Transferring Flights with Checked Baggage at YYZ: a Guide
Dec 14, 2005, 12:23 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: YYZ
Posts: 6,138
Transferring Flights with Checked Baggage at YYZ: a Guide
Inspired by a recent rash of tales of woe here on the board regarding YYZ baggage hiccups, I've decided to start what I hope will become the authoritative guide to YYZ baggage transfer procedures here with the aim that it may help folks searching for answers in the future.
I've gotten a crash course in "YYZ Transfer Procedures 101" since it is a big part of my new job. What has struck me is how convoluted the process has become as a series of destination-dependent modifications aimed at streamlining the process have served to confuse most of the front-line staffers charged with administering it.
As a poster noted in another thread, if you ask ten different people how to make a certain transfer, you'll often get ten different answers. I have casually quizzed scores of ground agents, flight attendants and Customs officers over the past couple weeks and no one I have spoken with yet has gotten it totally right. From personal experience, I know that misinformation can cause misconceptions that can generate PAWOBs (Passenger Arriving Without Bags) down the line.
I hope the board finds the information useful. It is, of course, geared towards passengers travelling on AC for at least part on their journey. All policies are subject to change of course, and since no one is perfect, I invite all of you to point out any mistakes, and let me know if I go too heavy on the jargon.
All these scenarios assume that the bags in question have been tagged to their final destination, including all interline transfers.
Canada to USA
If you are making a connection from a Canadian city to a city in the United States on an AC or UA flight at YYZ, your bags will be transported directly from the inbound gate at T1 to the pre-clearance carousel at T2. Passengers making such a connection can proceed directly to T2 to claim their baggage. You take your checked baggage with you as you pre-clear US Customs and Immigration, then re-check it on a conveyor belt located just beyond the US C+I checkpoint. Then you clear security and head for your gate.
Passengers transferring to a US-bound flight at T3 will have their bags inducted into the YYZ baggage system, which will deposit them at a designated transfer point where a GTAA-contracted transfer truck will pick them up and transfer them to the T3 pre-clearance carousel. This usually takes a bit longer than than a T1 to T2 connection, but it should still be relatively seamless from the passenger's POV.
Canada to International
If starting your jouney on AC, your baggage will be automatically transferred to your international flight whether on AC or any other carrier at YYZ, as long as your bags are correctly tagged to their final destination. No intervention is required.
International to USA
If making an AC-to-AC or AC-to-UA Intl->US connection, you do not need to claim your bags upon arrival at the T1 customs hall. You should be able to exit the hall with an quick explanation to the Customs officer on duty. Your bag should be waiting for you at the T2 pre-clearance carousel.
If you are arriving into YYZ on LH, OS or a non-Star carrier, tough luck - you do need to claim your bags at the Customs hall and re-check them at T1, then head to T2. Alternatively, if you are so inclined, you can just take them with you to T2.
Taking an airline other than AC or UA to the US out of T3? Sorry, you have to hang around, pick up and schlep your own bags, too, no matter which airline you arrive on.
USA to International
If you are making a UA-to-AC or AC-to-AC US/Intl connection at YYZ, you do not need to claim your bag at Canada Customs at T2. Your bag will be connected to your T1 flight "behind-the-scenes". You will not see your bag in Toronto. The T2 Customs agents have this drill pretty much down pat and will not question you on it.
If connecting to any other airline than AC for your international flight, you will be required to pick up your bag before clearing Customs and re-check it.
International to International
Here's where things get a bit tricky. Most passengers transiting YYZ between two other countries (other than the US) need to claim their luggage upon arrival at YYZ before proceeding from the Customs hall.
Recently, however, given the surge in travel from Asia to South America via Toronto due to the US government's abolition of their Trasit Without Visa program for many foreign passport holders, the rules have been eased for passengers making the long journey between those two continents.
If a passenger is arriving in Toronto on an AC flight from any of the following cities: Lima, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires or Santiago;
and is making an immediate connection on a non-stop AC flight to any of the following cities: Beijing, Hong Kong or Tokyo;
he/she is not required to claim their bag upon arrival at YYZ. They can proceed to their connecting gate and their baggage will be transferred between flights "behind-the-scenes".
The reverse (Asia-to-South America) is also true.
If the passenger is flying to/from an Asian destination on AC via YVR, they are not exempt from claiming their bags in the Customs hall.
USA/International to Canada
This is the easiest scenario, since it is the most uniform. If Pearson is your first point of entry into Canada, and you plan to end your journey either in Toronto or are connecting to a domestic flight, you must claim your checked luggage at YYZ for presentation to Canada Customs. No exceptions on this one. Toronto-destined passengers are then on their own. Passengers making connections exit the Customs hall and proceed to the connection centre where they can toss their checked bags on a conveyor and proceed to their next gate.
Bonus Section - Fun with Canada Customs
I have been asked, "if an passenger arriving from the US or overseas is running late for his/her domestic connection, may he/she proceed to his connection without their checked luggage and just have the luggage forwarded later?" The most correct answer is "No."
Having said that, could a dishonest passenger get away with doing this if they represented themselves to Canada Customs as having no checked luggage or connecting to a destination that precluded them from needing to claim their luggage at YYZ. Maybe, but that person might be in a world of hurt should the officer be in an inquisitive mood that day and ask for proof. I can't recommend it, no matter how big the rush.
If for some reason a passenger does proceed out of the Customs hall and on to their connecting flight without claiming their checked bags, the airline's staff will have to clear the bags. Bags in this situation go to secondary inspection automatically. This usually involves an x-ray at minimum, and a thorugh pick-through if Customs sees something of interest on the x-ray.
As most of you know, Customs pretty much rules the roost at border crossings, so if they want to get into your luggage, they will do so by any means necessary and do pretty much whatever they like once they are in there. If you have any travel accessories you want to keep private, best to pack them in your carry-on.
Which brings us to the question of, "What if my bag does not get loaded on my inbound flight to Canada? Am I doomed to having my perfectly packed bag rifled through by Customs?" No.
If you arrive at YYZ from abroad and your bag does not, see an AC baggage rep and explain the situation. The staff can check for forwarding details on your bag, if available, and provide you with a government form called an "A23".
An A23 is basically a duplicate of your blue passenger declaration form that you give to Customs upon arrival. It lists your name, address, travel info and asks about the contents of the missing bag. Like your passenger declaration, it is legally binding, so try not to fib. Once completed, you give it to the Customs officer as you exit the hall, kind of like a hall pass that explains why you are short on luggage and allows you to leave without your bags.
It is kept on file with Customs until your bag is cleared later by airline staff, when it is consulted, and as long as it is complete and does not contradict what the x-ray shows inside your bag, generally spares one from having their bag turned inside out. However, it is not a guarantee, and Customs can and has opened bags accompanied by A23's. If they don't like what they see, they can and have refused to clear bags in absentia and will make the passenger come to the airport to clear the bag in person if they have questions about its contents.
I've gotten a crash course in "YYZ Transfer Procedures 101" since it is a big part of my new job. What has struck me is how convoluted the process has become as a series of destination-dependent modifications aimed at streamlining the process have served to confuse most of the front-line staffers charged with administering it.
As a poster noted in another thread, if you ask ten different people how to make a certain transfer, you'll often get ten different answers. I have casually quizzed scores of ground agents, flight attendants and Customs officers over the past couple weeks and no one I have spoken with yet has gotten it totally right. From personal experience, I know that misinformation can cause misconceptions that can generate PAWOBs (Passenger Arriving Without Bags) down the line.
I hope the board finds the information useful. It is, of course, geared towards passengers travelling on AC for at least part on their journey. All policies are subject to change of course, and since no one is perfect, I invite all of you to point out any mistakes, and let me know if I go too heavy on the jargon.
All these scenarios assume that the bags in question have been tagged to their final destination, including all interline transfers.
Canada to USA
If you are making a connection from a Canadian city to a city in the United States on an AC or UA flight at YYZ, your bags will be transported directly from the inbound gate at T1 to the pre-clearance carousel at T2. Passengers making such a connection can proceed directly to T2 to claim their baggage. You take your checked baggage with you as you pre-clear US Customs and Immigration, then re-check it on a conveyor belt located just beyond the US C+I checkpoint. Then you clear security and head for your gate.
Passengers transferring to a US-bound flight at T3 will have their bags inducted into the YYZ baggage system, which will deposit them at a designated transfer point where a GTAA-contracted transfer truck will pick them up and transfer them to the T3 pre-clearance carousel. This usually takes a bit longer than than a T1 to T2 connection, but it should still be relatively seamless from the passenger's POV.
Canada to International
If starting your jouney on AC, your baggage will be automatically transferred to your international flight whether on AC or any other carrier at YYZ, as long as your bags are correctly tagged to their final destination. No intervention is required.
International to USA
If making an AC-to-AC or AC-to-UA Intl->US connection, you do not need to claim your bags upon arrival at the T1 customs hall. You should be able to exit the hall with an quick explanation to the Customs officer on duty. Your bag should be waiting for you at the T2 pre-clearance carousel.
If you are arriving into YYZ on LH, OS or a non-Star carrier, tough luck - you do need to claim your bags at the Customs hall and re-check them at T1, then head to T2. Alternatively, if you are so inclined, you can just take them with you to T2.
Taking an airline other than AC or UA to the US out of T3? Sorry, you have to hang around, pick up and schlep your own bags, too, no matter which airline you arrive on.
USA to International
If you are making a UA-to-AC or AC-to-AC US/Intl connection at YYZ, you do not need to claim your bag at Canada Customs at T2. Your bag will be connected to your T1 flight "behind-the-scenes". You will not see your bag in Toronto. The T2 Customs agents have this drill pretty much down pat and will not question you on it.
If connecting to any other airline than AC for your international flight, you will be required to pick up your bag before clearing Customs and re-check it.
International to International
Here's where things get a bit tricky. Most passengers transiting YYZ between two other countries (other than the US) need to claim their luggage upon arrival at YYZ before proceeding from the Customs hall.
Recently, however, given the surge in travel from Asia to South America via Toronto due to the US government's abolition of their Trasit Without Visa program for many foreign passport holders, the rules have been eased for passengers making the long journey between those two continents.
If a passenger is arriving in Toronto on an AC flight from any of the following cities: Lima, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires or Santiago;
and is making an immediate connection on a non-stop AC flight to any of the following cities: Beijing, Hong Kong or Tokyo;
he/she is not required to claim their bag upon arrival at YYZ. They can proceed to their connecting gate and their baggage will be transferred between flights "behind-the-scenes".
The reverse (Asia-to-South America) is also true.
If the passenger is flying to/from an Asian destination on AC via YVR, they are not exempt from claiming their bags in the Customs hall.
USA/International to Canada
This is the easiest scenario, since it is the most uniform. If Pearson is your first point of entry into Canada, and you plan to end your journey either in Toronto or are connecting to a domestic flight, you must claim your checked luggage at YYZ for presentation to Canada Customs. No exceptions on this one. Toronto-destined passengers are then on their own. Passengers making connections exit the Customs hall and proceed to the connection centre where they can toss their checked bags on a conveyor and proceed to their next gate.
Bonus Section - Fun with Canada Customs
I have been asked, "if an passenger arriving from the US or overseas is running late for his/her domestic connection, may he/she proceed to his connection without their checked luggage and just have the luggage forwarded later?" The most correct answer is "No."
Having said that, could a dishonest passenger get away with doing this if they represented themselves to Canada Customs as having no checked luggage or connecting to a destination that precluded them from needing to claim their luggage at YYZ. Maybe, but that person might be in a world of hurt should the officer be in an inquisitive mood that day and ask for proof. I can't recommend it, no matter how big the rush.
If for some reason a passenger does proceed out of the Customs hall and on to their connecting flight without claiming their checked bags, the airline's staff will have to clear the bags. Bags in this situation go to secondary inspection automatically. This usually involves an x-ray at minimum, and a thorugh pick-through if Customs sees something of interest on the x-ray.
As most of you know, Customs pretty much rules the roost at border crossings, so if they want to get into your luggage, they will do so by any means necessary and do pretty much whatever they like once they are in there. If you have any travel accessories you want to keep private, best to pack them in your carry-on.
Which brings us to the question of, "What if my bag does not get loaded on my inbound flight to Canada? Am I doomed to having my perfectly packed bag rifled through by Customs?" No.
If you arrive at YYZ from abroad and your bag does not, see an AC baggage rep and explain the situation. The staff can check for forwarding details on your bag, if available, and provide you with a government form called an "A23".
An A23 is basically a duplicate of your blue passenger declaration form that you give to Customs upon arrival. It lists your name, address, travel info and asks about the contents of the missing bag. Like your passenger declaration, it is legally binding, so try not to fib. Once completed, you give it to the Customs officer as you exit the hall, kind of like a hall pass that explains why you are short on luggage and allows you to leave without your bags.
It is kept on file with Customs until your bag is cleared later by airline staff, when it is consulted, and as long as it is complete and does not contradict what the x-ray shows inside your bag, generally spares one from having their bag turned inside out. However, it is not a guarantee, and Customs can and has opened bags accompanied by A23's. If they don't like what they see, they can and have refused to clear bags in absentia and will make the passenger come to the airport to clear the bag in person if they have questions about its contents.
Last edited by YYZC2; Dec 14, 2005 at 7:55 pm
An example of FT at its finest !!!!
Dec 14, 2005, 1:56 pm
#10
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Richmond, BC, Canada
Posts: 1,511
While I hesitate to call the transfer of baggage at YYZ a "procedure", since that implies too much in the way of a designed, tested and documented methodology, the fact that baggage actually does get transferred succesfully most of the time at YYZ is close to miraculous.
What irritates me is that neither the airlines nor airport authorities can document the process in anything resembling a user-friendly manner, if at all.
What irritates me is that neither the airlines nor airport authorities can document the process in anything resembling a user-friendly manner, if at all.