Originally Posted by
JimInOhio
Thanks for responding but now I'm confused. Don't I have to claim my bag at the special belt to bring through US customs? Is there an AC customer service person there at the bag drop who can get us onto the earlier flight if there's time (and room)? It's been years since I've done this and I don't remember the details.
You do not physically claim your bag. You see it on a video screen and identify it and then head thru US customs. Unlikely that you will complete this process to make the earlier flight. Also AC charges to move to a earlier flight. AC website and GTAA site has explanation of how you transit from International to US.
http://www.torontopearson.com/Connecting.aspx#