By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica is looking to reduce waiting time for travelers at its two main airports in Montego Bay and Kingston.

The country’s government is planning to add more automated border-crossing kiosks to both Sangster and Norman Manley airports, according to Jamaica National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang.

“This will contribute to an overall improvement in services being offered at our ports of entry, including a significant reduction in the wait time in the immigration hall,” Chang said.

Jamaica first introduced the ABC kiosks in 2014.

“Recent figures show that wait time within the immigration halls has dropped from a minimum of three hours to under 80 minutes during peak times over the last two years,” Chang said.

The move looks to address what remains one of the most pressing problems in Caribbean aviation — exceedingly long waits at regional airports. 

Some Caribbean countries, particularly those in the Dutch Caribbean, have gone further in their efforts to reduce waiting times, launching digital immigration forms that travelers can complete before they even arrive to the destination.

— CJ