Originally Posted by
ChurnieEls
I wouldn't let DUB preclearance be a significant factor in my decision making tbh, all it does is front load the waiting time.
I disagree with that assessment.
Regardless of whether the OP picked KLM or Aer Lingus, they'd have to get to the airport a certain amount of time prior to departure of their US-bound flight. DUB preclearance doesn't mean that the MCT at DUB is raised drastically above the MCT at any other hub, such as AMS. In any case, the OP will be in transit so is "stuck" at either DUB or AMS for a period of time that is completely outside their control. At Schiphol, they'll have nothing to do but peruse the shops and the overpriced cafes/bars/restaurants (given that the OP is travelling in Economy and has mentioned flying once a year, I don't think they have status or any lounge memberships which would get them into a lounge), but in Dublin they can get the "arrival" formalities out of the way in that otherwise dead time, as well as perusing the shops and the overpriced cafes/bars/restaurants.
Preclearance doesn't add extra waiting time - it's a task you perform in what otherwise would be unproductive waiting time. And avoiding preclearance (by picking a different airport) doesn't mean your transfer waiting time is going to be shorter.
Originally Posted by
ChurnieEls
CBP have a mobile app (MPC) you can prepopulate that offers similar-ish benefits to GE, not a huge amount between them as adoption of the app appears to be pretty slow amongst the general public. Assuming the OP is a USC then those lines are generally shorter too if you're doing border control on arrival in the US.
Again not directly relevant to the OP's intended journey, but I arrived at JFK Terminal 1 last Friday evening. The only option available to arriving US Citizens at that time was to join the (fairly long) US residents line; none of the machines were available. There was only 1 other person in my cabin, and he joined the USC line, so I was able to compare our progress - and I was actually through immigration before he got through.