AIR TRAVEL:AER LINGUS has confirmed that pre-clearance for US customs and immigration will not be available at the new Terminal 2 in Dublin Airport in time for its opening later this month.
Ireland is the only country in Europe with US Customs and Border Protection facilities and the service is a major draw at Shannon Airport, where it has been available since August 2009.
The facility, which is expected to give Terminal 2 and Dublin Airport generally a competitive edge over other hub airports in western Europe, will not be available until the first quarter of next year, according to a senior Aer Lingus executive.Commercial officer Stephen Kavanagh was in London this week at the World Travel Market conference, where he briefed tourism insiders on the airline’s new “compelling product”.
“It opens up opportunities in north America because you can fly to any airport in north America, and you should never dismiss an opportunity,” he told journalists at the conference. But while the facility will allow easier access to other “non-gateway” airports in the US, no destinations have as yet been decided.
However, US-bound flights will not be able to offer an in-flight shopping service, because they are considered as domestic under US regulations.
Terminal 2 will open on a phased basis from next Friday, November 19th. Airlines will start to transfer their services to the new terminal from November 23rd. From that date, Aer Lingus’ London services will operate from the new terminal with other services moving from the old terminal in succeeding weeks.
US carriers and Etihad also plan to use the new terminal.
Terminal 2, which has been built at a cost of €609 million, has capacity for up to 15 million passengers compared with about 21 million in the current buildings.