U.S.-bound fliers may get Customs break at 10 new foreign airports

Travelers headed to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic, Belgium and several other countries may soon be able to clear Customs at those foreign airports, and skip the lines they'd otherwise face at the end of a long flight.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced Friday that the U.S. plans to start negotiations to set up preclearance checkpoints at 10 new foreign airports.

They are Brussels Airport, Punta Cana Airport in the Dominican Republic, Amsterdam Airport, Oslo Airport, Madrid-Barajas Airport, Japan's Narita International, Stockholm's Arlanda Airport, Istanbul's Ataturk and Heathrow and Manchester airports in the United Kingdom.

If negotiations with the various foreign governments are successful, the number of preclearance checkpoints would nearly double, allowing many more Americans and other U.S.-bound fliers to be screened by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials while abroad instead of once they arrive in the U.S.

That would mean they could head home or to their hotels more quickly after a long flight instead of spending time in lengthy lines. And Johnson noted that the prescreenings boost national security, stopping people who would be denied entry to the U.S. from getting on a flight.

"Every chance we have to defend the homeland from the 50-yard line rather than the 1-yard line I'd like to take,'' Johnson said. "It promotes aviation security, and it makes for a better travel experience for the public in that it lessens wait times at the end of the flight. So it is a win-win.''

Preclearance checkpoints are already in place at 15 airports in six countries, including Canada, Ireland and The Bahamas. In fiscal year 2014, Johnson said that 16.4 million passengers were screened at those checkpoints, and boarding was denied to 10,000 individuals, including some who were in the terrorist screening database.

Abu Dhabi became the first new checkpoint since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But when it opened last year, U.S. airlines and pilots were not happy, saying that it gave an unfair advantage to Etihad Airways, a United Arab Emirates-based carrier that flies non-stop between Abu Dhabi and the U.S.

But United, American Airlines and JetBlue praised the potential expansion of preclearance checkpoints that was announced on Friday.

Robert Isom, chief operating officer for American, which flies to seven of the 10 airports, said in a statement that "expanding air preclearance is a tremendous step forward for improving the overall travel experience for our customers and welcoming more visitors to the United States."

And JetBlue President and CEO Robin Hayes said in a statement that the checkpoints "are an important tool to enhance our nation's security and reduce the number of travelers clearing Customs stateside, and that ultimately reduces wait times for travelers on all airlines."