Mumbai: Air travellers on all Etihad Airways flights to the US from this week will be able to avail of the benefits of arriving in the US, having precleared US Customs and Border Protection at Abu Dhabi airport. From January 15, US preclearance will open for the early morning EY103 to New York JFK and EY183 to San Francisco flights, both of which connect with inbound services from Mumbai, Delhi and other cities in India and the Indian subcontinent, as per a release.
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, D.C., who proceed through the facility.
Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Airways, said, “We’re delighted that from this Thursday, all air travellers flying to the US 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 US as domestic passengers.”
13/01/15 TravelBizMonitor
