Bags when travelling indirect

[Florida White]

We used to do this all the time and fly with United via Washington or Chicago. Clear control get bags from carousel then out on a connection belt for the next flight. Big advantage was no long immigration queuing at Orlando. Prefer direct now though.

[casper_gutman]

The basic rule is: you need your bags with you when you go through customs.

If changing flights in the US having arrived from the UK, you clear customs at the first US airport where you change flights, so you need your bags.

On the return, you won't go through customs until you reach the UK so don't need your bags until then.

[millarmagic]

Well currently I'm sat at Manchester airport having checked my bags in for our flight to toronto then on to orlando and the check in lady said we won't collect our luggage at toronto... we won't see it until orlando. This I not what the travel agent said or what you lovely dibbers advised, so now lm very confused! They just said to ask someone at toronto but how can l find someone that will know the answer to that?

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by millarmagic

Well currently I'm sat at Manchester airport having checked my bags in for our flight to toronto then on to orlando and the check in lady said we won't collect our luggage at toronto... we won't see it until orlando. This I not what the travel agent said or what you lovely dibbers advised, so now lm very confused! They just said to ask someone at toronto but how can l find someone that will know the answer to that?

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This would possibly make sense to me. You have not entered your destination Country, (or Canada should you stay airside). If your layover was in, say Atlanta then that is where you would collect your bags, take them through Customs and then drop them again for onwards.
You do immigration and customs as you leave airside and enter a Country. You haven’t.
You will collect your baggage and take it through customs whenever you enter a Country properly.. I am guessing that your next flight is direct, Toronto to your destination and it is there, Orlando or wherever that you will be reunited with your bags.

Hope that helps.. but I would still seek clarification as I have never done this. I have either disembarked into Canada.. or had my layover within the USA.

[Posiesmum]

When we transitted through Toronto (some time ago, admittedly) we had to identify our bags on a screen at immigration.
As an additional nit picky point, it’s immigration, not just customs.

[millarmagic]

Thank you. We aren't staying in Toronto, getting another flight through to orlando. I thought l would clear US customs in Toronto...doesn't help l haven't flown for years, lve not got a scooby what lm doing 😆 Lets hope l don't leave my bags in Toronto!

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by millarmagic

Thank you. We aren't staying in Toronto, getting another flight through to orlando. I thought l would clear US customs in Toronto...doesn't help l haven't flown for years, lve not got a scooby what lm doing 😆 Lets hope l don't leave my bags in Toronto!

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I feel sure that you will be fine. If you have worries, then simply ask a customer service rep of the airline.. and update us with how it went.

Have a great vacation 😀

[Peko]

The process for clearing bags through US customs is slightly different when you are connecting at an airport with US preclearance (at least it is for Dublin, and based on one post above I suspect Toronto is the same, though have never done this at YYZ myself).

Instead of physically collecting the bags, walking through customs and dropping them off again, you just identify them in a screen when going through immigration at preclearance. You are deemed to have cleared customs by doing this, so you don’t actually touch your bags and still arrive to MCO (or whatever final destination in the US) as a domestic passenger.

[Manc2]

Originally Posted by faeriequeene

We're travelling to MCO via Philadelphia and have been told we don't need to check our bags either direction by American Airlines?

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I think they mean you don't need a new luggage tag, you usually just place the bag on the belt after clearing customs.

[millarmagic]

Well, we've arrived, so just an update for those watching with interest... we checked our baggage at Manchester and didn't see it again until Orlando. At Toronto immigration/customs/security (not sure which it actually was) we had to wait while they checked if our baggage was transferring and then once our name appeared on a board it meant confirmation that our luggage was going on through to orlando and we could proceed to through to another security check then on to our gate for our final flight. Was very straightforward.