Leaving airport when you have a long layover
Aug 20, 2018, 4:06 pm
#1
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Leaving airport when you have a long layover
I was discussing this matter with a friend who insisted that she was not allowed to leave LGW on a long layover without claiming her checked luggage and then subsequently rechecking it. She said she was told it was a security concern - being separated from your checked luggage and all that. I have serious doubts about this being true.
I've left many airports when in transit with a long layover and never had an issue leaving the airport while my checked luggage remains in the bowels of the airport baggage transfer system somewhere. It is my understanding that this is allowed as long as you meet the immigration requirements.
Is this another British security oddity or is my friend just confused?
I've left many airports when in transit with a long layover and never had an issue leaving the airport while my checked luggage remains in the bowels of the airport baggage transfer system somewhere. It is my understanding that this is allowed as long as you meet the immigration requirements.
Is this another British security oddity or is my friend just confused?
Aug 20, 2018, 10:45 pm
#3
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To whom did she ask about doing this, when told she couldn’t do this without claiming checked luggage tagged for transit?
Indeed there is no such general prohibition, but sometimes border control will disallow entry of some transit passsengers and come up with an excuse to do so. One of the excuses used is having checked in luggage for the onward flight. But there is also a reason this is a sort of security issue: passengers without checked luggage claimed at EU airports of entry can more easily pretend to have come in from the EU+ and thereby substantially reduce the odds of being subjected to customs control as due.
Indeed there is no such general prohibition, but sometimes border control will disallow entry of some transit passsengers and come up with an excuse to do so. One of the excuses used is having checked in luggage for the onward flight. But there is also a reason this is a sort of security issue: passengers without checked luggage claimed at EU airports of entry can more easily pretend to have come in from the EU+ and thereby substantially reduce the odds of being subjected to customs control as due.
Aug 21, 2018, 1:57 pm
#4
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To whom did she ask about doing this, when told she couldn’t do this without claiming checked luggage tagged for transit?
Indeed there is no such general prohibition, but sometimes border control will disallow entry of some transit passsengers and come up with an excuse to do so. One of the excuses used is having checked in luggage for the onward flight. But there is also a reason this is a sort of security issue: passengers without checked luggage claimed at EU airports of entry can more easily pretend to have come in from the EU+ and thereby substantially reduce the odds of being subjected to customs control as due.
Indeed there is no such general prohibition, but sometimes border control will disallow entry of some transit passsengers and come up with an excuse to do so. One of the excuses used is having checked in luggage for the onward flight. But there is also a reason this is a sort of security issue: passengers without checked luggage claimed at EU airports of entry can more easily pretend to have come in from the EU+ and thereby substantially reduce the odds of being subjected to customs control as due.
Last edited by STBCypriot; Oct 11, 2018 at 3:45 pm
Aug 21, 2018, 3:33 pm
#5
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On my ordinary US passports as a visitor to the UK, I have had a countless number of visits to central London while my bags are in transit at LHR, LGW, or LCY. As long as my connection wasn’t longer than 12 hours and overnight at that in LON. I’ve not been told that I have to claim my checked luggage when my bags are tagged for LON airport transit/transfers on international to international trips via LON whereby there was no crossing borders within the U.K. CTA too.
Aug 22, 2018, 6:08 am
#6
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I've done this in many airports, and specifically for the UK, at LHR. No issues.
Where it IS an issue is in India, at least in DEL where, once you recheck after customs and go up to the departure area, you are not allowed to leave the airport (at least not in 2011). They claimed I could not leave my luggage in the building and leave for security concerns. We had over eight hours there and had specifically planned to see a bit of the city before connecting to MAA, and after arguing for a while, they made us retrieve our luggage (how they found it is beyond me) and then let us out. We used the lockers in the metro station outside to store the bags, but we lost at least three hours...
Might be easier when transiting domestically before the international leg as there is no baggage retrieval.
Where it IS an issue is in India, at least in DEL where, once you recheck after customs and go up to the departure area, you are not allowed to leave the airport (at least not in 2011). They claimed I could not leave my luggage in the building and leave for security concerns. We had over eight hours there and had specifically planned to see a bit of the city before connecting to MAA, and after arguing for a while, they made us retrieve our luggage (how they found it is beyond me) and then let us out. We used the lockers in the metro station outside to store the bags, but we lost at least three hours...
Might be easier when transiting domestically before the international leg as there is no baggage retrieval.
Aug 22, 2018, 3:35 pm
#7
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Thread reminds me of the explanation for why Customs in Miami treats everyone (even US citizens) like immigrants during layovers when the incoming plane is from overseas.
They said they don't know who's actually going to get on the final plane.
They said they don't know who's actually going to get on the final plane.
Aug 22, 2018, 3:42 pm
#8
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What are you talking about? Can you explain exactly what occurred?
Aug 22, 2018, 4:13 pm
#9
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If you are flying into Miami from overseas and have even a short layover before an overseas destination they still make you wait in a line that is often enormous (2-3 hours)
and there is no crowd control, no courtesy. Just a long wait and rude, confrontational Customs agents. Even if you are a US citizen. Many people miss their flights.
I wrote about the experience on Flyertalk , called it "Miami customs freak show." The explanation I got for why people are treated like that is that "bad actors" might be pretending to only be in the USA a short time (on a layover) and then disappear into the city.
and there is no crowd control, no courtesy. Just a long wait and rude, confrontational Customs agents. Even if you are a US citizen. Many people miss their flights.
I wrote about the experience on Flyertalk , called it "Miami customs freak show." The explanation I got for why people are treated like that is that "bad actors" might be pretending to only be in the USA a short time (on a layover) and then disappear into the city.
Aug 22, 2018, 4:50 pm
#10
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Correct. No US airports have an international transit lounge, so if you're doing an international to international connection, you have to go through US Immigration and Customs, then out of the security area and back to the terminal through TSA. That's why I and others tell everyone not to have a US connection for international to international flights. It can't be avoided sometimes, like going from somewhere in Latin America or the Caribbean to Europe, but I would go out of my way to avoid a US connection.
Aug 28, 2018, 12:39 am
#12
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Correct. No US airports have an international transit lounge, so if you're doing an international to international connection, you have to go through US Immigration and Customs, then out of the security area and back to the terminal through TSA. That's why I and others tell everyone not to have a US connection for international to international flights. It can't be avoided sometimes, like going from somewhere in Latin America or the Caribbean to Europe, but I would go out of my way to avoid a US connection.
Aug 30, 2018, 11:21 pm
#13
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I didn't quite get what you meant by saying that the CBP treats US citizens like immigrants. If you meant that they were simply being rude, that is normal — they treat everyone like that. Otherwise, US citizens are asked different set of questions and then are free to go wherever they want.
Sep 2, 2018, 9:31 am
#14
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"I didn't quite get what you meant by saying that the CBP treats US citizens like immigrants."
I just didn't expect to be waiting for hours in line (with lots of questions about job, arrest record, etc) when my origin was the Caribbean and my destination was Central America... and I'm an American citizen, with a very short US layover. Can't they just have people wait in some sterile area and avoid all that rigmarole?
I just didn't expect to be waiting for hours in line (with lots of questions about job, arrest record, etc) when my origin was the Caribbean and my destination was Central America... and I'm an American citizen, with a very short US layover. Can't they just have people wait in some sterile area and avoid all that rigmarole?
Sep 5, 2018, 10:28 pm
#15
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There are no sterile areas for international arrivals at any US airport. Everyone goes through Immigration and Customs, even for international to international connections. This is not a new thing.
