The Long Weekend Sweetener with Preclearance
Dublin, Ireland, for a long weekend getaway? Thanks to Preclearance, a handy U.S. Customs and Border Protection program, it's not as outlandish as it sounds. Sixteen airports in six countries allow travelers entering the USA the chance to clear Customs before landing in the States.
When a flight is “precleared,” its passengers can disembark as domestic fliers. Pack a carry-on and you can scoot right past the baggage carousel and be out of the airport and on your way home while travelers arriving from non-precleared airports are still in line at Customs. If you’re even farther afield, flying out of Abu Dhabi (which offers preclearance) smooths out that long trip home.
Who wants to spend more time in airports? Fly home from your getaway through these Preclearance airports:
Ireland: Raise an extra pint or two in Dublin and Shannon before heading home.
The Bahamas: Make Freeport on Grand Bahama and Nassau your transit airports to quieter islands.
Bermuda: Pink beaches, boozy rum cake and preclearance – what’s not to love?
Canada: Canadians are so nice they’ve got nine airports to make cross-border travel easier: Vancouver and Victoria in BC; Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta; Winnipeg in Manitoba; Toronto and Ottawa in Ontario; Montreal in Quebec; and Halifax in Nova Scotia.
United Arab Emirates: On a longer getaway, stop for a while in the capital city of Abu Dhabi to take advantage of its Preclearance program.