FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - YVR-HNL - Immigration & Connection Timing

Dec 11, 2022 | 4:23 pm

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guv1976

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Quote:

Originally Posted by rlnnpt

Hi,

Hope you can help me with some collective wisdom! Next June 2023 as part of a bigger trip I’m planning to fly Vancouver to Honolulu as a British citizen/British resident with Alaskan, connecting in Seattle. I was initially budgeting a lot of time in the Seattle layover to clear US immigration (no Global Entry or similar, just plain ESTA), however I’m now thinking I might be able to pre-clear US immigration in Vancouver and thus a 2 hour layover in Seattle should be fine? Does anyone have experience going from Vancouver and connecting in Seattle have experience with this? I guess they put the whole plane through US immigration in Vancouver and then land as a domestic flight in Seattle?

Thanks in advance!

Russ

YVR does indeed have a U.S. "pre-clearance" facility, so you should be "admitted" to the U.S. at YVR. (There are similar "pre-clearance" facilities at DUB and SNN; BA's former LCY-JFK flight used to stop at SNN for refueling, and to have passengers go through U.S. immigration and customs there, before taking off for JFK.)

You should have no problem making your connection, as long as your YVR-SEA flight does not get seriously delayed. If you should misconnect, if will be Alaska's responsibility to get you to HNL -- either on their flights, or another carrier's.

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