So, assume you're flying from a Canadian airport without US pre-clearance (YQR if reality helps you).
Assume you want to fly to DCA/IAD/BWI. Assume you're a nervous flyer whose calm flyer husband is flying a day before to New Brunswick before heading to DCA, so you'll be doing this yourself. (Assume you're slightly grumpy that your husband is going to Fredericton first but he sees it as an opportunity to make some people happy, plus get two extra flight segments and a bunch of status miles.
)
Where would you want to clear US Customs? (We're looking for the calmest experience here.)
The flyer in question (my wife) has NEXUS and Global Entry so that helps immensely.
The airports through which she can fly and do US Customs are YYZ, YOW, YUL, DEN, MSP and ORD. She's recently flown through ORD (three weeks ago) and knows how to navigate it, and has flown through DEN a couple of times but not cleared Customs there for a couple of years, before they had GE. (MSP and DEN both have GE now, or will in the next few days. ORD has had it for a few years.) She's not cleared US Customs in YYZ since 2003 so everything has changed, and I fear the gong show reputation will make it a bit hairy. (Might it be best if she just exited the terminal instead of going to connections, then entered US preclearance as if she was originating at YYZ so that she can use NEXUS? I don't think there is NEXUS via connections.)
Sorry to be so rambling, but I hope you get the gist of what I mean.
A couple of the flights involve tight connections (~75-90 minutes) but even with NEXUS/GE, I'm thinking that at some airports that's just too tight.
Thanks.
Jim