UA1K_no_more

Since having a U.S. carrier operating flights to the U.S. is a firm requirement for participating in the preclearance expansion program, why would the CBP staff the facility during the time of year when no U.S. carrier operates flights?

That thread was started before the U.S. published the requirement to have a U.S. airline operating flight(s) from the airport. With the current requirements for the Preclearance expansion (rules that would exclude AUH from getting a facility if they tried now), why would the CBP staff the facility during the time of year when no U.S. carrier flights operates?
Why would CPH set up a facility that may only be used for 3-4 months a year?

GUWonder

That thread was started after the USG made a decision to push for CBP PreClearance expansion in the continental EU, a push that had us hitting up Swedish and Danish authorities to sell them on this and included mostly the same requirements then as now. It's a continuing US push, with the 2015 brochure being largely a spin off the material that was used in 2013 and 2014 too.

The facility would be used year-round as far as the US is concerned.

irishguy28

No; but your unwillingness to add 15-30 minutes extra at the ARN side, to avoid a potential wait of multiples of this on the US side, is rather baffling!

Let me guess, you aren't a regular on DUB-US non-stop flights? I am, and will be for quite some time!

GUWonder

Last year Candice Miller did add in a requirement that expansion of this require that there be at least one US carrier servicing the airport when deciding on expansion evaluations and that the facility also be available to US carriers.

I have little to no wait at "passport control" on arrival in the US most of the time; and when I do have a wait, there is less variance in wait time relative to my expectations for my particular arriving flight than there is when I use CBP PreClearance.

Being hit by a more certain check-in cut-off of 15-30 minutes earlier than currently required? That would be more disruptive to my ARN-US schedules than being hit by a delay of the same amount on arrival in the US.

I fly Ireland-US only a handful of times a year (more so with BA points a great redemption value for the Aer Lingus flights to a part of the US ). I'm way more of a regular on ARN/CPH-US trips. You like your 75 minute cut-off in Ireland? I prefer my 60 minute ones at ARN are maintained and not made worse to accommodate CBP PreClearance lines.

RedChili

How do you know that there won't be a lounge? They're saying that it will take two years to build the facilities. Surely, that's plenty of time to build a lounge.

The trend at ARN is better access to lounges for extra-Schengen departures. When EK started their flights to DXB in 2013, a lounge was opened just for them in the extra-Schengen area of the F-pier. QR passengers also have access to that lounge now.

My guess is that SK and UA would want to provide a lounge for their US passengers in case pre-clearance is approved.

irishguy28

if you like to cut it that fine, are you not in danger of - eventually - hitting a snag and missing your flight?

If you're travelling in business on EI, check-in closes at T-60 minutes.

I must not be as time poor as you, but I am always at the airport well in advance of advertised check-in deadlines. Heaven forbid a flight might leave early!!!


Because it would be a rather extravagant use of money to provide a new, separate lounge, past CBP, for the use of US-bound passengers only. Once you've been cleared by USCBP, you cannot mingle freely in the airport anymore; it's effectively the final step before boarding. I don't know of any airport that provides a frequent flyer lounge past the CBP clearance; they don't want you going through too early, so all of the facilities remain in the main part of the terminal. At most, you would have limited shopping/café facilities once you clear.

GUWonder

Even if trying to not cut it that close to check-in cut-off times, 15 extra minutes before possibly being hit by a cut-off is 15 extra minutes for passengers not to get hit by cut-off when a snag happens.

.

UA was 75 minutes out of Ireland. Out of ARN, UA is 60 but would likely be increased under CBP PreClearance arrangements. CBP PreClearance won't result in a more flexible check-in cut-off arrangement.

GUWonder

AC at YYZ does have an AC lounge in a US CBP PreClearance area. SK or UA or DL or DY investing in such a lounge at ARN? I'll believe it if I ever see such thing open.

fassy

I must say, I would gladly go even an hour early to departure airport and sit on a metal bench for 45 minutes just to avoid the immigration in the US. On longhaul flights I'm always at the airport well advance of the departure anyway just to rule out broken trains to CPH - which happen more often than not nowadays.

But then, CBP check in the US? How many times have I missed my connecting flight in EWR or ORD? Even if I have a direct trip to one of the better airports like SFO I usually have to wait in line for 30 minutes - after 13 hours of flight I would rather not have it.

I'm definitely looking forward to this and might be a reason to choose ARn as departing airport.

GUWonder

I was on one of those trains to CPH yesterday with major delays, and I got off and took a rather expensive taxi. So I hear you on that. But given this kind of arrangement will come with less flexible check-in cut-off times (and possibly longer MCT for transits), passengers originating a US-bound flight out of ARN or CPH would need to budget as much or even more time to get to the airport than already done. The only way I would see this as a useful benefit in saving my time and reducing unexpected variance at CPH or ARN would be if the local authorities allocated a lot more labor resources to do Schengen departure passport control in the process of splitting off US-bound flights from the other.

Also, don't be surprised if this kind of change comes with an increased likelihood of being subjected to the lowest/worst common denominator of "security" screening standards for Europe to US travel -- such as shoes off requirement at a specialized or supplemental screening checkpoint for all US-bound flights, with such requirement no longer mostly limited to just the US flagged carriers when it comes to flights from Continental Europe to the US.

gnaget

People like GUW and myself have Global Entry so we can whisk through immigration in the US.

If you want learn more about the experience then you can read up on articles about the expansion in Abu Dhabi, which is a mess.

But I have to say that I never see any queues when I arrive at IAD these days. Like GUW said it is better if they improve things on the US side. I can understand pre-clearance for Canada, which shares a border, so that it effectively integrates Canada with the US domestic network but it just does not make sense for longhaul.

At ARN you will probably have a gate or three sectioned off at the end of the F pier.

gnaget

Well you are going to have take like a 6 or 7 am flight from CPH with increased MCT. They have to be able to inspect your baggage since this includes customs. That is the reason it only makes sense from an airport with little incoming connecting traffic. It is insanity for an airport like FRA or even CPH. So ARN is a candidate but I would never want to connect to such an airport.

fassy

Na, I'm pretty flexible and would start my day in ARN, not in CPH. If I need to go to ARN first I would definitely go directly from CPH.

pseudoswede

While I enjoy the idea of pre-clearance at ARN (since ORD and EWR are awful entry points), my only reservation is that evening check-in for the TATL flight the next morning would be a thing of the past. That has been a wonderful convenience for us.

FlyingMoose

Without a doubt - global entry is the solution - however the program is slow to expand. I'd rather have them throw additional nationalities in there from other civilised western countries instead of pre-clearance but I'm not seeing that happen. I wish I had access to Global Entry.

So AUH was a mess, DUB and SNN work fine. I'm not surprised that AUH was a mess either.

My 3x SK flights into IAD in the last 4 months have all resulted in a minimum 1,5 hour wait time before immigration. Either I was very unlucky 3x in a row but every time there is a KL, LH, OS and some South American flight arriving at the same time and there simply to many people at once.

My destination is in the DC area so I just got there a little later but for people connecting IAD is pain right now. Previously they had the two different immigration queues for people connecting and those with a local destination that worked a lot better.

Really? I'm not immediately seeing how this should be a thing of the past when/if they introduce pre clearance but how does your traveling experience realistically become so much better simply because you can check-in the evening before?