Hi.
I'm flying LHR-IAH-SYD+
SYD-IAH-LHR on UA.
Do they still have the one stop lane at IAH to make things go smoother in immigration and for checked luggage?

Last I looked, IAH is one of six US airports which feature I --> I through-check of luggage (if that's your question).

ITI baggage
 

If I have the following booking (all in the same reservation):

HKG-NRT on ANA
NRT-IAH on UA (codeshare, ANA flight number, but operated by UA)
IAH-LIM on UA (codeshare, ANA flight number, but operated by UA)

When checking at ANA counter at HKG, I think ANA will check the baggage to LIM. But at IAH, does airport baggage system automatically identifies this to be ITI baggage? Or should ANA need to place any special tag to mark it as ITI?

No special mark should be needed. It will detect I-I based upon the next flight's destination.

Luckly for you IAH is one of six (IIRC) US airports that are trying out a new system where you don't have to physically pick up checked luggage and after Customs place it on the belt to connecting flight.

You will of course have to enter USA and then clear IAH security for you flight to LIM. If you go, enjoy Lima and Peru, great place to visit.

Thanks for the information. Since both UA operated flights (NRT-IAH, IAH-LIM) carries ANA flight number (NH 6450 and NH 7172), which flight number will baggage tag show? ANA number or the corresponding UA number (UA 6 and UA 854)? If it shows ANA number, does it still detect that it's actually UA to UA transfer, and treat it as ITI?

I would expect them to print the NH information, but I'm not 100% sure. I think you're overthinking this, though. :) What will happen is that the baggage handlers will take the bag off of the belt, scan it, and their scanner will tell them that the next flight designation is LIM and that it should bypass customs / baggage claim. I don't think the baggage handlers spend a lot of time manually inspecting each tag to see where it should go, or whether or not the flight numbers are codeshare flights.

I think codeshare baggage tags are *typically* printed as the primary airline (i.e. whose metal it is).

You should be fine. And yes, your luggage should go all the way through under the trial program. If only there was a sterile transit area for pax.

Would the baggage go all the way to YOW? Yes, both IAH and IAD have the I-->I baggage transfer without customs but the OP is not making any I-->I connection. Only the total itinerary is I-->I but I kind of doubt this situation fall into that program.

Kind of a red herring ;)

You would not pick up your luggage at IAD to recheck it to YOW if you originated at IAH @:-)

No, but IAH-IAD, obviously, is a domestic flight, with no customs or immigration on either end.

Don't know what point you are trying to make :confused:

My point is that the other person's comment wasn't a "red herring." It's reasonable to wonder if the domestic flight in CUN-IAH-IAD-YOW still qualifies as an international-to-international connection.

You could be overthinking this. Case in point:

Bag arrives at IAH from CUN. Two things can happen:

1) Next flight is INTL --> bag goes to next flight
2) Next flight is Domestic --> bag goes to customs carousel

I seriously doubt the decision process accommodates any more complex and extraordinarily rare possibilities than this.

3) Next flight is Domestic connecting to Int'l --> bag goes to @:-)

Don't recall anyone posting about that.

Thanks again for the insightful information. Since ITI baggage seems to be only for UA-UA or UA-LH connection based on what I read here, that's why I was wondering if the scan read NH-NH, if it's smart enough to "translate" it to "UA-UA" and treat it as ITI. But based on what you said, do you mean as long as the next destination is an international destination, it will be treated as ITI regardless which airline code shown on baggage tag?

What percent of passengers going through IAH are making a I --> D --> I double connection? Is it even worth setting up a separate procedure for them?

Frankly, I suspect the percentage of passengers making the far more simple I --> I connection is already extremely small though obviously dwarfs this other obtuse double connection.

Family of four. US citizens. No GE but will have Mobile Passport App. UA flight all on same ticket. SYD -> IAH -> DTW. Arrives at 10:30 am. Departure 12:00 pm. Connection time of 90 minutes. Doable? Please and thank you.

Yes. Very.

The second flight is domestic -- the bag will come :eek:ut at the carousel in the customs arrival hall after the international arrival. No subsequent flights are going to be considered.

45 Min connection at IAH C to E gates
 

I have a 45 minute connection at IAH but looks like I will have to go from C7 to E15.
Can it be done?

Can it be done? Sure. UA wouldn't sell it otherwise. It meets the minimum connect time. But a lot of people would say it doesn't meet the minimal sensible time. What's your final destination? Are you okay with missing the flight for whatever reason? Just remember that the door is supposed to close 10 minutes before departure for domestic departures, so 45 minutes is really 35.

I think you can. Keep in mind either or both of those gate assignments could change three times between now and actual.

It's a 787-900 Sfo to Iah, I'm in the second row of Y.
Second flight is to Lga.
I'm traveling very lightly, anticipating having to run.
I've been following the flights for the past week. One time the first flight came into the E gates, but mostly C.
I'm in FC on a mileage upgrade for the LGA flight.
If I miss that one due to bad connection, and they don't upgrade me on the next (and last) flight to LGA, I'll ask for he miles back.
Would I qualify for downgrade compensation also? GG OVS DOWNGRADE?

It's doable but it is certainly a fairly long way from C7 to E15. And I have had some very long taxis at IAH that have turned 45 minute connections to 30 minute connections. Be ready to run/walk very fast, but most days you would make it.

You're assuming OP is connecting to a domestic flight. The MCT is 30 minutes for this flight whether it's international or domestic, but a passenger is subject to removal if not in the gate area 15 minutes prior to departure for a domestic flight or 30 minutes prior to departure for an international flight. So, 45 minutes is really 30 for a domestic departure or 15 (!) for an international departure. (Edit: OP specified destination)

C7 to E15 is nearly the worst case C to E transit. The United App gives a 21 minute travel time and suggests making use of SkyTrain. If OP were to run, it's likely possible to shave a couple of minutes off of that, and the train isn't a requirement; it's faster to take the train if it happens to be departing just as one arrives, but if there's much of a wait for the next train, it's likely faster to run.

If F is full on the next flight, your choices are to wait for a flight in F or take the next flight in Y. If your upgrade clears on SFO-IAH, you wouldn't technically be due any miles for IAH-LGA not clearing.

You would not qualify for downgrade compensation; the F cabin isn't oversold.

The risk tolerance question to OP is what the consequences are of a misconnect. There are eight nonstops a day IAH-LGA and an additional five to EWR. Thus, likely that if OP misconnects, he will find something.

But, if there is a mission critical event on the other end, this is not a connection I would book, given that there are five nonstops/day SFO-IAH, not to mention six nonstops SFO-EWR.

I book these sorts of connections, but I also understand that there is a risk. Be particularly attentive to the note above from jsloan regarding the T-15 gate deadline. While UA may not offload until T-10 or even later, if the flight is ready to go at T-15, it's unlikely to sit there. In addition, if the flight is overbooked and there is an oversale, UA will offload at T-15 to avoid paying IDB/VDB.

I went C1 to E17 on Saturday with a 0:58 connection. Was in the front row of Y on a 737. Took the train, walked briskly, got to E17 in the middle of Group 1 boarding for an intl flight.

I've done the opposite before, E to C North with a 36 minute connection to the last IAH-LGA of the day. Inbound flight arrived 15 minutes early and made it with plenty of time to spare.

I've yet to see these doom and gloom scenarios around T-15 play out. Just last week I was on a flight leaving DEN where the last passenger on was at T+2. They knew she was coming off a late inbound and we waited until she was on board before closing the door.

I'm hoping for an early arrival into IAH.
I don't go through there often so I'm not that familiar.
I did not realize there is a train between C and E.
Do I have to go to an upper level to catch it?

UA will sometimes hold a flight, but you can't count on them doing so, and you have no recourse if they don't. And they definitely aren't going to hold a first class seat -- they will absolutely have upgraded someone into OP's seat at T-15 (assuming the outbound is departing on-time). I see that all the time; I've actually gotten someone's F seat when they arrived at about T-12 and I'd already been upgraded into it. They do happen.

And, as mentioned, they will offload passengers, if necessary, to avoid paying VDB -- although I did have one wonderful gate agent at DEN have me wait until the last possible moment to board as the #1 volunteer while they waited for a late connecting family. His rationale was, "I'd rather have a volunteer spend the night in Denver than have someone forced to do it." The family didn't make it -- we assumed they gave up when they saw how late their flight had arrived -- but it was a great gesture.

Yes. The train is upstairs, airside, and runs every few minutes. There is a single, consolidated stop for D/E that arrives fairly close to E15.

Yes, the skytrain is one level above the gates on the north side.

A couple of things .... or three.

First off, minor point, but Boening does not make 787-900, they make 787-9.

It's called SkyWay to distinguish between original below SubWay that is outside of security. Fun ride IF you find yourself outside of security.

And yes, there is the SkyWay between E and C, but while I don't have gates memorized, it can be much faster to walk between E and C depending on gates. Suggest looking at the UA magazine or App while in flight to locate best plan @:-)

Of course
 

789, a typo on my part. Too early in the morning.

Just got into IAH from PTY (UA into E). Going onto YYZ with AC. So I just headed upstairs to United connecting flights after getting through customs. There was no-one checking boarding passes or ID at all, so I walked off the plane in IAH, thru immigration & customs to "landside" and went back airside proper without showing any onward boarding pass. Surprising tbh

The last time I connected thru IAH was ~2 years ago, and you definitely had to show ID & boarding pass to TSA at the top of the escalators to TSA before being permitted into the security scan

How and how much time is needed to move from Terminal A gate 2 to Terminal C gate 43? It was originally 1 hr connection time but due to united flight delays now it is only 40 minutes. Are they all on the air side so we dont need to go through security again? Thanks.