Originally Posted by
WineCountryUA
Beleive with ITI you still have to enter the USA, go thru immigration and customs (& make a customs declaration), but you don't need to retrieve and then recheck your luggage.
Correct. Anything you're carrying as hand baggage enters the US and is subject to Customs inspection (done by the CBP officer at Onestop immigration). Checked bags are moved to the onward flight and are hence deemed as not entering the US.
I believe NZ has something similar for its AKL-LAX-LHR connections at LAX, though they're segregated from general pax and have to use a "holding area".