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Atlantic Chapter News
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| Preclearance Boosts U.S. Air Travel at Halifax International Airport |
Preclearance Boosts U.S. Bound Air Traffic by 27 per cent
Airport Marks 2nd Anniversary on October 4th
The convenience of passing through U.S. customs prior to boarding a non-stop flight to the United States has helped increase air travel from Halifax to American destinations by 27 per cent in the last two years. In the period before the opening of the preclearance facility (October 2005 to August 2006) 136,889 passengers flew from Halifax non-stop to the U.S. In the same period (October 2007 to August 2008) that number climbed to 174,740.
The U.S. preclearance facility at Halifax Stanfield will mark its second anniversary on Saturday, October 4, 2008.
"U.S. preclearance has exceeded our expectations, surpassing the growth in its first full year of operation that we predicted for the end of year three and it continues to drive air service growth into the United States," says Jerry Staples, Vice President Marketing & Business Development for Halifax International Airport Authority. "We are grateful for the hard work of our many partners and thank them for their contribution to its ongoing success."
U.S. preclearance in Halifax offers easy access to dozens of American destinations with efficient year round connections through major cities such as New York, Boston, Washington, and Chicago.
As well, U.S. preclearance has allowed the Airport Authority to market and promote U.S. destinations that do not currently have customs facilities, the perfect example being LaGuardia Airport in New York.
U.S. preclearance is a "terminal within the terminal". Passengers take the escalator in the north end of the terminal, present their tickets or check in using self service kiosks, check their baggage, go through pre-board security screening, then proceed to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Once cleared there, they proceed to a dedicated departures area. From there, it's onto their aircraft and off on their non-stop flight to a U.S. destination, arriving as a domestic passenger.
For more information, please visit http://www.ntarget.com/go/ct.asp?L=100233277aEylO8R&Z=2114223764.
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