Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,791
The service on US is OK, but there's an element of "you get what you pay for". I see the US business service as WT Plus Plus rather than Club World. On the day service from DUB to PHL - which is quite short - then that may be fine. You may get a superb US crew or a bad BA crew such that the gap narrows, but usually it's the other way around. Chances are that with low expectations the US service will work well, whereas you probably wouldn't go on a BA service with the expectations set so low.
Pre clearance is sometimes a bit overplayed: in order to allow time for that you tend to arrive earlier at the departing airport, whereas I've sailed through PHL and been on the train into town within minutes of arrival. Other people have different experiences. But in broad terms you are shifting contingency to the front of the trip with pre-clearance, whereas with normal CBP there is no contingency required, unless you have a specific timing to meet in the USA. Having said that the CBP agents in DUB and SNN have a good record for customer facing skills, which isn't universally the case elsewhere.