More silly airline games

[ggunn]

Regardless of whether we're flying American or Southwest, we've always had to retrieve our bags at the first US airport and recheck them to our final destination. If they've changed that process, that's fantastic!

That's still the case. The text you quoted was for going to CZM, not for coming back.

 

[DandyDon]

Regardless of whether we're flying American or Southwest, we've always had to retrieve our bags at the first US airport and recheck them to our final destination. If they've changed that process, that's fantastic!

Oh, that's different, part of the Customs processing. The bags are still checked thru all of the way, but before and after Customs processing happens.

 

[Dan G]

Regardless of whether we're flying American or Southwest, we've always had to retrieve our bags at the first US airport and recheck them to our final destination. If they've changed that process, that's fantastic!

We all need to gather and recheck bags when returning to the US in order to clear customs. I cannot imagine this changing. I was referring to the trip to CZM, which I think was Don's concern.

One time, when flying to Little Cayman, we were scheduled to depart Denver for NY on a Jet Blue redeye to catch an AM Cayman Airways flight to Grand Cayman. We were informed at our Denver check in that Jet Blue did not have a luggage transfer agreement with Cayman Airways and that we would need to retrieve our bags in NY and then recheck with Cayan. Turned into quite an experience that ended up with us (along with help from an amazingly nice Cayman Air rep and TSA rep) bringing our 50 lb bags through security (they just barely fit through the scanner with a little bit of love) and we were escorted to the gate by TSA where we gate checked our bags.

Crazy travel day that started with a late-arriving crew and plane deicing in Denver and ended with me putting my feet in the water off the beach of LCBR.

 

[gopbroek]

An exception to this general rule is that at some (many) airports in Canada have US customs and immigration officers stationed in the airport and pre+screen prior to departure. Once screened you are kept within a 'USA' departure area. This allows aircraft be dispatchef from Canada to any USA city whether they have customs and immigration facilities or not

 

[Kimela]

That's still the case. The text you quoted was for going to CZM, not for coming back.

Oops. Read that wrong. Thanks. But wouldn't it be grand if they could not just "check the bags all the way through" but also transfer them physically to the next flight. Curious that they can do that on the way TO, but not FROM Cozumel.

I'm not complaining though ... don't want to tempt fate and jinx my next flight.

 

[cvchief]

Regardless of whether we're flying American or Southwest, we've always had to retrieve our bags at the first US airport and recheck them to our final destination. If they've changed that process, that's fantastic!

I think its getting mixed up. Entering a country, you have get your bags and do the immigration and customs thing.

All that being said, we just came through Houston Hobby again yesterday. That is a really nice EASY airport to arrive and go through immigrations and customs.

 

[DandyDon]

But wouldn't it be grand if they could not just "check the bags all the way through" but also transfer them physically to the next flight. Curious that they can do that on the way TO, but not FROM Cozumel.

They do check them thru to your final destination with the airline or cooperating airlines on a thru ticket. It's just that the bags have to shuffle thru Customs on entering the country in your presence so the airlines give them back to your momentarily for that process. Once cleared, you just give them back to the airline, but there is no weighing or rechecking at that step. The same usually happens when entering any country if you're connecting to another flight.

If you and your bags are separated while traveling and you are not present when Customs processes them, perhaps inspecting them, then there is a good chance that they'll be further delayed. Bad guys love to check time bombs on planes that they don't have to board themselves, so that's a flag. I had some spend the night in a bomb chamber entering Germany once, then further delayed when they couldn't find me.

All that being said, we just came through Houston Hobby again yesterday. That is a really nice EASY airport to arrive and go through immigrations and customs.

It's a cute little airport serving a little airline. I miss the days when I could travel to Mexico and any Caribbean island with a voter ID card and a driver's license and domestic travel with SWA included cute young fillies in hot pants.

 

[Saxonjd]

Oops. Read that wrong. Thanks. But wouldn't it be grand if they could not just "check the bags all the way through" but also transfer them physically to the next flight. Curious that they can do that on the way TO, but not FROM Cozumel.

I'm not complaining though ... don't want to tempt fate and jinx my next flight.

As Dandy Don mentioned, there's a difference in terms of going to and from Cozumel. US customs requires when you FIRST arrive in the US, you must present yourself and anything you're carrying for inspection. That's why you have to gather your bag and go through the process of walking past the immigration folks.

This is just the same as when you arrive in Cozumel, if it's your first arrival airport. You have to do the same thing. If for instance you first flew into Mexico City to connect to Cozumel (your first touchdown in Mexico) you'd do the same process as most of us do when we arrive in Cozumel. Then your ongoing flight to Coz would be a domestic flight and you'd not have to go through the whole process of immigration and customs like most of us do..

As also mentioned above, there are some agreements in place where you do your clearance (hence the "pre-clearance term) at your departure airport abroad and you land as a "US arrival" and don't have to do all the immigrations and customs process when you arrive. We do this when we fly in from Vancouver to the US. Our arrival is then at a "domestic" terminal.

 

[DandyDon]

Ok, so I started with a one-hour connection going. Now that it's a three-hour layover, my LBB-DFW flight arrives at gate A10 and my connecting flight to CZM leaves out of A9.

Too good to be true; bound to change. But then everything is subject to change.

The airlines save the better seats for people who will pay extra for them, and it looks like some have really done so on my DFW-CZM flight. Do they ever open those up to us cheap stakes? I'm on 21 out of 33 rows, but it would be nice to move up some as long as it's an aisle seat.

 

[gopbroek]

AA is using dual airstairs in CZM, front and back so the closer you are to the middle (exit row) the further back in the immigration line you will be.
The other thing is if you are in, say row 31, but you see open seats and overhead bin at row 10 and you shove your over sized carry on into it (so that when the folks who are seated there have no overhead bin space when they board) you will have to wait till the plane is empty to go back up and retrieve your bag.