Ah the insane procedures involved in returning home...

[DandyDon]

Yeah, right....

I would never publically post advice on how to get more than the allowed bottles through Customs, and neither would I confess here ever having done so.

That's what PMs are for...!

Komora is the #2 Coffee liquer in the US, but I have difficulty finding it at times, and couldn't on Coz....?

​

 

[DenverEd]

AFA being charged for your gear, I guess it would not go over well trying to get past the agent, the burden of proof is on the Govt. We are still innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in this Country.

I was with Manitou when my pretzels, from Hanover PA purchased in the secure zone of the airport, were taken. I dont know what I was going to do with them, I guess Duty Free need to start selling real food.

 

[DandyDon]

AFA being charged for your gear, I guess it would not go over well trying to get past the agent, the burden of proof is on the Govt. We are still innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in this Country.

How long since you lived in the US...?

I was with Manitou when my pretzels, from Hanover PA purchased in the secure zone of the airport, were taken. I dont know what I was going to do with them, I guess Duty Free need to start selling real food.

That's a Frontier policy, I suppose, as I have never heard about it elsewhere, and a call to Continental said they didn't object. Was the airline selling food...?

I see that Frontier has smaller limits for roll-ons...

Your carry-on bag's dimensions can't exceed a total of 49 linear inches (length + width + depth) and the bag can't weigh more than 35 pounds. Your carry-on bag must fit underneath the seat or in an enclosed overhead bin.

If you're traveling on Frontier JetExpress, operated by Horizon Air, you're also allowed to board with one piece of carry-on baggage. The bag's total dimensions can't exceed a total of 41 linear inches (length + width + depth) and can't weigh more than 35 pounds.

Nothing on their web site about the food thing, so I called their Customer Service. The agent didn't know anything. Tried to put it off on TSA, but I blocked that. I've been on hold for a long time now as she's called her International desk, now calling Mexican consulate. Whatever, she does agree that this needs to be on the Frontier web site.

She couldn't get the consulate office to answer. Gonna call me back later.

 

[DandyDon]

Ok she calld back. Said that Mexican Customs only allow unopened packages that were packaged in the US.

I don't think that's correct, just reporting..

 

[JessH]

Komora is the #2 Coffee liquer in the US, but I have difficulty finding it at times, and couldn't on Coz....?

Kaluha is only $8 in Mexico so why skimp and buy the cheap stuff?

~Jess

 

[DandyDon]

Kaluha is only $8 in Mexico so why skimp and buy the cheap stuff?

~Jess

$8 in Coz? For a liter? I used to get the 750 for $7, but all I saw this month was liters for $10. True, I wasn't shopping, just grabbing a bottle.

Why get the cheap stuff? A matter of taste. I like Komora better.

 

[ggunn]

$8 in Coz? For a liter? I used to get the 750 for $7, but all I saw this month was liters for $10. True, I wasn't shopping, just grabbing a bottle.

Why get the cheap stuff? A matter of taste. I like Komora better.

Yo tam bien. Carolan's is an Irish Cream liqueur, a cheaper "knockoff" of Bailey's. Someone gave me some Bailey's a while back, and I really didn't like it. Carolan's is a lot smoother. The expensive stuff is not necessarily better.

 

[Christi]

How long since you lived in the US...?
That's a Frontier policy, I suppose, as I have never heard about it elsewhere, and a call to Continental said they didn't object. Was the airline selling food...?

I see that Frontier has smaller limits for roll-ons...

Nothing on their web site about the food thing, so I called their Customer Service. The agent didn't know anything. Tried to put it off on TSA, but I blocked that. I've been on hold for a long time now as she's called her International desk, now calling Mexican consulate. Whatever, she does agree that this needs to be on the Frontier web site.

She couldn't get the consulate office to answer. Gonna call me back later.

Based on seeing these types of discussions over and over again on different discussion boards (not just this one), it seems quite obvious that alot of people do not understand the difference in TSA and customs, or which country's policies apply.

For example, what does the Mexican Consulate have to do with a bag of pretzels Ed was snacking on when he got on the plane...that would most likely be consumed on board if they were open?

It is not the airlines job to screen out what you can and can't being into the country you are traveling to. They only screen for "illegal/prohibited" items per TSA regulations...for flight safety.

The customs officers for the country you are arriving in are the only ones that care what you are bringing into their country and the only ones that have jurisdiction over this.

Pretzels are perfectly ok to bring into Mexico by the way. That probably had more to do with Frontier policies than anything else.

The other thing that's always a head shaker to me is when people ask, "How many bottles of liquor will Mexico let you bring back to the US?"

That's a US Customs issue, not a Mexican customs issue. Mexican customs officials could care less what you are entering the US with...and vice versa. The correct question (regardless from what country you are entering the US from is, "How many bottles of liquir will US Customs allow me to bring in?"

Same with cigars!

When wondering what you can and can't bring into any specific country, you need to check THAT country's customs policies....not the country you are departing from.

 

[DandyDon]

I'm pretty sure that's what the Frontier lady said...?

Ok she called back. Said that Mexican Customs only allow unopened packages that were packaged in the US.

I don't think that's correct, just reporting.

I finally met a Mexican Customs agent on this entry into Mexico, but never encountered one exiting Mexico - just the security agents who are "required to meet TSA standards" as I understand it.

For example, what does the Mexican Consulate have to do with a bag of pretzels Ed was getting on the plane with...most likely to eat as a snack?

It is not the airlines job to screen out what you can and can't being into the country you are traveling to. They only screen for "illegal/prohibited" items per TSA regulations...for flight safety.

Yeah, her calling the Mexican consulate for info did not make sense? But I just don't know why the airline acted that way?

The customs officers for the country you are arriving in are the only ones that care what you are bringing into their country and the only ones that have jurisdiction over this.

There may be some degree of cooperation between the exiting government, the entering government, and the airline, but this whole pretzel thing sounds silly.

 

[Christi]

I finally met a Mexican Customs agent on this entry into Mexico, but never encountered one exiting Mexico - just the security agents who are "required to meet TSA standards" as I understand it.

No, TSA and Customs are two completely seperate entities. The customs screeners are not following TSA regulations when you get off the plane, they are following Mexican Customs standards.

There would be absolutley no reason for you to go through Mexican customs on your way out ; therefore, you don't see customs agents on the way out of the country...only entering.

When you check in for your departing flight, you are not going through customs screening, you are going through TSA screening. Understand the difference?

There may be some degree of cooperation between the exiting government, the entering government, and the airline, but this whole pretzel thing sounds silly.

No, they don't have time for that. They're only worried about the task at hand. When you check in for a departing flight, they only care about checking that you aren't boarding the plane with prohibited items per TSA regs. They could care less how many bottles of booze you have in your checked bags, or food, etc. They'll leave that up to the US customs agents to find and confiscate if not within guidelines.

When you enter a country, TSA regs have already been met, or so they assume and they are checking for customs items, not TSA items.

Each country has their own customs regulations and agents. They are only concerned with what you are bringing INTO their country...not what you are taking OUT.