US Preclearance may be expanded to LHR, MAN and 8 other airports
Aug 16, 2015, 4:01 am
#106
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http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/c...ngers-prior-to
Pre-clearance, particularly for north Atlantic traffic arriving at Heathrow and Gatwick in the early morning, has been shown in a pilot scheme that we ran last year to be a way of mitigating some of the difficulties and delays that result. It also proved to be to the liking of both passengers and carrying companies. I stress, however, that such pre-clearance, if requested by the airlines, could be carried out as well at Delhi, Dhaka and Islamabad, as it has been at Kennedy airport.
Aug 16, 2015, 5:00 am
#108
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Aug 16, 2015, 5:28 am
#109
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Wouldn't this bugger up lounge time at LHR? If using lounges pre-clearance then have to leave early, and not enough traffic post-clearance to support decent lounge choices?
Generally the time I spend clearing immigration at the U.S. end is roughly the time it takes for my luggage to find its way to the belt anyway.
Generally the time I spend clearing immigration at the U.S. end is roughly the time it takes for my luggage to find its way to the belt anyway.
Aug 16, 2015, 7:56 am
#110
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They certainly did, I used to fly TWA quite a lot at that time and we had US pre-clearance for sure in the late 80s.
Aug 17, 2015, 1:45 am
#111
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Wouldn't this bugger up lounge time at LHR? If using lounges pre-clearance then have to leave early, and not enough traffic post-clearance to support decent lounge choices?
Generally the time I spend clearing immigration at the U.S. end is roughly the time it takes for my luggage to find its way to the belt anyway.
Generally the time I spend clearing immigration at the U.S. end is roughly the time it takes for my luggage to find its way to the belt anyway.
Aug 17, 2015, 6:28 pm
#112
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He did go on to say T4 in MAD was a more realistic proposition in the medium to long term.
Aug 18, 2015, 5:15 am
#114
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Wouldn't be very popular with the airlines who fly from LHR to the states from T3, T4 or T5 though!
Also, I seem to remember someone saying that the flights from Heathrow to the USA are quite "lumpy" in when they go. I doubt T2B could cope with all of them at peak times, even if an arrangement with the non-T2 airlines could be reached. You'd probably also need a new floor, so that you had arrivals, non-US departures and US-departures all separate, with gates being able to be assigned to US or non-US as timings/needs dictated. Pretty sure that wouldn't be that easy to add in!
Also, I seem to remember someone saying that the flights from Heathrow to the USA are quite "lumpy" in when they go. I doubt T2B could cope with all of them at peak times, even if an arrangement with the non-T2 airlines could be reached. You'd probably also need a new floor, so that you had arrivals, non-US departures and US-departures all separate, with gates being able to be assigned to US or non-US as timings/needs dictated. Pretty sure that wouldn't be that easy to add in!
Aug 18, 2015, 6:51 am
#115
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I'll have to check my passports covering 1988 and 1989 to see where my US passports were stamped by INS, but I don't recall US customs checks at LHR when doing my Asia-LHR-US trips, even as I recall having to do bag matching myself. However, I do recall most of my INS stamps in those years from LHR-US flights being from US airports.
The INS ISI -- a predecessor to CBP IAP -- is not the same thing as a CBP (or US predecessor agency) Pre-clearance arrangement/facility.
I'm opposed to CBP Preclearance at LHR, as it'll make for worse travel experiences for me and my travel parties. At MAN, it'll make my travels worse off too.
Last edited by GUWonder; Aug 18, 2015 at 6:58 am
Aug 18, 2015, 7:50 am
#116
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Where there's a will, there's a way. Couldn't a bit of re-construction be done to have some gates available for US pre clearance with booths set up which would not be used for non US flights. At the height of the paranoia after 9/11 they began requiring random gate checks for US bound flights and I remember one time at T3 one gate being used by a US bound flight and the adjoining gate for a Canadian bound flight which didn't have this. People were queuing for the US bound flight out into the corridor to wait for the decision to do a "random" complete check or not while people just walked through into the lounge for the Canadian flight.
Look European airports had to be completely done over when the Schengen agreement came into effect...I'm not sure what terrible modifications would be necessary at the various terminals at LHR to set off one area for the gates for US pre clearance. You would check you bags up front just like now and a system set up to deliver the bags to the gate preclearance area, hardly insurmountable and like I said, if there is a lull in US bound flights, then the gates could be converted easily enough for use by non USA bound flights. I also remember connecting to the USA at Frankfurt where all US flights were placed way back in a terminal and I had to go through a secondary inspection before being allowed to go to the gate. The point is that it is doable, I believe, and not overwhelmingly so. I would also love to see the same arrangement at US airport for pre clearance into Britain and the same idea could be easily adopted.
Look European airports had to be completely done over when the Schengen agreement came into effect...I'm not sure what terrible modifications would be necessary at the various terminals at LHR to set off one area for the gates for US pre clearance. You would check you bags up front just like now and a system set up to deliver the bags to the gate preclearance area, hardly insurmountable and like I said, if there is a lull in US bound flights, then the gates could be converted easily enough for use by non USA bound flights. I also remember connecting to the USA at Frankfurt where all US flights were placed way back in a terminal and I had to go through a secondary inspection before being allowed to go to the gate. The point is that it is doable, I believe, and not overwhelmingly so. I would also love to see the same arrangement at US airport for pre clearance into Britain and the same idea could be easily adopted.
Aug 18, 2015, 9:01 am
#117
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Where there's a will, there's a way. Couldn't a bit of re-construction be done to have some gates available for US pre clearance with booths set up which would not be used for non US flights. At the height of the paranoia after 9/11 they began requiring random gate checks for US bound flights and I remember one time at T3 one gate being used by a US bound flight and the adjoining gate for a Canadian bound flight which didn't have this. People were queuing for the US bound flight out into the corridor to wait for the decision to do a "random" complete check or not while people just walked through into the lounge for the Canadian flight.
Look European airports had to be completely done over when the Schengen agreement came into effect...I'm not sure what terrible modifications would be necessary at the various terminals at LHR to set off one area for the gates for US pre clearance. You would check you bags up front just like now and a system set up to deliver the bags to the gate preclearance area, hardly insurmountable and like I said, if there is a lull in US bound flights, then the gates could be converted easily enough for use by non USA bound flights. I also remember connecting to the USA at Frankfurt where all US flights were placed way back in a terminal and I had to go through a secondary inspection before being allowed to go to the gate. The point is that it is doable, I believe, and not overwhelmingly so. I would also love to see the same arrangement at US airport for pre clearance into Britain and the same idea could be easily adopted.
Look European airports had to be completely done over when the Schengen agreement came into effect...I'm not sure what terrible modifications would be necessary at the various terminals at LHR to set off one area for the gates for US pre clearance. You would check you bags up front just like now and a system set up to deliver the bags to the gate preclearance area, hardly insurmountable and like I said, if there is a lull in US bound flights, then the gates could be converted easily enough for use by non USA bound flights. I also remember connecting to the USA at Frankfurt where all US flights were placed way back in a terminal and I had to go through a secondary inspection before being allowed to go to the gate. The point is that it is doable, I believe, and not overwhelmingly so. I would also love to see the same arrangement at US airport for pre clearance into Britain and the same idea could be easily adopted.
The US CBP Preclearance expansion is being pursued by the US not out of an interest in making for better travel experiences for the average passenger; and it's not being pursued by the US out of an interest in reducing the costs ultimately hitting the passengers; rather, it's being done because the US is rather unique in its position involving paranoia about security threats on board flights bound toward the country.
If the UK and the airport owner/operator want to make passengers have this experience change, of course it is do-able (and is just a matter of money and entering into a legal agreement that includes qualified immunity for more US personnel in the UK). Not that CBP Pre-Clearance necessarily makes sense or benefits the average passenger at the UK airports which end up with this facility.
Last edited by GUWonder; Aug 18, 2015 at 9:07 am
Nov 22, 2020, 11:32 am
#118
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Does anyone know if the "new" Manchester airport is prepared for US Preclearance?
September 29, 2020
Clint Lamm, CBP director of preclearance field operations also noted that
discussions are still in process for several countries from the last time the agency opened applications in 2016,
and negotiations are in the final stages for both Colombia's Bogota airport and Amsterdam Schiphol airport in the Netherlands to join the program.
CBP Is Expanding Its Preclearance Airports, Making Flying Into the U.S. Easier | Condé Nast Traveler
September 29, 2020
Clint Lamm, CBP director of preclearance field operations also noted that
discussions are still in process for several countries from the last time the agency opened applications in 2016,
and negotiations are in the final stages for both Colombia's Bogota airport and Amsterdam Schiphol airport in the Netherlands to join the program.
CBP Is Expanding Its Preclearance Airports, Making Flying Into the U.S. Easier | Condé Nast Traveler
Nov 23, 2020, 2:12 am
#119
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I belive there have 'shell space' available for it
But given it's been 4 - 5 years since the possibility of pre clearance being expanded to additional airports and in that time only one Airport / Country has actually signed an agreement (BRU) but not yet implemented it I think it's a long way off.
But given it's been 4 - 5 years since the possibility of pre clearance being expanded to additional airports and in that time only one Airport / Country has actually signed an agreement (BRU) but not yet implemented it I think it's a long way off.