Originally Posted by
GulfTraveller
It would be interesting to know what the cost to the airport would be for pre clearance. It sounds as if the money might be better spent on infrastructure.
£5m (
source)
Originally Posted by
GulfTraveller
I strongly doubt it would attract new airlines or routes. The truth is that airlines are not hugely interested in how long it takes passengers to clear immigration, particularly if the pre clearance is reflected in the ticket price. If an airline sees potential financial benefit from a route, it willl try it, irrespective of facilities. Where it makes a difference is if an airport has a based airline which can funnel passengers between e.g. European and US flights. Edinburgh has no prospect of this (only LHR or LGW do in UK).
Airlines are interested in it because:
- It reduces the minimum connection time at the US hub, so reduces the risk of connecting passengers being delayed at immigration and missing their onward flight and airlines having to spend time rebooking passengers.
- They are charged a lower per-passenger handling fee at the US hub since the passengers are effectively domestic passengers and don't need to use the customs and immigration facility.
- Passengers who are denied entry are kept on foreign soil and don't have to be processed and deported once they arrive on US soil as is currently the case, so saving the cost of repatriating inadmissible passengers.
Originally Posted by
GulfTraveller
Given that such a large percentage of EDI passengers have US passports, it is of limited benefit. Would be better at LGW or MAN which have larger passenger numbers to US, paticulary off season, with a much higher percentage of non US passport holders. But they have traditionally been cool on the pre clearance idea. There must be a good reason for that which Mr.Dewar is unaware of.
It's still of benefit to US passengers as they still need to clear US immigration on their arrival back in the US. LGW is interested in it (
source) and I'm sure MAN has been.