AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
A discussion is currently under way between Washington and London to bring US Pre-Clearance facilities to UK Airports. Although the talks are still in the exploratory stages, things seem positive with some airports keen to host a Pre-Clearance facility — that said, there are significant logistical and financial issues that need to be ironed out.
Which Airports Are Interested?
So far both Manchester Airport (MAN) and Edinburgh Airport (EDI) have expressed an interest in hosting a Pre-Clearance facility. On the other hand, London Gatwick (LGW) and London Heathrow (LHR) have said they are not planning to participate in the Pre-Clearance program. This is not a big surprise since Heathrow has over 761 flights per week to the US, and the airport believes the logistics involved in establishing a US Pre-Clearance facility would be too significant. Both Manchester and Edinburgh are looking to attract a bigger share of the trans-Atlantic traffic with the presence of a Pre-Clearance facility.
Logistical Issue to Be Resolved
While discussions are still in the early stages, there are some significant issues to be ironed out. First, there is the question of cost, and of who will pay for the presence of the Pre-Clearance facility? Will it be the airport, the airline, or the UK government? And if the airline has to foot the bill, will that mean they have to pass the costs on to the passengers, which could make the route uncompetitive?
The second major issue to be ironed out is a cultural one, since US personnel are regularly armed, while in the UK even the police are not routinely armed. Will the UK Government accept the presence of armed US personnel at their airports? Or even will the US accept having unarmed personal at UK airports?
Based on previous agreements such as the Le Touquet agreement between the UK, France, and Belgium, which primarily affects Eurostar, and cross-channel ferry traffic, the agreement sees UK border controls on French soil and vice versa. However, even though French and Belgian security officials are routinely armed, they are unarmed at the UK border controls. It would be politically challenging for a UK government to accept armed foreign officials on British soil, no matter how friendly the relationship between the countries.
Our Take
The introduction of Pre-Clearance facilities at some UK airports would be great, and if you consider the volume of traffic between both countries, it will make things easier for travelers. However, like most things involving governments it is expected to take a long time to iron out, with a speculative implementation date five years away.
The expansion of Pre-Clearance to the UK would be in line with the new security procedures required by the US government at international airports. Having Pre-Clearance in the UK would be a big step, since currently outside of Canada and the Caribbean, there are only three Pre-Clearance facilities at Dublin and Shannon as well as Abu Dhabi, all of which have a much lower volume of traffic than major UK airports. Getting Pre-Clearance to work smoothly will be a challenge for both the US and UK authorities.
Source: Daily Express
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I hope they’ll have Global Entry access at these pre-clearance facilities, otherwise, it may well be more efficient to go through immigration in the US instead of toiling in yet another line overseas.
The pre-clearance is a good idea for U.K. With so many flights it makes sense. Def big undertaking with the high volume of flights
I can’t see this happening at any of the main London airports, but can see other UK airports being interested to attract more transatlantic flights. I’m not really sure how much of an advantage it really is though, as you just transfer the long lines to before the flight meaning you have to arrive earlier and don’t save any time overall.
I think some quite small airports could be very interested in order to attract more passengers.
The biggest airports would only have supplementary costs.
We will see what’s going to happen.
Pre-clearance is a great benefit for frequent travelers. Shorter lines, quick pass through, etc.
Pre-clearance from these U.K. Airports would definitely ease the burden on customs and immigration facilities in US airports. I’m definitely on support of this.
Also, if they actually do stop someone who is not supposed to be entering the US, it happens before they ever reach US territory.
I don’t see the advantage of this. You just have to show up at the airport earlier to go through customs? Maybe if a first class ticket came with expedited clearance that would be a perk. Otherwise, might as well just do it upon landing
In Canada, for the vast majority of flights to the US there is pre-clearance. In practical terms, you don’t need to show up earlier at the airport, it’s just another line-up.
Last time I went through it there was no human talking to me, it was all automated (passport scanning, picture taking, answering questions on a touch screen).
Which airport was that? I went through Toronto (YYZ) few days back and had to see a person…
I like pre-clearance actually. Generally we are more in a rush after we land from a long trip, rather than departure.
The most important thing is that you have the right expectation, especially if you’re connecting through a preclearance airport: an hour layover might be suitable if you think you’re staying in an international transit area, but this adds an extra barrier & stress to making that connection.
Overall, I’m a fan of pre-clearance facilities…at least as long as there is a good lounge post-clearance!
EXCELLENT point. Nothing like the good lounge being before pre-clearance 🙁
Too true!!
If our countries are going to be built on values that emphasize sharing info and working together — and not just lip service — with each other, then this makes sense as a logical step.
The more security they implement, the more insecure I get. It seems like the world is going to hell.