US Preclearance - completing immigration formalities at the departure airport instead of on arrival - has quickly found itself in several airports around the globe. From major Canadian hubs to Abu Dhabi to Dublin, one key airport is absent from the list: London Heathrow (LHR). Despite rumors, the airport and CBP have never announced a facility at Heathrow, but could one be possible in the future?

The idea of preclearance at London Heathrow Airport is nothing new. In fact, back in May 2015, the United States Department for Homeland Security originally listed LHR as a suitable site. Since then, several have speculated on where and when the airport could see the facility.

What is Preclearance?

The United States offers preclearance at a number of foreign airports. Essentially, the immigration proceedings for entering the United States are carried out before departure. As a result, when the aircraft arrives in the United States, passengers walk out of the aircraft as though on a domestic flight (and not by accident as passengers from a recent Norse Atlantic flight did).

There are currently 15 preclearance facilities in six countries. Nine are in Canada, three in the Bahamas, two in Ireland (Shannon and Dublin), and one in the UAE (Abu Dhabi). Several countries have tried to get onto the list but weren't able to for one reason or another, including Taipei Taoyuan Airport (TPE).

Indeed, British Airways used to use preclearance at Shannon for its flight from London City to New York. The A318 service, carrying the iconic BA1 number, used to operate with a refueling stop but was axed when COVID hit.

I used preclearance for the first time when flying from Montreal to San Francisco (SFO), via a stop in Philadelphia (PHL). Thanks to completing US immigration formalities in Canada, my bag was checked through to SFO, whereas I would need to go pick it up at PHL and re-check it if I did not finish preclearance. Invariably, fewer flights mean the line was not too long early in the morning, compared to what awaited at PHL or SFO.

So what about London Heathrow?

This year, flights between London Heathrow and the US are set to hit their highest levels in the last two decades. Data from Cirium shows a massive 7,243 flights in April alone, operated by seven airlines. With this figure only rising in the summer, nearly two million seats will be on sale by carriers. Given this, having pre-clearance would be extremely helpful.

In 2015, the Department for Homeland Security announced intentions to roll out preclearance to 10 new cities. Among this list was London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Of course, a lot can change in 5 years, so whether this intention still remains is unclear.

Back in 2019, Head for Points speculated that American Airlines has been holding off opening a new Flagship Lounge in Terminal 3, while British Airways is rumored to be building a lounge in Terminal 5C. However, American has since opened its lounge in T3 and shows no signs of moving to T5, meaning there is no chance of its moving over soon.

The hypothetical scenario would see AA move to T5 and then T5C be set up as a preclearance area for US flights, with BA hosting its own lounge. Sadly, this didn't turn out to be true (it was speculation) and British Airways and American remain firmly at their respective terminals.

Too many passengers?

While preclearance at London Heathrow would be favorable, the airport might just have too many passengers to clear every day. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, JetBlue, United, and Delta all operate flights to the US from each of the three terminals, meaning there would need to be three areas set up for flights, a huge undertaking. This summer will see a peak of 119 daily flights, showing the enormity of traffic.

Moreover, hundreds of thousands would be making their way through preclearance every day, requiring far more than the 600 CBP officers stationed at all 15 preclearance airports combined currently.

Sadly, it looks unlikely that Heathrow would see a preclearance facility in the near future, unless the airport suddenly decides that redesigning the terminals is a good idea, and the US agrees to set up dozens of counters for exiting passengers. Until then, get ready to wait.

Would you want to see a preclearance facility at London Heathrow? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Source: Head for Points

• 

  London Heathrow Airport

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  LHR-EGLL

  Country:

  United Kingdom

  CEO:

  John Holland-Kaye

  Passenger Count :

  19,392,178 (2021)

  Runways :

  09L/27R - 3,902m (12,802ft) | 09R/27L - 3,660m (12,008ft)

  Terminals:

  Terminal 2 | Terminal 3 | Terminal 4 | Terminal 5