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Is the Island Hopper GUM-HNL an international flight?

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Is the Island Hopper GUM-HNL an international flight?

 
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Old Nov 18, 2010, 4:45 am
  #1  
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Is the Island Hopper GUM-HNL an international flight?

Hello everybody,

is the island hopper due to its intermediate stops in Micronesia and the Marshall Islands an international flight with the need to clear immigration at HNL? Or are there preclearance facilities at the intermediate stops, meaning it's a domestic flight for through travellers on the whole run GUM-HNL.

Thanks in advance for your kind feedback.
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Old Nov 18, 2010, 10:41 am
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Originally Posted by Airsicknessbag
Hello everybody,

is the island hopper due to its intermediate stops in Micronesia and the Marshall Islands an international flight with the need to clear immigration at HNL? Or are there preclearance facilities at the intermediate stops, meaning it's a domestic flight for through travellers on the whole run GUM-HNL.

Thanks in advance for your kind feedback.
IIRC, unless one of the stops is your destination, you stay airside and do not need to clear immigration.
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Old Nov 18, 2010, 12:23 pm
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The other way around HNL-GUM, it certainly was treated as an international flight, and you had to clear immigration at GUM, but no bag pick up interestingly in transit.
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Old Nov 18, 2010, 12:29 pm
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Originally Posted by MBM3
IIRC, unless one of the stops is your destination, you stay airside and do not need to clear immigration.
How would that work with passengers starting en route joining the flight? How would they know in HNL?
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Old Nov 18, 2010, 5:35 pm
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They could enter the US at their point of departure a la Bahamas or Canada.

Alternatively, the flight could arrive at an international concourse at HNL, and if you prove the immigration officer your travel started at GUM (by passport and boarding pass) you can enter the US without immigration formalities.
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Old Nov 18, 2010, 7:25 pm
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Somewhat. GUM follows US Immigration however has different customs duties than Hawaii. When you travel from GUM to HNL you have to clear US customs in HNL.
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Old Nov 18, 2010, 8:11 pm
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Originally Posted by Airsicknessbag
They could enter the US at their point of departure a la Bahamas or Canada.
None of those islands have pre-clearance.

Originally Posted by Airsicknessbag
Alternatively, the flight could arrive at an international concourse at HNL, and if you prove the immigration officer your travel started at GUM (by passport and boarding pass) you can enter the US without immigration formalities.
You'd still be going through the process, just without showing a passport. And I doubt it would work this easily since there is too much room for faking it.
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Old Nov 18, 2010, 8:17 pm
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You still need a passport to enter or leave GUM.
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Old Nov 19, 2010, 1:29 am
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Ok, thanks for your answers. So I go through US immigration twice on the same day, or thrice within two days. They will be thrilled about that
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Old Nov 19, 2010, 3:22 pm
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island hopper to hnl will need to clear immigration and customs in hnl
flt 2 nonstop clear immigration in guam customs in hnl
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Old Nov 20, 2010, 8:43 am
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Also, for security reasons, at various points one side of the aircraft will have to de-plane while there is a security sweep of the airplane. I don't believe it requires any additional documentation but it is annoying....
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Old Nov 20, 2010, 9:06 am
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Originally Posted by mh3265a
Also, for security reasons, at various points one side of the aircraft will have to de-plane while there is a security sweep of the airplane. I don't believe it requires any additional documentation but it is annoying....
Wasn't annoying me -- I got off the plane at every stop anyway to look around. If you fly GUM-HNL and don't want these stops and thus a much quicker trip, why not fly the non-stop? (sure, no EUA on CO2).
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Old Nov 21, 2010, 1:41 am
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Originally Posted by notquiteaff
Wasn't annoying me -- I got off the plane at every stop anyway to look around. If you fly GUM-HNL and don't want these stops and thus a much quicker trip, why not fly the non-stop? (sure, no EUA on CO2).
It is creating potential risk for pilot/crew rest reqs. Further, it provides no further security. Yes, it's nice to look around but it's yet another shortsighted TSA regulation.
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Old Nov 21, 2010, 2:27 am
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The Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia are foreign countries not in the Western Hemisphere. Definitely a regular, full immigration check when you arrive GUM or HNL. You must have a passport (book) even if you transit US-NRT-GUM, so hopping islands isn't any different. GUM has Guam customs and HNL has US customs. GUM transits should not involve picking up bags (because there are no "customs-domestic" flights from GUM), but immigration is mandatory (can't transit without visa, etc.)
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Old Nov 21, 2010, 4:13 am
  #15  
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Again, thanks for all the helpfull answes, very much appreciated.

>>>If you fly GUM-HNL and don't want these stops and thus a much quicker trip, why not fly the non-stop?

I specifically want these stops (I "collect" countries, so this is the easy way to "get" Micronesia and the Marshall Islands), and I have to check my reservation every couple of days, because CO tend to rebook me onto CO2, presumably trying to be nice to me ("aaah, look at the poor fellow, booked himself on CO956 unwittingly, let's spare him the shock of five stops...")
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