Flights from Punta Cana to the U.S. will be considered domestic

AlterEgo said:

Flights from Punta Cana to the U.S. will be considered domestic

Punta Cana’s international airport will soon become a member of a very small group of international airports that can check and clear passengers traveling from the terminal to the U.S.

The terminal, situated on the Dominican Republic’s easternmost region, will be able to do U.S. customs and immigration proceedings right at the Dominican terminal, thus avoiding the long lines at U.S. airports.

Last year the airport received some 1.1 million passengers coming in from the United States. Currently, 15 international airports in the world have been included in this program.

No date has been given as to when the program will officially begin in the Dominican Republic.

Nine other international airports in the following eight countries were chosen by the U.S. authorities to participate in this innovative program: Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, England and Japan.

During 2014 some 20 million passengers from these countries visited the United States. Six percent of this total number came from Punta Cana’s international airport.

The fact that the U.S. government will share its airport security system with the country is excellent news for the Dominican Republic, and for its dynamic tourism industry, because it will strengthen its international image as a safe destination for travelers, businesses and investors.

The pre-inspection system will make all flights between Punta Cana and U.S. airports domestic flights. The system will facilitate travel between Punta Cana’s international airport and 65 U.S. cities whose airports do not handle international flights.

Flights from Punta Cana to the U.S. will be considered domestic | Access Dominican Republic

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How small can you get to fit into a carryon bag?

We heard this already. Don't hold your breath. The DR must pay all expenses.

A gain for Punta Cana and another loss for Puerto Plata unless POP undertakes the same initiative.

windeguy said:

A gain for Punta Cana and another loss for Puerto Plata unless POP undertakes the same initiative.

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But POP is going to have 10 thousand tourist a day from the new cruise ship terminal. Problem solved!

Jumbo said:

But POP is going to have 10 thousand tourist a day from the new cruise ship terminal. Problem solved!

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Hey you are right!

But it does not help those of use who live in POP get cleared before we fly to the US.

POP doesn't have the traffic to support this............

PC is miles ahead..........
More flights at PC than ALL OTHERS COMBINED.......quite a statistic

Does that mean there will be no Dominican $100 departure tax on flights out if the country? Does it mean jetfuel will be cheaper?

@Luperon - no and no

PC has another expansion under way. Even compared to 1 year ago it looks better. Mildly surprised that Russians
get a direct flight to PC, Transaero has a Boeing 777 making a weekly trip.

AlterEgo said:

Flights from Punta Cana to the U.S. will be considered domestic

Punta Cana?s international airport will soon become a member of a very small group of international airports that can check and clear passengers traveling from the terminal to the U.S.

The terminal, situated on the Dominican Republic?s easternmost region, will be able to do U.S. customs and immigration proceedings right at the Dominican terminal, thus avoiding the long lines at U.S. airports.

Last year the airport received some 1.1 million passengers coming in from the United States. Currently, 15 international airports in the world have been included in this program.

No date has been given as to when the program will officially begin in the Dominican Republic.

Nine other international airports in the following eight countries were chosen by the U.S. authorities to participate in this innovative program: Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, England and Japan.

During 2014 some 20 million passengers from these countries visited the United States. Six percent of this total number came from Punta Cana?s international airport.

The fact that the U.S. government will share its airport security system with the country is excellent news for the Dominican Republic, and for its dynamic tourism industry, because it will strengthen its international image as a safe destination for travelers, businesses and investors.

The pre-inspection system will make all flights between Punta Cana and U.S. airports domestic flights. The system will facilitate travel between Punta Cana?s international airport and 65 U.S. cities whose airports do not handle international flights.

Flights from Punta Cana to the U.S. will be considered domestic | Access Dominican Republic

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The link does not work for me. But, I assume this is the whole article posted. The title and statement that the flights will be considered domestic are misleading, if they were domestic you don't have to do anything with U.S. immigration. But, it would be good if when you go out at PUJ, they just take your information for entry into U.S., give you a piece of paper to give to U.S. immigration that gets you through with no further examination opn entry. I will look for more info as this goes on.

(The last time I saw this it just said it was for the Global Entry program, if you had that, you could just scan passport here at a separate terminal installed by U.S., get the piece of paper here and use it on entry to U.S.)

SKY said:

We heard this already. Don't hold your breath. The DR must pay all expenses.

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Actually, that's not a real issue, as it'll be passed on to the passengers. Which is FINE by me, even with Global Entry, we've got to walk nearly a mile to clear customs at ATL.

PUJ is privately owned. I doubt the owners are interested in paying millions of dollars for this. They are doing fine without it.

@SKY - I would have thought so as well, but Rainieri might have different plans and it looks he might be on board.

According to this
B?varo News - Noticias de Punta Cana & B?varo - Aeropuerto de Punta Cana, primero en la regi?n listo para pre inspecci?n
La revelaci?n fue hecha por don Frank Rainieri, presidente del GRUPO PUNTACANA, quien asegur? que “si las negociaciones tienen ?xito, la pre autorizaci?n, es decir, donde cada viajero se somete a los tr?mites de inmigraci?n por la oficina de Aduanas y Protecci?n Fronteriza (CBP) antes de embarcar en un vuelo directo a los Estados Unidos, podr?a completarse antes de la salida de estos extranjeros del Aeropuerto de Punta Cana, en lugar de a sus llegadas a los EE.UU”.

Rainieri sostuvo que “con esta decisi?n el Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta Cana ha sido reconocido y aceptado para la pre autorizaci?n, algo que trasciende las barreras pol?ticas y econ?micas, lo cual es muy importante porque permitir? al aeropuerto acceder a millones de norteamericanos que hoy no tienen como llegar en vuelo directo a ning?n lugar del exterior, y ahora podr?n llegar a Punta Cana”.

franco1111 said:

The title and statement that the flights will be considered domestic are misleading, if they were domestic you don't have to do anything with U.S. immigration. But, it would be good if when you go out at PUJ, they just take your information for entry into U.S., give you a piece of paper to give to U.S. immigration that gets you through with no further examination opn entry.

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The whole substance of preclearance is to clear US immigration and customs at departure point and not in the USA. This is currently being done in major airports in Canada, Ireland, Bahamas, Aruba and UAE.
Preclearance Locations | U.S. Customs and Border Protection

The idea is not to make life easier for passengers, (that is just a secondary effect) but rather to keep certain people away before they actually get to the USA. For example, Asylum seekers ... they cannot apply for asylum at a preclearance point, because technically they are not in USA (they are technically in USA only after passing the immigration booth at a preclearance point, but not yet while speaking to a CBP officer at a preclearance airport). But if they come to USA to immigration booth via a regular international flight, at the time they get to speak to CBP they are already physically in the USA.

In most countries, preclearance staff (CBP) have no law enforcement authority and in most places (e.g. Canada, UAE, Ireland) they cannot be even armed and anything serious they must defer to local LE.

And Franco111, the flight that is precleared at a preclearance point outside the USA, arrives in the USA at domestic gates and you exit to Domestic terminal.

As mentioned already here and in other thread, the cost of preclearance (terminal remodelling, wages and diets of CBP staff, housing, etc.) is usually paid for by the government of the host country (invoiced by the Uncle Sam). In case of PUJ, Rainieri might be willing to foot the bill. He is the owner of the airport, if this brings him more passengers and flights and he earns more money from landing fees, passenger facility fees, etc. than the money he would need to pay for preclearance, then he might actually make more money at the end.

Aer Lingus in Ireland had made it their business model (attractiveness) that the passengers flying TATL with them are precleared in Dublin and arrive to USA as domestic passengers. Preclearance CBP procedure is frequently less hassle and less time consuming than CBP in USA.

Actually that is not the case. Flights pre cleared at the PUJ airport will land at domestic gates in the US. Everyone will bypass the customs/immigration area totally. Passengers will either get luggage and exit airport or simply proceed to the connecting gate.a

KyleMackey said:

PC has another expansion under way. Even compared to 1 year ago it looks better. Mildly surprised that Russians
get a direct flight to PC, Transaero has a Boeing 777 making a weekly trip.

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Transaero had been flying with 747. Looks like they downgraded and cut capacity after MH17.

Wow. That would be good. Everyone on the flight gets cleared for entry into the U.S. at PUJ departure. And then the plane gates at domestic gate - not international. That would be good all. I guess they could just not let anyone who does not clear at PUJ on the plane. Which might be the whole point as rubio_h says. Very interesting. I will be waiting : )

This is a big deal! Instead of getting stuck at jfk big lines, i could get it over with at puj. Aruba does it, but i think us customs is moving out.
What a great feeling , getting you bags and you are off for a taxi, at jfk.