Originally Posted by
Voyager0927
I am flying to Las Vegas for a short trip next month. For a variety of reasons, it made more sense for me to book flights out of YUL and drive up there from Burlington, Vt., rather than booking out of my home airport. I will be departing YUL around 8PM on a Thursday and arriving back around 9PM on a Sunday.
If anybody has insight on the following issues, I would appreciate hearing what you have to share:
1. Since I'll be clearing Canada Customs on the drive up, just to clear U.S. Customs at the airport a couple of hours later (and doing the same thing vice-versa on the way home) is this travel plan liable to raise any red flags with either country's customs officials?
2. If I want to buy a bottle of duty-free booze at YUL for my trip, must I do so before going through U.S. pre-clearance or is there an opportunity to do so afterwards? If before, am I required to pack it in checked luggage?
3. What is traffic like heading from the U.S. border (either Champlain or Highgate Springs checkpoint) to YUL on a Thursday late afternoon/early evening? What about security/customs wait times at YUL?
Thanks for your help!
The flight via YUL should be much more expensive and the extra customs visits make it a hasle - were you awake when you made this decision? The travel pattern is unusual but there should be no problem with officials - tell the truth and have your travel information and documents. You normally can buy from a duty free shop for delivery to the door of the aircraft and if not there may be a shop past security but I don't know the deal at YUL. You can't bring a liquid through security so in any case, your acquisition of the actual bottle must be after clearing the US immigration and then security (in that order). Border crossing depends not only on traffic but how many wickets are open. Thursdays are not normally busy. There are lots of other crossings. The one at Rouses Point is very empty on most occasions but the big one on the interstate is equipped for lots of traffic.