Immigration) with a door labelled "In Transit Passenger Waiting Area". This room was full of junk, and obviously not in use; but it implies it was in use at one point!
Does anyone know what this room would have been used for in the past, and how transit worked before the rules presumably changed? Also, how many other airports had/have similar "rooms"/areas?
Best Answer
International sterile transit used to exist about 20 years ago in quite a few US airports. You'll find a few references to it in this thread from 2001 on Flyertalk, though even at the time, it was considered quite the exception rather than the norm, apparently.
Note that is was quite different from sterile transit as you know it in quite a few other locations. Passengers in transit were escorted to a waiting area until the time of departure of their next flight, and were escorted to it as well. No waiting in the departures area, access to shops and restaurants, lounges, etc. Passports were kept by staff during the first flight and the duration of transit. Similar schemes exist nowadays for passengers of some nationalities in some countries, like Mexico.
This press release from 2003 tells us sterile transit, known as the International-to-International transit program (ITI), and TWOV (transit without visa) which went with it, were stopped quite abruptly at 11:00 a.m. EDT, Saturday August 2, 2003. It was so abrupt that the regulation has exceptions for passengers already in flight when it takes effect!
The idea (in the wake of 9/11) was probably to partially close the loophole of TWOV which allowed people from unfriendly countries to board a flight to the US with very little checks (they now need a visa and all the associated scrutiny). This was later extended to friendly countries with the introduction of ESTA.
Since it's been nearly 20 years I'm a bit surprised there's still visible signage left from back then!
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What is a transit area in an airport?
The transit areas are defined for travellers which are making en route stops while changing flights to next destinations. This way these travellers don't have to go through immigration and custom checks as they have not formally entered the country they are transiting through.Can I transit through US airport?
There is no transit at US airports and you will need to clear both Immigration and Customs at your first point of entry into the US regardless. You will need either an ESTA or a Visa. If you are unable to get either one, suggest you find an alternate route that avoids the US. 4.Do I need a transit visa for a connecting flight in USA?
ESTA is required in all cases of entering the U.S. Travelers must apply for and receive ESTA even when transiting in the U.S. to a third country without a visa. You must apply for ESTA in any of the following cases: transit, transfer, or stopover (layover).Do transit passengers go through immigration?
Transit passengers You are a transit passenger if you are not leaving the airport and not staying in that country. In this case, you often don't have to go through immigration or customs.Can I Leave The Airport While In Transit? FAQ Fridays
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Answer 2
A little bit more history:
My first two flights (60's-70's) from Europe to the US required "fueling stops" since at the time you couldn't make it from Frankfurt to Los Angeles in a single go. One was in Bangor, Maine and the other in Winnipeg, Canada. In either case, passengers had to get off the plane were corralled in segregated area until the plane was ready to leave again.
With the advent of long range planes, that went away as well.
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