Mexico City Streamlining Customs

You are undoubtedly familiar with the red light-green light scenario that greets travelers at this and other airports. No, it’s not the game we played as kids. A green light means you are free to carry on past customs while a red means you must show your bags, which will be searched.

According to Riviera Maya News, the airport is currently engaging in a testing phase at Terminal 2 that eliminates that scenario.

Essentially, your bags will have already been checked by what is described as a mobile x-ray device as they go from airplane to airport.

So, there is no need to queue up and push a button in what is the airport’s version of a Harry Potter sorting hat.

Mexico News Daily reports that those declaration customs forms you are used to filling out prior to landing will also get the ax. The change should be welcomed with open arms by international travelers who will take any amount of extra efficiency as they can get amid their busy itinerary.

Thanks should be directed towards the country’s Tax Administration Service (SAT), which, according to RMN, is trying to simplify entry for the multitude of travelers that pass through this congested terminal. Riviera Maya News states that the country enjoyed a 4.1 percent increase in visitors in 2016, necessitating an evolution to its entry process.

The Yucatan Times reported back in January that traffic was up all over the country: “During December 2016, total terminal passengers increased 16.8% in the Company’s 13 airports, compared to the same period of the previous year.”

Domestic traffic represented a 19 percent uptick while international passenger visits were up nearly 14 percent.

While in a pilot phase, the program is said to have its next stop with a gradual integration at Terminal 1.

From there, it should have its day at airports around the country, including Los Cabos, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Cancun.