Pre-clearance for travelers heading to the USA is often a big time-saver for travelers, and allow customs officials to keep unwelcome passengers from arriving at U.S. airports—but there’s a cost, and it may be passengers who end up paying it.
The pre-clearance program stations U.S. Customs and Border officials in overseas locations; once cleared, passengers have no clearance to go through in the U.S. This also makes possible direct flights from pre-clearance cities to U.S. cities that have no border post.
Over the past two or three years, a number of new locations have been added, with the total now at 15 in six countries.
But at Dublin and Shannon, Ireland, two of the earliest locations other than Canada, the expansion of the program has meant costs for new facilities and airport staff. The costs are passed on to airlines, but the Irish government has said it expects they will pass it on to passengers, buried in ticket prices.
