Connecting Thru Amsterdam to USA

KLM and Delta are partners. You are likely booked on one ticket with a AMS connection. Departing Germany, you would be checking your bags through to SLC. In that case, you would pick up your bags at SLC .

If you book on a single ticket with partner airlines, then your luggage should be checked through to your final destination, so in Amsterdam, you will not claim your bag. Of course, when you check your bag in Munich or Frankfurt, verify with the agent that the bag is checked through.

In Amsterdam, you will need to go through exit Immigration and likely a security check, possibly additional security at the gate.

You will at your first stop in the US (Salt Lake City?) go through Immigration, then claim your bag and go through Customs. If that is your final destination, you then leave, if catching a connecting flight, then you recheck your bag. Edit: At one time there were a few airports where exit to a non-secure zone was not available from Customs, in those cases, if it was your final destination, you still had to "re-check" your bag and pick up at baggage claim once you were out of the secure zone.

There are some airports in Europe (Dublin for example) that handle US Immigration in Europe, the process is different, but Amsterdam does not participate in that program.

Paul is correct. I've flown to the US from France through Amsterdam, and it was exactly as described. Bags checked in Lyon through to Boston, immigration check in AMS (because we were leaving Schengen), and an additional US security check in AMS because it was a US-bound flight.

And just to keep the terms straight, you will not see the TSA until you hit the US since it is a US organization. Nobody cares about you luggage going to the US once you clear the initial security screening in Munich. You will not see your checked luggage until SLC. As stated above you will go through exit (the Schengen zone) immigration in Amsterdam and US immigration and custom when you hit SLC.

Thanks everyone for setting me straight.

I suspect the original post was asking about the US customs and border protection agency's pre-clearance program. Its only European location is Ireland. There, US-bound passengers are cleared to enter the US at the Irish airport before boarding the plane. Here is a list of other departure points where the scheme operates:

https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/ports-entry/operations/preclearance

Gary...I love those non-stop flights from Amsterdam or Paris or London to SLC. SO much easier to skip over to the West!

And yes, totally agree with the above comment that when you check your bags in Germany on what will probably be a KLM flight, they will tag them for SLC so you'll not have to deal with them again until you get past Immigration to the Customs area in the SLC airport. It is extremely easy since you don't have to do anything.

You DO have to go thru Exit Immigration in Amsterdam so don't give yourself a tight connection time there. The flight back to SLC will start boarding about an hour before the departure time and I like to be at the gate then. I'd allow 2.5-3 hours between the Germany flight and the SLC flight although many others will suggest a tighter time frame. There is only one flight a day from AMS to SLC so if you miss it you will be routed elsewhere or will wait for the next day. There is PLENTY to keep you busy in the International area of Schiphol including a tiny outpost of the Rijksmuseum (only about 10 paintings).

Thanks again for the input. In the end I decided to fly out of FRA. I am less familiar with it than MUC so I settled for a later flight through Detroit. Likely I will try the Amsterdam connection next year.