FlyerGoldII

A few days ago, I came from SKB (Caribbean) to YYZ (Canada) via Miami on AA. I was told that I did nit pick up bags for same day transfer.
Today, my wife is coming from SKB to YYZ via EWR- with same day transfer.
She has been told at SKB that she has to pick up bags?

Was she given the correct info on picking the bags at EWR?
If yes, does that mean that for international airports to US airport to different International destinations- different rules apply to different airports and/or different airlines in pick up bags for such connections?

Lux Flyer

The information is correct. The only UA-hub that has ITI bag transfer is IAH (MIA does have ITI as well which is why AA was able to do it there). She will need to pick up bags in EWR clear customs and then check them back in on the other side of customs.

Edit: though on the outbound through AA in MIA, it was likely not a true ITI bag transfer. Departures from YYZ to the USA preclear customs at YYZ, so they arrive into the US airports like a domestic arrival and the passengers/bags would have been treated like a US origin where bags wouldn't have needed to been collected.

WineCountryUA

International to International Transfer is offer at a limited number of airports and just to certain carriers at that airport.
UA @ IAH
AA @ MIA & DFW
DL @ DTW & ATL
there may be others but it is a very limited program. It start as a pilot may be 10 years ago and has not been expanded

So, no to ITI at EWR (UA or anyone else)

MrAndy1369

DFW for DL? Or did you mean DTW?

WineCountryUA

DTW

JimInOhio

Origin was SKB and destination was YYZ

AA (all of OW?) @ DFW has this. I *think* DL @ ATL, too.

FlyerGoldII

Are checked baggage on UA flights from international airports to UA domestic airport hub to next US airport transferred automatically at IAH, or at all UA domestic hub airports?

jsloan

No. Unless you're departing from a pre-clearance airport, there is no automatic transfer from an international to a domestic flight anywhere in the US except GUM, and that's only because Guam is outside of the US customs area (so you go through customs at your next stop -- HNL).

Because YYZ is a pre-clearance airport, by the time your US-bound flight has departed, you've already cleared US customs and immigration, and therefore your bag will be treated as though it were domestic. That is very much a special case, though, with only a handful of airports participating.

WineCountryUA

All travel from a USA international (nonPreClearance as mentioned) arrival continuing or not to a domestic location, must be picked up at the international arrival and pass thru customers. If the bags were checked thru to another airport (most common, especially a single ticket). You then recheck at the nearby bag recheck.

mduell

PreCheck has nothing to do with picking up your bags or not.

FlyerGoldII

With Canada (at least on Air Canada)- international airport (At least US airports and Western European airports; maybe some others) to most Canadian airport hubs to most international airports or Domestic airports- baggage will be automatically re-routed without the paswenger having to pick up the bags.

I would hope that USA (for UA and other large airline carries) adopts this policy in most of its international hub airports- not just in selected airports on a ?trial basis.

jsloan

There is near-zero chance that the US will ever have a blanket policy for automatic bag routing to domestic locations. In calendar year 2021, the FAA reported enplanements of 2500 or more at 518 distinct US airports. While not all of those handle scheduled commercial service, it would be a logistical nightmare to try to set up customs clearance at all of those airports, and then figure out how to segregate passengers who have gone through customs (and agricultural inspection) from those who have not.

They've been working on a pilot program at IAD that can automatically route some bags, but still requires pulling your bag if you have certain declared items or if they need to search your bag. That's about the least intrusive you will ever get.

Even in the ITI program that you encountered at MIA, you passed through US customs and immigration on your way to Canada. If you were carrying anything that the US considered contraband, it could have been seized even though you were immediately reexporting it.

WineCountryUA

zero chance of true transit, and no USA immigration.. And after 10 years doubt a change in bag's

JimInOhio

Customs clearance wouldn’t be at the endpoint but at the hub/port of entry. It’s nothing new for US CBP, they do it every day at YYZ, YVR, etc. If a passenger can check their bag all the way through (no reclaim) on LHR-YYZ-IND, then why not LHR-ORD-IND?

Sure, YYZ has some extra equipment to perform a one-step immigration/customs check but there aren’t that many airports in the US that would need the same. Maybe 20 at the most? If an airport doesn’t install the same capabilities as YYZ then it can handle immigration and customs the old fashion way.

Lux Flyer

That's not the same at all YYZ-IND, every bag on that flight whether it checked through from origin or originated in YYZ would have been cleared already because it is coming from YYZ where the customs check took place. There'd be no I/D bags to mix because it's an international point of origin. ORD-IND would have bags from the LHR-ORD flight sure, but it would also have bags from SFO-ORD, LAX-ORD, IAH-ORD, etc, a bunch of domestic feeders where the bags don't require US CBP checks, whereas everything on YYZ-IND requires CBP (that just happens to take place at YYZ due to preclearance). .