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Shannon tech stop/USA immigration.

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Old 11th May 2013, 03:01
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Shannon tech stop/USA immigration.

Would appreciate any input from those who have used Shannon as a tech stop en-route to the US, and in particular how the US immigration procedure works.

Is it a pax friendly experience, how long does it take, is there a VIP lounge, do the US border staff at Shannon have better manners than those based in the US, price of fuel etc?

Many thanks.
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Old 11th May 2013, 10:09
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Does Shannon allow for customs pre-clearance?

Last time I came from EINN we stopped in KBGR for customs. From Europe you must stop at the first port of entry unless you have been granted a overflight permit. It was a fast, painless process and the passengers (mostly American, British, and Italian citizens) were not even required to deplane unless they had declared valuables in exceedance of the allowed amount (I can't remember that amount off the top of my head). So far the only place I ever had problems with US customs was in Florida.

Last edited by Island-Flyer; 11th May 2013 at 10:10.
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Old 11th May 2013, 11:37
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one thing to watch out for (maybe obvious): pax need a visa. If you're a certified commercial private jet operator in the VWP, this may catch you out if you decide to use Shannon one day without checking
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Old 11th May 2013, 11:49
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Sorry, my question was not clearly worded. I am familiar with flight ops between Europe and US. However I was led to believe that it is possible to carry out US immigration in Shannon for onward flights to USA.

If it is the case, then comments from those who have experienced the process will be appreciated.
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Old 11th May 2013, 13:37
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A Colleague once did it.
It worked good that time.
Dublin is also a pre clearance airport but only for commercial flights.
check if your destination airport is on the list otherwise you cant use the pre clearance procedure! http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/...e_aircraft.pdf

Neil
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Old 12th May 2013, 02:28
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Get hold of Signature Shannon and pre arrange things, they will not do it if you just turn up. Also remember the agricultural customs issue, make sure that is pre planned for your departure from EINN and arrival into the US. No fancy lounge, Sig Shannon guys are good, CBP are the same as everywhere
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Old 12th May 2013, 12:56
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CBP

Would appreciate any input from those who have used Shannon as a tech stop en-route to the US, and in particular how the US immigration procedure works.
We did a tech stop in Shannon for pre-clearance when they first started allowing it. I think we were the first private jet to do so as it was only the 2nd day after they implemented the program. At the time it was not very organized. It took a very long time for us to clear. We had to clear as a crew so we had to shut down the APU, go to several offices in the terminal, back through security screening, then back to the airplane to finish fueling and restart. Fortunately we had no passengers on this flight as it would have been cumbersome for them. Hopefully they have streamlined this a bit now. You will also have to fly to one of the gateway airports in the US. The list is long but if you are going to an obscure destination in the US then you will have to make an extra stop. As I said this was several years ago and it might be better now.

g450cpt

Last edited by g450cpt; 13th May 2013 at 11:03.
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Old 13th May 2013, 16:15
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Guys,

Thank you very much for your replies.

Today I received briefing notes from Signature at Shannon that relate to the CBP procedures that permit pre-customs and immigration clearance.

Although the document states a turn around time of 60-70 mins, I have been told that it really only takes 30 - 45 mins. I will find out soon and let you know.

For those who may be interested, here is the Signature briefing notes:

CBP Private Air Preclearance Summary Shannon
Application process
• The operator must make an initial call to the CBP office at Shannon Airport via phone on +353 (0)61 771946

• A minimum of 48 hours notice is required for charter operator, a minimum of 24 hours notice is required for a Private Operator.

• The CBP office opening hours are 0600-1400UTC each day.
• The following information must be provided to CBP:
Requested date and time of the preclearance appointment.
Tail number and Decal number
Flight itinerary and times
Number of travellers on- board
Number of U.S Citizens on-board
Full contact details in order for CBP to respond with confirmation if approved

• APIS details for both crew and passengers must be submitted to CBP no later than 60 minutes prior to scheduled appointment time of preclearance processing.


Arrival process

• Upon arrival of the aircraft, the handling agent will cone the aircraft with blue cones to indicate that the CBP process is in place.
• The bags will need to be processed through the X-ray facility at the terminal, therefore all baggage needs to be offloaded – the handling agent will need to have each item of baggage identified so they can be tagged with appropriate labels. A receipt for each item of baggage is provided to the passengers and crew individually. This receipt will have to be presented to the CBP officer upon inspection of documentation in the CBP office. If the passengers travelling are all members of the same family, all bags belonging to the passengers can be tagged and all receipts can be given to the lead passenger of the family.
• All passengers and crew(except one**) will be taken to the pier building whereby they will be screened in the VIP room, then escorted to the CBP facility where they will be presented to the CBP officer.
(**one crew member can remain with the aircraft and will be cleared separately after the other crew and passengers return to the aircraft)

• As soon as all members of this initial group are cleared, they will be escorted back to the aircraft with the CBP officials present. The CBP officers will perform an inspection of the aircraft before the passengers are allowed to board.
• While this inspection is being conducted, the remaining crew member will be taken to screening, presented at the CBP office and as soon as they have been cleared by CBP, they will be returned to the aircraft.
• As soon as the CBP inspection of the aircraft is complete, all baggage can then be reloaded.


Departure process

• The CBP officers will remain at the aircraft side until the door is closed. The door must be secured until the time of departure, failure to do so may result in the cancellation of the pre-cleared status of the aircraft.
• If for any reason, including emergencies or weather, an aircraft must land at an airport different from the airport designated in the APIS transmission, the pre-cleared status of the aircraft is no longer valid.

(Overall ground time is approx. 70mins; this is dependent on the number of passengers and baggage onboard)

Contact details for Signature Flight Support Shannon:
E-mail: [email protected]
Ph: +353 (0)61 475444
Fax: +353 (0)61 475222
Freq: 131.675
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Old 18th May 2013, 20:43
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Did it last year. Took about 45 mins and included fueling. No problems at the other end. The only downside is that all your bags have to come off and identified by means of a video link when you get your fingerprints taken.
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