"Edinburgh airport wants to offer US immigration clearance within two years"

The article states that "Edinburgh intends to use facial recognition technology to allow passengers to continue to access the whole terminal once they have completed the US checks", which would mean that only a modest additional area would be required sufficient to allow the checks.

https://archive.is/Cq4b3

Very encouraging news. Let’s hope it happens. I wonder which new routes the CEO suggested could be possible?

Good old GD… two years?! I doubt it. Would still be keen to know the funding arrangements for this. The difference between Irish US pax throughput at DUB and current EDI numbers is massive making it even harder to understand. If no large space and logistics now needed with a bit of facial recognition, LHR will be all over it.

EDI winter ops would be about 2x daily, more than Shannon which has 2 x A321s in some winter months, only the one. No idea how passengers accessing the main terminal in EDI after US CBP processing works from a Customs standpoint....?

Nor from a security one as you'd be mixing passengers screened to two different standards (US and UK).

Presumably, EDI will hope to persuade DL and UA to go year round in some form with the ORD,IAD or ATL routes? I’m led to believe the soon to re-start ATL route with DL is set to perform very strongly.

Scotland-US remains massively seasonal based on summer tourism, and there's nothing wrong with that. We don't have the front cabin business traffic that can keep multiple routes year round, so one UA and one DL is a good result IMHO.

yes and you'd have to try and convince the US that it was great idea - no hope TBH

Glad GD is a bit more positive. And great to see the 764 back at the weekends. Sure some people on here said that wouldn’t happen.

The US and the UK already have part of the face recognition process in place. LHR to JFK - three weeks ago. Face recognition at gate at LHR. Breezed through US border control and customs. No questions asked or finger prints taken. Passport stamped and through in 5 mins. Hundreds of others (non-UK or US) standing in lines waiting to be processed. I then travelled from ORD to LHR on Saturday. Face recognition at gate in Chicago. US pax can also use the e-gates at LHR. They don’t have to stand in a line, speak with a border control officer or wait to have passport stamped. I expect EDI will get pre-clearance.

The facial recognition is in place in DUB CBP and you still are segregated after clearing in a dedicated part of the terminal. I have my doubts about the US allowing mixture of pax after clearing. I hope it happens though, would make things better in DUB.

The article makes interesting reading:

"“We are way beyond that so the opportunity is even more attractive. We think it probably opens up three or four new American destinations pretty quickly and thickens up the ones we have already got.”

“We could hoover up people from around northwest Europe to come here and fly,” he said. “Even if you are coming from Hamburg or Amsterdam it is quite an attractive proposition."

Dewar believes offering pre-clearance will attract connections from elsewhere in europe, and boost the number of flights by an additional 3-4. This should help fill the aircraft in the winter months.

EDI clearly see this as a viable project. The project will have been costed and all the logistics considered. The final decision, obviously, lies with the US Gov. Where could the new 3/4 American destinations be?

I'm assuming PHL returning is being counted as a new destination. Perhaps MIA and LAX as new destinations.

IAH and DEN could also be a shout, but given they are United hubs, I think they might consider 4 flights a day is enough already, but who knows.

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​​At the DUB facility, US-bound passengers clear a TSA security check before they go through the US immigration check. Passengers having cleared both are kept separate from those who have cleared just the security for non-US passengers.

Amazing that they also have TSA based overseas......

* C O U L D * is doing hell of a lot of lifting here.
Set aside for a moment the madness of self connecting types on unprotected tickets, EDI is not a hub for anyone. Unless UNITED decide they're going to choose to feed EDI instead of FRA from the continent I don't see the realistic impact. Tangible feed usually needs an anchor tenant with a based fleet, that's MAN's pain point. DUB of course has huge US tech links as well as AA/BA feeding a based Oneworld partner in Aer Lingus. However UA and DL are pretty much standalone operations as Skyteam will push AMS and STAR will push FRA for connections to support alliance members. It's a great idea on the face of it but it would really need strategic buy in from existing operators to change their existing plans to funnel traffic. SNN by comparison doesn't have feed for Aer Lingus as they chose a DUB focus, but no one else really chooses to feed the SNN based A321s?
Is a self connecting value conscious traveller flying in on Norwegian in Feb in Scotland say, enough of a benefit to get the business case over the line for EDI?
Or might BA finally base a couple of A321NXs and open a base?
Sorry about that last part, I lost my mind completely there....

Turkish Airlines appear to be increasing IST to 9x weekly this winter on A321/A321N.

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Bookable now. Double service on Saturday and Sunday.

Hainan back to Beijing - seems to be direct this time, with no DUB add-on.
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