Connection to IAD and fly with UA. It's a complete caos!
 

Hello to everybody!
I’m a new member of this forum.
First of all, sorry for my scholastic English. I will try to explain my problem that is similar but not equal to yours.

I bought one way flight with Expedia from SUF (Southern Italy) to YUL (Canada) connecting to IAD (USA).
I have one only ticket number that includes 3 “steps”:
1) one national flight (SUF – FCO) sold by Lufthansa, but operated by its partner AirOne
2) one international flight (FCO – IAD) sold and operated by United Airlines
3) one domestic (I believe) (IAD – YUL) sold by United Airlines, but operated by Air Canada Jazz

Lufthansa, UA and Air Canada are all members of the Star Alliance.

I state in advance that the connection time between flight 2 and flight 3 is only 1 hour and ½ and I’ve to clear security and immigration customs (also with a child of 2 years old and my husband) .

UA (domestic and international call centre) said to me that it’s not correct that my flight in ONE, the company said that I bought a package of 3 separated flights, so I have to do more than one check-in, certainly I’ll have to recheck baggage at the Dulles Airport.

I tried to do web check-in on the UA web site (obviously it isn’t yet possible to do it, because the departure is the next December) by inserting the only ticket number that I have, just to understand the departure city and the arrival city. The result is that UA consents web check-in only for flight 2) FCO-IAD.

I require your help to understand:
- How many check-in I have to do? One, two or three! And how many boarding passes will I have?

- Am I a connecting passenger and then can I use the facility for connecting passengers at the C Concourse of the Dulles airport (I believe it saves more time, considering the restrict connection time), or have I go to the main terminal and put me on the long queues? Is 1 hour and ½ enough ?

I apologise for my, perhaps, confuse description and I thank everyone can help me. This experience is already stressing me two months before departing!

I see you have called UA but I would try to call Air One as I that is who you will initially check in with at SUF. I would doubt they can check you in for your continuing UA flights but since they have had an agreement with LH for sometime perhaps they have some ability there. Even if they can not check you in for your onward flights they should be able to check your baggage all the way to YUL. I assume there is a connection center in FCO that you can use to get your UA boarding passes but I cant remember as I always terminate there. For connection at IAD there are seperate lanes for connecting passengers and terminating passengers and there is also a seperate security lane and yes you would need to reclaim your bag but just deposite after customs on the belt to be transferred to your onward flight to YUL and although it is International it really doesnt matter as you will not need any exit procedures in IAD and I think the AC flights leave from terminal C so should be a relatively easy connection but depending on what days you are traveling it can bet crazy at IAD. I think 1.5 hours is enough under normal circumstances.

Three different airlines and bags can be a tricky combination so pack some essentials with your carry on. Especially since I think you are on the last flight of the day from IAD to YUL. ;)

Yes, you can clear US customs at midfield. As mcgahat says, you will have to re-check your bags at IAD. Your bags, should, however, already be tagged to YUL, so all you will have to do is put the bag back on the conveyor.

I think that 1-1/2 hours will be fine, so long as your FCO-IAD flight is not delayed.

Note that you will again have to clear customs in YUL.

On your return (if same routing) you will clear US customs in YUL, but no immigration formalities at IAD.

And welcome to FT, ciorciotto!

If this is all on one ticket as it sounds like, you should only need to check in once and get three boarding passes. But you may need to check-in at the airport (rather than via internet) due to the multiple airlines.

You will need to clear both US and Canadian customs/immigration on the way into Montreal. Painful, but unavoidable. Leaving, you clear US customs in Montreal, so all of your US connections will be domestic. So you get to fly into a domestic gate, meaning any connections will be much shorter and you avoid any customs delays on your return home.

Hope you enjoy Montreal - heading to that city late next week myself.