UA Launches CBP's Intl Remote Baggage Screening on Select Intl Flights (1st SYD-SFO)
 

Apparently I was on the inaugural flight #870 from SYD and found out we no longer need to pick up our bags for our connecting flights.
So far it is JUST this flight according to announcements in customs.

I’m not at my final destination yet, so yet to see if it works

This has been happening with some flights SYD-LAX at least on AA and it works well. I believe something similar is already in process coming from Japan on DL. At DFW some AA flights from LHR don't even have to reclear security. Crossing fingers it expands greatly.

So at least for this flight, customs is openly giving up any pretense of screening arriving baggage, even as a rare spot check? Wonderful change for the pax, but if expanded it seems it's an unannounced move towards ending customs screening altogether. In theory I guess they could screen the transfer bag behind the scenes, but presumably this would require an increase in resources not previously used.

Wow... does this mean that US airports are slowly crawling to catch up to what the rest of the world has been doing for 20 years?

I am cackling with glee at the thought of all of the hidden-city ticketers leaning after they’ve already boarded that their bags are going to their ticketed destination…

Yeah we didn’t know until we landed and the captain announced he THINKS this is happening, but he has no idea and we should find out when we get to customs.
The announcements were pretty clear but there were a lot of people milling around who didn’t seem to trust it.
I don’t care. The most important thing in my bag is my fridge magnet from Kangaroo Island, so I’m fine as long as I get it eventually :)

This is the very first thought I had too. I live in the Bay Area, so the temptation to book through SFO to a far cheaper destination is always there. But of course I would never do that.....

I just took KE/DL from ICN - ATL - EWR and it was straight through luggage check in. It was fantastic and I hope they expand it from low risk jurisdictions.

You are assuming that there was not already "behind the scenes" screening taking place.

Here's how I *guess* this could work:

Bags screen by departure airport
Anything that indicates a physical inspection is needed is put into the passenger's electronic immigration file
At port of entry, immigration agent sees the inspection notification
-- Either further questioning by the agent
-- Or agent says the bag will be delivered to the carousel with the receipt indicating inspection required by the customs agent

is this for I2I or I2D as well?

If I2D, there is no way something will come into the country without a level of inspection. This will simply be done behind the scenes in the barroom or even during unload (although that is more so on NB, which you can see often at IAH).

I noticed when I returned from Spain a couple of weeks ago that while I still had to recheck my baggage, I didn't have to make statement about having anything to declare and it didn't seem like they had a separate line for declarations/non-declarations. I was kind of wondering if the end of de minimis duty exemptions for online orders was going to apply to the handful of souvenirs I purchased in Spain and was surprised to not have to think about it at all. On the other hand, I just paid $18 in duty on an overseas part that was declared to have $0.10 value on the customs form ...

No need to guess. Here's the CBP announcement from when the program was initially instituted for AA's SYD-LAX flight:

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/nationa...gage-screening

("CBP launches innovative International Remote Baggage Screening Initiative to enhance security and streamline travel.")

That's been the case with GE for some time. At some stations they may still ask what you purchased. At LAX, they just wave you through, no questions asked.

This doesn't mean CBP is not scanning bags for contraband, it just means they're not asking pax to self-report their goods or purchases.

JL HND-DFW-XXX been working in this way for over a year.