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Military Charter Held at BGR on CBP Paperwork Issue
For the 102 U.S. troops returning from Afghanistan and Kuwait on Delta flight 8964, getting off the plane was fairly routine and featured a hero’s welcome from the Maine Troop Greeters in attendance. It was a different story for the 112 Department of Defense contractors — those hired to fly drones, do intelligence analysis, fix computers and other jobs — some of whom were kept on the plane for more than seven hours as their baggage was methodically inspected and cleared through U.S. Customs. (bangordailynews.com) More...
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I fly through BGR as a pilot on military charters regularly. All I can say is that CBP in BGR can be the biggest pain in the ass when they want to be (depends which officer you get). All of the crews dread going through there. The behavior and actions of the on-duty CBP officers on this particular flight is shameful but unfortunately not surprising.
So maybe it is time for military charters to bypass BGR and use another entry point. Obviously none within the administration of CBP are the least concerned about customer service at this point. Then the local, state and federal politicians can beat on these petty bureaucrats for it should be apparent they have absolutely no fear of public criticism.
With several family members in the military on tour, this news makes my blood boil. Lets get the CBP officer involved a little vacation in Afganistan for a few months so he can pre approve all flights home.
Nooooo!EWR. They will straighten him out.
Great idea!
CBP didn't screw things up for the members of the military; it was the people employed by private companies who tried to circumvent the law. The law enforcement officers on duty in Bangor did exactly what they were supposed to do.
