Originally Posted by
YYCCL3
Someone else can correct me, but as I remember (which was based on information given to me second hand and observation of how the terminal is laid out) is that you can not avoid Canadian immigration but rather go through a special line for US transfer passengers where the clearance is basic and then to Preclearance security. Since you are essentially going landside and entering Canada before the pre clearance security checkpoint.
The clearance isn't basic. There's no such thing as sterile international transit at YYC anymore. Whether one takes the connections path or the arrivals path, it's full CBSA procedures, because unlike real airports like YYZ, YVR, and YUL, YYC has no dedicated path to move from an international flight to TB security.
I'm not even sure whether someone connecting to a TB flight is eligible to use the connections path. When I last came in on an international (non-TB) flight on WS a few months back, only ITD (international-to-domestic) OSS pax were allowed that way, and there's really no advantage to it for someone going to the US, because they need to re-clear security anyway.
Originally Posted by
N830MH
Go straight to US Preclearance and then go to security checkpoint again.
Security is before US CBP at YYC now, as it is at all Canadian pre-clearance locations.
Originally Posted by
N830MH
Thank you so much! I appreciate your help. I will have let her know that she can go through a special line for US transfer passengers. No need to reclaim the bags. Her bags will be transfer automatically to the final destination.
To be 100% clear, there is no special line for US passengers. And I don't know where you're getting that she doesn't have to reclaim bags. Last time I flew back from an international flight on WS, the announcement was that US-bound pax had to pick up their bags and re-check them after clearing customs, although this was July of last year and there was still some COVID weirdness going on, so that may have changed, but it may not have.