flpab

We left our hotel which was by the airport early and arrived at the airport 6:30, in line 6:35. We got our bags checked by 7:30. There was not that big of a line but people were over packed and did not want to pay the extra fees so had their bags wide open re-packing. There are scales before you get in line but...Anyhow, that took forever and they had bdo types asking security questions to each and every pax.
Poor guy in front of us was a US citizen living in Ireland but flying to Canada via Newark and they were brutal to him wanting him to produce documents of said business.
Next thing the gate agent wrote 7:30 on my ticket and told us to proceed to customs and immigration. I wanted to hit duty free but get in line to buy last min stuff that I knew was cheaper at the airport and they are announcing last call for the Newark flight. My friend dropped her Manchester United goodies and we took off for two more very long lines and another security checkpoint.
They are still announcing last call and we make it to the gate with everyone boarding and out of breath like us. Seems those in line at 6 had computers go down so they were just in front of us. They said it is the law to board one hour before take off so start announcing at 7:45 last call. Sure enough 8:45 comes and we are still waiting for people to clear customs. Guess they ignored last call and shopped.

Give yourself 3 hours. I work at an airport and this was just weird to me but first time having customs and immigration in country I am leaving instead of country I am arriving in.

qwovadis

3 hours sounds about right to be safe...

nytraveler

Um, the airlines say 3 hours - why would you think any less would be OK?

I've had Immigration at JFK take 45 minutes - so obviously it can take just as long when done IN Ireland. And that to check in, security - and clueless passengers - and 3 hours is NOT too much time.

I've had it take more than an hour to get through security at JFK and at Heathrow and almost that long at LAX.

You just need to be realistic.

JOHNOD

I have flown out of Shannon on Continental to Newark fourteen year in a row and your experience sounds about typical. It changes from year to year., The best part is now you are clearing both Customs and Immigration so you don't have to go through customs at Newark which used to be a pain. Some people think that the airline is kidding about overweight and baggage fees, they are not. The only thing I grab at the Duty Free is a couple of boxes of chocolate for the grandkids and two bottles of Jamison for myself so I can do that quickly. All in all getting out of Shannon to Newark is a whole lot easier than getting out of Newark to Shannon. Hope you had fun.

Andrew

It's amazing how European airports vary in their efficiency. I flew home to the US from Amsterdam Schiphol yesterday and was amazed how quick it was. There was a fairly short passport control line (20 minutes?) and that was *IT*. No big line for "airport security screening," because screenings at Schiphol for international flights are all done at the gate, apparently, and at my gate there was no line. Security screening took about 90 seconds: asked a few questions, then right through the metal detector, etc. Amazing.

On the other hand, I remember Rome a few years ago being very tight at two hours, because there were connecting buses and shuttles - a pain. Should have given myself more time because the flight was boarding by the time I finally got out to the gate. Yes, I do think it's important to check out the departure airport's recommended arrival requirements before departing on an international flight.

flpab

We had flown out of Dublin earlier in the week to Edinburgh for three nights and one hour would have been enough time for that flight. We sat forever waiting for our gate to come up on the board. We were told then to give ourselves 2.5 hours for the Newark flight but just never expected the Continental line to be so long. I have flown out of Dublin many times but they said they changed the immigration/customs this year. Love duty free for Butlers Chocolate and Jameson! Anyway, just a heads up.

xyz123

One has to remember that at the insistance of the paranoid US government, an extra layer of security is imposed on flights to the USA even if the foreign airport is highly efficient. Add to that the complexity of clearing US immigration and US customs in Ireland, the Irish government has given up part of its soverignty in allowing US immigration and customs agents to do their thing iat both Shannon and Dublin and the result is what we have.

I'll never forget about 5 years or so I was taking Virgin Atlantic out of Terminal 3 at Heathrow and I think that Heathrow security is pretty good and then after waiting in the departure lounge, our flight was called at at the next gate was a Virgin Atlantic flight going to Toronto. For the Toronto flight, passengers handed in their boarding passes, a quick passport check and they were in the lounge. For the JFK flight, we were queued up, ask a whole bunch of questions and then they did random checks of hand luggage. As I understand it, these random checks are required on all international flights to the USA (I've flown out of Heathrow on American and it's always the same routine at the gate with some passengers being wanded down and their hand luggage searched. We can argue how necessary this is and while I know some accept everything they're told by the government and we're then told well it's working as there hasn't been any problems on inb ound flights to the USA, there hasn't been any problems on inbound flights to Canada either and they don't go through all this. I suppose it's your own view point on just how necessary all this stuff is.

nytraveler

Yes, there is extra security for all flights to the US - a very good thing I think.

Anyone who doesn;t like security should try traveling El Al - which has incredible security for obvious reasons.

The flights from Ireland take so much longer since you are doing Immigration and Customs there instead of in the US. You need to take the 1.5 hours you would allow for this in NY and add it to your time need in the Irish airport.

chnaman

Do I understand it that flying out of Dublin to the USA ( am going from Dublin to Chicago O'hare)..that Ireland clears US citizens thru US immigration and customs in Dublin..???

xyz123

I can't tell you generally it's true The last time I passed through Dublin airport some but not all flights to the USA were cleared at the airport. The Irish government has decided to give up some of its soverignty by allowing the US to establish immigration and custom inspectors within its borders much as the Canadians do. Personally I find it reprehensible but the Irish don't seem to mind. When this happens upon arrival in the USA it is treated as a domestic arrival and no federal inspections you just go to the arrivals area and await your baggage and you go or if your baggage is checked through you need not pick up your baggage at all.

chnaman

wOw..WHAT A GREAT IDEA...I am arriving in Chicago O'hare and you know what a zoo that can be there from International arrival to domestic connection...

How can I find out if Aer Lingus does this service...?

jaja

It's not the airlines that do this. All departures for US from both Dublin and Shannon now have US C & I clearance before boarding.

Not sure what is reprehensible about it.

JOHNOD

The only person who thinks its reprehensible is xyz123 who thinks that clearing a couple of thousand US travelers a day through both US custom and migrations is giving up Irish sovereignty. I don't know about Dublin but prior to passing into the departure lounge at Shannon you have to pass through Irish customs. Having to answer questions at the check in is a minor inconvenience when you realize that while you answer these questions (the El Al model) you are being evaluated for further screening. And before anyone talks about the paranoid US government remember both the shoe bomber and the underwear bomber. By the way, passing through Heathrow last June going on Aer lingus to Cork I had to pass through two levels of security and have my eyeballs photoed so its no just the US, its the world we live in.

flpab

The good part is that you don't have to worry about missing your next flight in the states. Charlotte bumped us one time on a Munich flight saying we didn't have enough time for our connection after customs and immigration though our luggage seemed to make it ok. They gave away our seats and put us on a later flight.
I hate Atlanta for customs and having to pick up your bags and going through all the security again. If you get to shop at the loop and duty free your liquor goes into a bag and you can have as much as you want. We landed in Newark and proceeded to our next gate just like it was a domestic flight.

jaja

Correct, Johnod. As far as I can see, all Ireland has done is lease some airport space to US C&I and make a lot of American tourists very happy.

xyz123

Johnod....I'm not Irish so I really have nothing in this one way or the other. However, tell me one other country in the world that has its immigration and customs officials in other countries (the USA does this pre clearing too in Canada and the Canadian government allows it). Now both the UK and France (Schengen) have immigrationn officials in the Eurostar terminals but no cuystoms (at some point the UK might join the Schengen agreement I say might and that would be the end of that). Somehow, and evven if I'm a minority of one, it doesn't seem right to have US immigration and customs officers in a foreign country but I suppose if the Irish government doesn't care, I shouldn't care either.

But remember, the US is the only country that fingerprints and takes photographs of visitors to the country. What's next, retina scans? (Yes I know, some terminals at Heathrow do photograph all passengers and slap some sort of identity card in the passport but that's I believe for internal airport security and it isn't done at every terminal, at least I've never had it done at Terminal 3). Like you said, how effective is this extraz level of security as the uynderwear and shoe bomber got through anyway.

To me, it's just the ugly American syndrome being repeated but I realize most don't agree but somehow although I grin and bare it, these things just don't seem right to me.

It would be interesting to see if some day if it ever grows in power if the Sche3ngen countries ask for permission to perform the same things in US airports for flights bound for Europe what the reaction would be. But we can agree to disagree!

alanRow

"Yes, there is extra security for all flights to the US - a very good thing I think."

It's nothing to do with security, it's doing the immigration checks for the US in Ireland. Same applies to all flights to the US from wherever. Whether the hassle to people & the cost to the US economy outweighs the "safety" aspects is questionable as no Evul Plot has ever been detected at the additional security checks.

"It's not the airlines that do this. All departures for US from both Dublin and Shannon now have US C & I clearance before boarding. "

As I recall some of the later flights in the day don't have it as the US immigration guys finish early to go to the pub.

alanRow

"Same applies to all flights to the US from wherever."

The security applies to all flights to the US from wherever.