FlyerTalk Forums - AC Drops Domestic flight @ Canadian Customs

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Quote:

Originally Posted by skybluesea (Post 31351272)

i provided the link to the CCA policy and if you read carefully Parliament did make anyone, let me repeat, anyone in the CCA subject to CBSA intervention - whether this will withstand a Charter challenge yet to be tested.

And the CCA area can extend well beyond the exit to the Customs Hall - for which AC benefits with that great through bag check to domestic we have at YYZ for example. In practice, CBSA now has the authority even in domestic areas should they discover after initial inspection something is amiss.

and back to Thread, absolutely CBSA can intervene if AC drops you into Customs area - in practice they don’t, but if your on domestic flight carrying narcotic contraband and the CBSA dog sniffs you out, you will be detained until local police are called to deal with a domestic crime.

Obviously the US is different, but I was searched flying BOS-YHZ by CBP in BOS. I was "in the US" in the sense that you can't be in a US airport departures area without having cleared US immigration, but they certainly felt like they had the authority to check me out, and I certainly wasn't going to say no.

Quote:

Originally Posted by D582 (Post 31351337)

On domestic flights you are always dumped back into the gate area of the terminal. How come no one noticed that you were going somewhere different?

I don't remember which gate it is at SFO (101?), but you always pass a sign that says "US Customs Inspection Area" (or something like that), with an arrow pointing in the direction you're walking, whenever you arrive from Canada.

And every time, I get a little nervous, and start paying more attention to things until I inevitably walk out in the gate area.

In YYZ/YVR, I know that if I end up on an escalator up, I'm going the wrong way. But with how the swing gates work, I'm not sure I'd notice at another airport I'm less familiar with. Or at least until it's too late.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ffsim (Post 31351407)

Swing gates often involve a right turn here, a left turn there, and maybe an escalator or two thrown in for good measure. I suspect only travellers with the most intimate familiarity of a particular gate would immediately know if they’re being led the wrong way; generally, people just follow the crowd and / or the directions of airport / airline staff.

Exactly. As I said, I get tripped up in SFO somewhat regularly, and I fly into here at LEAST once a year. I just assume they have the right doors open, and keep walking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by D582 (Post 31351337)

On domestic flights you are always dumped back into the gate area of the terminal. How come no one noticed that you were going somewhere different?

No idea why no one noticed. We ended up doing the typical route you'd follow if you came in from say SFO. I recognized it immediately but figured they were going to pop a door along the way.

There are various scenarios in the DOM/TB/INTL nexus in YYZ where PAX of various sterility levels mix, monitored by only minimum wage teenagers.

Depending on your viewpoint: it is not a threat profile they consider serious. Or not an environment that theater has infiltrated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by skybluesea (Post 31353198)

the solutions employed by CBSA with active AC cooperation far exceed what is evident in the airport to passengers.

Oh, I have no doubt there are cameras on me with far less technology backing them then Amazon has in their camera-only stores. One could easily slip something to someone up in the maze.

That being an effective way to get something in to Canada is a different question. Very difficult, and very small.... Which kinda calls into question why there is any per-person screening at all. Its all about waving the flag and being scary. Border guards inside a Canadian airport wearing bullet proof vests? Seriously?

I do wonder, if through a mixup like this a Canadian citizen faced charges due to CBSA discovering something, would they survive in court?

Are you sure it was AC 419 on Friday? According to AC, that flight arrived at D35. This is not a swing gate. I’m not sure it’s even possible to enter customs from that gate since it’s on the other side of the concourse from the swing gates.

I mean, it sounds like they were dumped out in an area that is technically outside Canada no? The international area?

Canadian citizens and indeed Permanent residents cannot be denied entry to Canada, you'll get through eventually but depending upon whom you are, what you have on you and the agent in question this could be quite a delay ... The CBSA agents have a great deal of power.
Hopefully there was no-one flying domestically with some form of foreign ID (most aren't allowed, except say US driving licenses I believe, I've done intra-US on a Canadian one) and not their passport and got stuck ...

To me at least, AC appears to have screwed up here and should be held accountable. I wouldn't be happy if this happened.