Yet another aviation thread.

I flew on an Airbus 320SF this weekend. I had never even heard of the SF version and there isn't much on the internet about it. So here I am asking the all knowing Pacomartin to enlighten me. Thanks in advance.

Quote: DRich

I flew on an Airbus 320SF this weekend. I had never even heard of the SF version and there isn't much on the internet about it. So here I am asking the all knowing Pacomartin to enlighten me. Thanks in advance.

Decoding engine variants
http://bgspotters.net/LBSF/Deciphering_the_Airbus_codes1.pdf

Sorry to let you down, but my best guess is it is one of the sharklet variations. Did you see sharklets on the wings?


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wingtip_device#Blended_winglets

Quote: Pacomartin

The two flights from London City to JFK, BA 001 and BA003 Due to a required technical stop at Shannon, Ireland for refueling,

The "technical" in that stop is due to the short runway at London City, which doesn't allow the A318 to carry the fuel needed for the trip to JFK. I wonder whether without the pre-clearance facility at Shannon, BA would have ever set up that flight. More likely they'd have ran it from LHR.

Quote: DRich

I flew on an Airbus 320SF this weekend. I had never even heard of the SF version and there isn't much on the internet about it. So here I am asking the all knowing Pacomartin to enlighten me. Thanks in advance.

I'm thinking it might be an airline designation rather than an Airbus one, like AA's A321T.

Quote: Nareed

I'm thinking it might be an airline designation rather than an Airbus one, like AA's A321T.

I had thought about that but this article refers to it as a converted freighter. This is the only thing I can find on it.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/lan-joins-tnt-as-possible-a320sf-launch-operator-316210/



BTW, I was on SPIRIT and this plane appeared to be very new. It had what I would call slimline seats which gave an ample amount of leg room for me. Definitely not typical Spirit.

Quote: Nareed

I wonder whether without the pre-clearance facility at Shannon, BA would have ever set up that flight. More likely they'd have ran it from LHR.

A Pre-clearance lounge just opened at Dublin, Ireland about 6 weeks ago. Perhaps the BA0001 and BA0002 are losing their competitive edge to first class from JFK to Dublin and a connecting short haul regional jet to London City. While not nearly as luxurious, I imagine it is much cheaper and still offers you some of the competitive time saving advantages.

Aer Lingus offers flights on business class for < $3K r/t with 58" pitch so the bed may go flat, but you have to bend you knees a little.

From Dublin you can fly into London City. On return you can go through pre-clearance in Dublin.



In addition to the two pre-clearances in Ireland, there are 9 in Canada, and 5 elsehwere.
Bahamas - Freeport Preclearance
Bahamas - Nassau Preclearance
Bermuda Preclearance
Aruba
Abu Dhabi International Airport

I suspect that they will begin offering pre-clearance to premium passengers at London Heathrow soon.

Quote: Pacomartin

A Pre-clearance lounge just opened at Dublin, Ireland about 6 weeks ago. Perhaps the BA0001 and BA0002 are losing their competitive edge to first class from JFK to Dublin and a connecting short haul regional jet to London City. While not nearly as luxurious, I imagine it is much cheaper and still offers you some of the competitive time saving advantages.

On the other hand there's the hassle of making connections. But many CFOs would look kindly on cheaper plane tickets.

I wonder if some other airline could use 5th freedom rights to so JFK/Newark-London City, returning London City-Dublin-JFK/Newark in and all-business narrow body.

Quote:

In addition to the two pre-clearances in Ireland, there are 9 in Canada, and 5 elsehwere.

I wonder what it would take to put a pre-clearance facility in TLC. Do that, and even Aeromexico would move some US flights there.

I also wonder sometimes what happens if a passenger is refused admittance at pre-clearance.

Quote: Nareed

I wonder what it would take to put a pre-clearance facility in TLC. Do that, and even Aeromexico would move some US flights there.

I also wonder sometimes what happens if a passenger is refused admittance at pre-clearance.

They turn around and go home again. Much easier to do if they've not left the country yet, rather than if they've landed in the US. I know one person's documents weren't in order and was turned back at Vancouver.

The first facility was at Toronto in 1952.
The facility at Abu Dhabi officially opened on 26 January 2014. A US customs preclearance is currently being planned at Dubai International Airport.

In May 2015, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced that the following airports will be considered for expansion:
Brussels Airport, Belgium;
Punta Cana Airport, Dominican Republic;
Narita International Airport, Japan;
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands;
Oslo Airport, Norway;
Madrid-Barajas Airport, Spain;
Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Sweden;
Istanbul Ataturk Airport, Turkey; and
London Heathrow Airport and Manchester Airport, United Kingdom.

Quote: Nareed

I wonder what it would take to put a pre-clearance facility in TLC. Do that, and even Aeromexico would move some US flights there.

Since Customs and Border Police (CBP) does not have legal powers on foreign soil, passengers can only be detained for local laws by local authorities. A passenger can choose to abandon their flight and refuse search, and unlike in the United States, officers cannot search them. Most preclearance facilities have a sign explaining this. CBP Officers in the Preclearance Division are not armed while on foreign soil.

U.S. officials may question and search travellers with the passenger's permission, but they do not have powers of arrest (either for customs or immigration violations, or for the execution of outstanding warrants), although they can deny boarding.

You would think that if they could have a facility in Istanbul, than they could have such a facility in Toluca. But it would make more sense to have a system in place modeled after the Border Control Cards where people are cleared into a database as low risk for overstaying visas, and are eligible for reduced time in customs.

Quote: Pacomartin

Since Customs and Border Police (CBP) does not have legal powers on foreign soil,

Yet.

Quote:

passengers can only be detained for local laws by local authorities. A passenger can choose to abandon their flight and refuse search, and unlike in the United States, officers cannot search them. Most preclearance facilities have a sign explaining this. CBP Officers in the Preclearance Division are not armed while on foreign soil.

I'm not concerned about customs. I don't know of a single person who's been searched at customs arriving to the US from Mexico. I mean, me, friends, relatives, and family. Not one.

Immigration, though, is a different matter. There's quite a bit of scrutiny, including questions as "how long are you visiting, where are you staying, do you have family here, do you have family back in Mexico, whom do you work for, what do you do, etc."

But I'd rather endure the interrogation before departure, and then just walk off the plane, or baggage claim, and not stand in line for another 30-90 minutes.