What’s the worst part of going on holiday?
Besides going home, we’re willing to bet that the most stressful part of everybody’s holiday is queueing up for ages in the airport.
Thankfully, today (12 March), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Irish government signed an amended agreement to improve and expand the pre-clearance sections in Dublin Airport and Shannon Airport.
Anyone who’s ever been through pre-clearance in Dublin Airport knows how busy it can be, and yet nobody likes to get there early because once you go through, there’s not much food on the other side.
The new agreement promises “extended service hours and increased staffing, cost recovery, and improved officer safety measures”.
CBP Executive Assistant Commissioner Todd Owen and Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States Daniel Mulhall signed the agreement at a ceremony in Washington DC attended by officials from both countries.
“We see the agreement as an excellent vehicle to help our two countries meet the demands of increased travel across the Atlantic,” said Reece Smyth, Charge d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Ireland.
The announcement comes just days before the traditional visit by Irish politicians to the US for Paddy’s Day.
Pre-inspection, a forerunner to pre-clearance, in Ireland commenced in 1986 and was updated in 2008 to a Pre-clearance Agreement.
In early 2017, negotiations to modify the 2008 agreement commenced and the signing of this amended agreement is the culmination of two years of coordinated effort between the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. State Department, Irish Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, and other agencies.
Ireland is one of just three sovereign states with pre-clearance, including Canada and the United Arab Emirates. It also exists in the territories of Aruba and Bermuda.
Irish people can currently travel to the US using the ESTA visa-waiver system.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
