Originally Posted by
JSFox
Consider their first example, Shannon. TSA screen pax in the terminal before boarding and pronounce the entire plane good for entry to the US. No more screening necessary upon landing. HOWEVER, what control does TSA have over others who might somehow board the plane? Do they have control over the tarmac environment? (though I guess we should also ask if they have that control here in the U.S.)
I don't believe it's TSA overseas. In Canada it's CATSA doing their screening after you clear US Customs pre-clearance, and it's Ireland's security doing American-style searches in Ireland. DHS knows TSA is ineffective and mere theater, so what's it take to have local security or contracted screeners overseas perform searches to their standards? Heck, it'd be a lot more efficient in some countries than it is here at our biggest domestic airports. I know in Germany they kept queues moving a lot quicker than I'd ever seen in the US, they even had an automated belt returning the plastic bins.
My guess is that this is good for business, and would eventually be good for things like charter operators that could pre-clear an entire flight and land at a US airport that may not have the normal customs operation.
I wonder on the flip side if any other governments would want to operate
pre-clearance here in the states? I doubt any US gateway would have the real estate or the space for say an EU pre-clearance center, but it sure would make life easy. I'd much rather pre-clear EU countries here than arrive at 3-4am Eastern Time and be groggy...or at least deny entry to me here before having to fly 7hrs.