PhotoJim

Hi,

Traveling to FLL in a few days with a connection in YUL (arriving from YYZ). We have NEXUS.

I know at some airports, if you have NEXUS, it makes sense to leave the secure area and to enter the US preclearance area as an originating passenger would as opposed to going through the normal transborder connections route.

What am I better to do? We have lots of time to make our connection, but I prefer to do whatever's faster. The more quickly we're through preclearance and security, the more quickly I can relax.

We'll be doing our inbound to Canada on FLL-YUL-YYZ-... as well so if there are any special tips there, they'd be helpful too.

So far as Canadian airports go, I've only done the NEXUS dance at YYZ and YVR so this will be a little new to me. (The last time I flew to FLL was via YQR-ORD so it was a totally different procedure.)

Thanks in advance!

vernonc

I did YUL GE once recently so my sample size is small. There is a internal loooong corridor that takes you to US CBP. My time of day there was zero lineup. And despite clearing the GE machine US CBP still decided to ask me three questions. So based on my experience there would not have been any benefit to leave the secure area. My memory is foggy but i am not sure if I had to do security again prior to US CBP.

Adam Smith

The YUL website doesn't seem to have a map, but that corridor is long and circuitous. Last time I was there, I definitely felt certain I would have been better to leave the secure area and head straight to US customs as it would have been more direct.

You have to re-clear security either way.

ffsim

That's par for the course for CBP at YUL and YVR IME. Come to think of it, YYZ seems to offer the best CBP experience. And by "best," I mean "with least officer interaction."

Adam Smith

You should try YYC, I almost invariably hand them my stuff and get nothing more than "have a nice day".

vernonc

Indeed. That's also my definition of best.

yqbj

If you leave the secure area you will still have to walk the length of the departure floor to get to the US area so it's six of one and a half dozen of the other. However, the long, long, long corridor gives you direct access to GE machines whereas the direct entry from departures is on the opposite side. The last time I went through he didn't even want my boarding pass, just a thank you and have a nice day.

tcook052

As this is more an airport query instead of an airline or frequent flyer one it's been relocated to the Canada forum for further discussion.

tcook052
Ac forum moderator

ffsim

I'll keep that in mind. My transborder routings have exclusively involved YUL, YYZ and YVR over the years. Thanks!

Absolute

It also depends if you have bags or not - for instance at YYZ, you CANNOT use the main TB entrance if you have bags. You can only use the Connections entrance, which means going through the 3-step process, using a GE machine, and then waiting in line for an officer to see you.

YYZ is not efficient, it's one of the slower TB's I've been though (although YVR is the worst since it doesn't even have GE).

PhotoJim

Thanks for the help. If we can access GE kiosks on the connections route I'll probably just do that.

mre5765

Last four times, dating from September, this has been the case for me. GE is a big win in YYC.

thenoflyzone

Whether you take the air side connection corridor or the landside option, they come to the same thing. They are both pretty straightforward and take the same amount of time, and none is more advantageous than the other. They bring you to the exact same place, and that is at the security check point, before US CBP.