Summer may be over, but the backlog for processing new passports or renewals is still huge. If you think the wait for getting a passport is long, the wait to get Global Entry, which offers much faster processing through customs and immigration when returning to the US, is even longer.
To get Global Entry, you not only have to fill out a detailed application but also schedule an appointment for an in-person interview.
And the wait time for the complete process, including the interview, is taking as long as 11 months.
One way to speed up the process is not scheduling an interview at all but instead stopping by a customs office at the airport the next time you leave or return to the US and hope for an on the spot interview.