Punta Cana International Airport serves the largest number of airlines in the Caribbean and Central America. Expectations are that it will become even more attractive for airline companies and the local and international travelers they serve once US pre clearance service goes into effect as scheduled during the second quarter of 2018, credible sources told DR1 Travel News. The program is expected to increase international traffic to Punta Cana that already handles more than 60% of all air traffic at Dominican airports.
The US Preclearance (USCBP) facility at the Punta Cana International Airport will allow US and Puerto Rico-bound passengers to go through all US immigration, customs and agriculture inspections at the airport prior to departure. The goal of the program from the perspective of the US government is to improve security and thwart the arrival of unwelcome visitors before they reach the United States.
But travelers stand to be the big winners of the new facility. Given that pre clearance will shorten immigration and customs wait lines for expedited entry into the US, connecting passengers also stand to benefit from the service.
The Punta Cana International Airport already has dozens of connections from Europe and South America. Clearing US customs in Punta Cana is expected to be faster than doing so in the more congested the United States airports. As a result, more Dominicans, including those residing outside the La Romana-Punta Cana area, will consider flying out of Punta Cana when booking connecting flights after arriving to their first destination in the US territory.
Once arriving to US, the passengers will be treated as though they are flying domestic despite arriving from an international destination. As part of the program, baggage is checked through to the final destination, without the need for pick up/drop off. Arriving as a domestic passenger allows for a faster processing through the airport, and the shorter connecting times mean passengers can reach their final destination sooner.
The Grupo Punta Cana owners of the Punta Cana International Airport built a separate concourse and terminal for pre clearance passengers. Pre clearance requires that from the forecourt to the airplane is effectively US soil, requiring that passengers headed for the United States be segregated from those headed other places. Immigration process, security, through the departure gate and on to the plane falls under US guidelines.
