Etihad Airways to offer US pre-clearance

Come 15 January 2015, passengers travelling on Etihad Airways to the United States will be precleared from US Customs and Border Protection at Abu Dhabi Airport.

The first flight to undertake this option is the EY103 to New York JFK and EY183 to San Francisco flights. The new early morning US preclearance operation complements the mid-morning one which caters for 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: “The US preclearance has been extremely popular, 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.”

Another highlight is the baggage security screening meets United States TSA security standards. This procedure is the first in the region and UAE.