Global entry card: will it help?

I’m en route to France for another series of stories that will run in The News-Herald this winter, and now at Dulles International waiting to board and Air France flight to Paris. One of the reasons for choosing this as my gateway is because I’ve applied for a Global Entry card which will supposedly speed my entry back into the country by allowing me to bypass long lines at customs and immigration. In addition to the paperwork about me and my life I’ve filled out online, I need to have an in person interview and be fingerprinted. Although there are several  places to have these interviews, Dulles International is one of them, and my appointment is scheduled about a half hour from now.

Part of the plan is the the card will help me get home sooner. No matter where I come back into the US, there’s usually a long layover for a flight to Cleveland. Hanging around an airport is the last thing I want to do after the end of a long flight home,which often means 24 hours en route before I hit my bed in Mentor. If I can get through customs quickly on Sept 21, I have hope of being able to catch a 3 p.m. flight back to Cleveland instead of waiting at Dulles another couple hours for a later flight. Since my Air France flight will arrive at 1 pm and westward flights not only take longer they are frequently late because of prevailing winds, a 1 pm arrival likely won’t give me enough wiggle room to make a 3pm flight home, given how long the customs precess will likely take with 450 passengers aboard .

So wish me luck. I’ll let you know. This could be the best thing since hot bread…or not.