Enter US via Canada or fly direct into US?
 

I just came back from my OTP-AMS-YYZ and connected with my existing journey of YYZ-MSP-DEN. Found that the departure from AMS for YYZ was a lot more efficient without having to go through 10 mins of dumb questioning (these days I start with you want the questions or the answers and they let me go in a minute), seizing my empty plastic bottle, going though a mandatory secondary bag check and the other usual nonsense for flights to US.

It seems to be a lot better to just fly into Canada and then pick up a flight into the US. Any experiences?

By "mandatory second bag check," do you mean the TSA pawing through your checked bags again? They do that on flights from Canada, too. Even though you've cleared ICE in YYZ, your connecting flight from MSP to DEN would see your checked bags go through the same TSA BS.

Also, Canada has the liquids ban as well, so nothing gained there.

No. Talking about the carry on stuff. The private security thugs in AMS paw through all bags without using gloves after you done with your questioning and after the bags are X-rayed at the gate.

IMO they are lot less paranoid about flights to Canada compared to US.

Sad thing is as a citizen, I have to consider these options! :mad:

AMS-YYZ doesn't have the additional lines for the questioning at AMS, but it does mean dealing with Canadian immigration/customs on top of US immigration/customs too.

I have not found any noticeable difference between flying from Amsterdam to the US as opposed to Canada on KLM (I think the only difference might have been the lack of a visa check at the gate for the flight to Canada.)

It is NW (and other US carrier flights) that have the questioning, KLM does not have any questioning on flights to the US.

So, by flying via Canada, you go through two immigration/customs checks rather than one, and your bags are also security screened again at the Canadian departure point.

I don't see any possible advantage.

By February 2007 the new YYZ terminal (T1 Air Canada and *A) will be completed and a traveller can go from International to the USA without seeing a Canadian Customs officer.

YVR has an international to USA transfer desk as well, the YVR location is at the top of the escalators that take one to Canadian primary inspection.

Gotcha.

As others have already pointed out, it depends if you're willing to trade one style of BS for another. It might just boil down to the carrier (I'm not a big fan of QK).