Honestly, I could see how this sort of thing could mentally slip past. When I read “Are you bringing any food into the country?” on the customs sheet, I’m thinking of stuff that I’ve intentionally bought to bring back — Swiss chocolate, for example.
But a snack from the plane? That’s not “food” (or at least not “food I am bringing into the country”) as a mental category. It’s … plane stuff.
Except it is food, of course, and failing to report it can lead to a fine and possible loss of further privileges.
Ultimately it’s the passenger’s responsibility. I agree that the airline should remind people about it, as a customer service, but they’re not the ones answering the customs questions.
Originally shared by +Stan Pedzick:
Worth remembering for the future, because losing global entry would SUCK.
Woman Fined $500 for Pocketing Delta Onboard Snack, May Lose Global Entry – View from the Wing
Crystal Tadlock was given an apple as a snack on her Delta flight from Paris prior to arrival. She stuck it in her carry on bag figuring she’d eat it on her connecting flight to Denver.Going through customs she was selected for secondary screening.
Weird. Global Entry is a program for Non-US citizens/resident only.
+Peter Lemken nope, it seems it is:
U.S. citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents and citizens of the following countries are eligible for Global Entry membership:
Citizens of Argentina
Citizens of India
Citizens of Colombia
Citizens of United Kingdom
Citizens of Germany
Citizens of Panama
Citizens of Singapore
Citizens of South Korea
Citizens of Switzerland
Citizens of Taiwan
Mexican nationals
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/eligibility
Okay, and I just learned something new (I didn't know it was open to any non-US citizens).
And I thought it was called something else for US-residents as part of the Trusted Traveler program. Also, some of the rules seem to have changed for foreign nationals. I became one of the early Germans with GE status when it was still in a beta stage. Now there is a 2 year provision, which back then I didn't know about (and I presume wasn't in place back then). My GE is up for renewal, but it has been processed for more than 3 months now without any further information. I'll probably lose that status for some bureaucratic quirk that I didn't know about.