Originally Posted by JMPBNY
Now is too late to change flights ( it is carnaval time in rio)..but I am confused and more after call Varig ( I am sure I did not get the right answer)..
We are coming from EZE to GRU on BA (arrives to terminal 1) and leaving GRU to GIG-term 2. ( 3 hours between).
The flt from GRU to GIG on RG is international flt coming from Chile, stops in GRU and continues to GIG.
Varig told me that since they do not have an agreement with BA, we will have to clear customs and passports in GRU...but my question is: "if paxs from Chile to GIG as final destination, they will be clearing customs/passport in GRU? or in GIG?, (if they clear in GIG it means that the RG flt will arrive as international) and we will have to go again thru custom/passp?... unless those paxs are clearing custom/passp in GRU before continuing to GIG...
helppppppppppppppppp!! (VARIG DOES NOT HAVE THE ANSWER, WHO WILL?)
This is a relatively uninformed guess, but I am guessing that those RG pax will have to clear customs/immigration in GRU. I am almost positive that there will be pax on the RG flight GRU-GIG who have not just entered the country, so why would they have to clear customs/immigration in GIG. It makes sense for pax to stay in a sterile zone if they are going international-international, but not if they are going internation-domestic.
One a slightly less theoretical level, when I got into GRU from ATL in December and then continued on to GIG (or actually SDU...RG was overbooked and sent me to CGH) I remember seeing something about how anyone making a domestic connection had to claim all bags and go through immigration.
I'm sure that someone else will be able to confirm, but I'm 98% sure on this one. If it were a foreign carrier without local rights (e.g. CO, which can't carry any local passengers on its IAH-GRU-GIG flight), I might think that they would let everyone wait until GIG to clear, but since you're talking about an RG flight, I doubt that's the case.