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Going through customs - logistical question.

Posted by (Whidbey Island, Washington State, USA) on

Hello, on a previous post I asked a specific question about limits on bringing things back through customs;
this is a different question.

We are traveling to Paris from Seattle with a 4 hour layover in London. Our return trip has us going from Paris to Dallas and switching planes to get back to Seattle. There's a 2 1/2 hour layover in Dallas. All of the flights are through British Air but the return is via American Airlines code sharing.

I've been assuming that we would go through customs in Seattle but now I'm wondering how that could be if we switch from an international flight to a domestic flight. Does anyone know how customs is handled in this case? Thanks!!

Posted by
5837 posts

Immigration and customs at DFW. If you check bags at Paris, you will need to reclaim after immigration but before customs, then recheck bags to final destination. Dallas is your port of entry.

Posted by
20678 posts

You will go through passport control in Dallas, then claim your bags, then customs, then recheck your bags for the final leg. With Global Entry it will take 15 minutes plus what ever time it takes the airport to get your bags to the carosell (30 minutes to they are lost). With out Global Entry, generally speaking absolute worst case scenario, with no lost luggage, is under 1.5 hours.

Posted by
262 posts

Since Dallas is your first point of entry into the US, you will go through passport control and customs here. You will pick up your bags, pass through customs and re-check your bags for your connecting flights. You will go through security again with your carry on baggage and on to your connecting flight to Seattle. When you arrive in Seattle, it's from a domestic flight from Dallas and there is no passport or customs control when you arrive.

Posted by
16488 posts

On your flight over, you will not have to go through immigration or customs in London. If you have checked bags, they should be checked through to Paris. You will go through immigration and customs in Paris.

Make sure your flights are operated by British Airways and not just have a British Airways flight number.

To find out what you have to do, go to Heathrow Airport Flight Connections plug in your information and it will give you step by step instrutions

Posted by
1892 posts

If you buy duty free liquor or wine in Paris, it will need to be in your checked bag from Dallas to Seattle.

Posted by
2916 posts

Make sure your flights are operated by British Airways and not just have a British Airways flight number.

I'm not sure why that would make a difference as long as it's one ticket.

Posted by
11294 posts

You do need to know whether your first flight is on British Air or American, so you go to the correct terminal.

Looking at Wikipedia, the flight from CDG to DFW is operated by American (as you said), so you go to Terminal 2A for your departure.

Posted by
5837 posts

You can use flightstatus.com to get a sense of the likely terminals for your flight(s). For example, today's CDG to DFW British Airway Flight 1537 status displays:

(BA) British Airways 1537

(CDG) Paris, FR to (DFW) Dallas, TX, US

Operated by (AA) American Airlines 49

Arrival Gate: 30 (Terminal D)

DFW's Terminal D is the "international" terminal. That said, there is an AA 1220/BA 2410 departing DFW to SEA today from Terminal D Gate 18.

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