Etihad offers United States preclearance

MANILA, Philippines - Air travellers on all Etihad Airways flights to the United States can now experience the benefits of arriving in the US having precleared US Customs and Border Protection at Abu Dhabi Airport.

US preclearance at Abu Dhabi is open for flight EY103 to New York JFK which conveniently connects with inbound services from Manila, Philippines.

The new early? morning US preclearance operation complements the mid-morning one which caters to Etihad Airways passengers on flights to Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York JFK, and Washington DC, who all proceed through the facility.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ chief commercial officer, said: “We’re delighted that all air travellers flying to the United States from Abu Dhabi will enjoy the benefits that US customs and immigration preclearance offers.

“Since its opening in January last year, the US preclearance has been extremely popular with air travellers, particularly those from the Indian subcontinent and Middle East region. More than 325,000 people have passed through the facility, arriving in the United States as domestic passengers.”

The preclearance process provides passengers with the unique opportunity to pass through all required checks including US customs, immigration and security conveniently while in Abu Dhabi before they board their flight to the US, enabling them to avoid queues on arrival.

Another key benefit of US preclearance is that baggage security screening meets United States TSA security standards, allowing air travellers who connect onto a US domestic flight to have their baggage checked through from Abu Dhabi to their final destination.

US preclearance at Abu Dhabi Airport is the only one of its kind in the Middle East, and the United Arab Emirates’ capital is one of a small group of airports around the world to offer passengers preclearance into the US.