I haven't traveled internationally for over 30 years. I have a flight to Rome scheduled at the end of April. First flight is from MSP to Washington (IAD) with a 1 hour layover there before my flight to Rome using United Airlines. Does anyone know whether my checked bag would be sent through to my Rome flight without having to pick it up and recheck?
On my return, my layover is in Toronto, with a longer layover. Is it the same process?
Thank you for all of your help!
Are you booked all on one ticket with United? IF yes, when you get to the desk at MSP they will be tagged thru to Rome and you won't see them til you pull them off the baggage belt there.
One hour is not very long but I've never transited thru Dulles - if other Dulles frequent fliers say this is an OK amount of time, go with that. International flights usually start boarding about 1 hour before departure.
Your bag should be checked through all the way to Rome and you won't have to pick it up at IAD and recheck it. You'll go through customs when you arrive in Rome. On the way back, though, you will have to pass through Canadian customs in Toronto, and so will need to collect your bag and recheck it for the connecting flight to the US, where you'll go through US customs.
Toronto has a US Customs and Border Protection station, so you may be going through immigration and customs there.
Stan is correct. Chiara is not. Since you are in-transit you will have nothing to do with Canadian immigration. You will clear US immigration and customs in Toronto and just walk off the plane in the US. One hour is fine in IAD provided, of course, that you flight is on time assuming that it is one ticket so you just walk gate to gate.
You might have time to look into obtaining Global Entry especially if doing more international travel in the future. That would make the whole process of returning to the US easier and quicker.
I'm booked with one ticket through United so it sounds like this shouldn't be difficult for me. Thank you all for your responses.
Your question has got me thinking. I've never flown internationally so I guess I have the same question. We fly home from Venice to Madrid then to Dallas. We have an AA round trip ticket. So do we need to get our bags in Madrid if it is a continuous connecting flight?
cajuncarrier, if its on one ticket, your bag should be checked through to final destination. You can (and should) confirm this when you check-in and the gate agent puts a tag on your bag that shows the final airport destination code, as well as on the little receipt sticker that they give you for it.
I always watch them tag the bag. I had a "discussion" with an Australian agent once when he refused to believe that the airport code for Kansas City was MCI and not MKC (our cargo airport). He just didn't think I knew my own city, and tagged it MKC anyway. Someone added the right tag on the way.
Stan is correct. Chiara is not. Since you are in-transit you will have nothing to do with Canadian immigration. You will clear US immigration and customs in Toronto and just walk off the plane in the US.
Yes and no......you DO have to clear Canadian customs (so fill out the form) but not immigration - and you don't have to pick up and re-check your bag (they changed that a few years ago, and I was out of date). However you are right that US customs and immigration is done at the Toronto airport, and in the US he will just walk off the plane and go to the baggage carousel.
Global Entry or Nexus makes it a breeze.
Thank you Stan. Appreciate it
Things I have learned about short connections:
For your transfer in IAD, the US has no customs or passport control on departure. And as said, your bags should be checked through to Rome (do make sure the tags say FCO). So, you just have to get from your arrival gate to your departure gate. I don't know IAD, so I don't know if you have to go through security to do this (every airport and every connection is different).
For your transfer in Toronto, use the airport website's connection tool. Put in your details, and you can see all the steps: https://www.torontopearson.com/en/connections
My experience for connecting flights to Europe is what's been mentioned so far. If you're travelling with the same airline on one ticket, your checked luggage should go directly to your final destination. You'll check it at your home airport and won't see it again until you arrive in Rome.
However on connecting flights from Europe, it's been my experience (numerous times) that checked luggage has to be retrieved at the first arrival airport in Canada, and then re-checked immediately for the next flight. That may have changed in the last year or two, but that's what I've found whenever I've transited Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver.
In terms of clearing Customs, you will have to go through a CBSA checkpoint first. As this website states, "If you are arriving on a US or international flight, you will need to confirm your identity with CBSA and declare any goods that you are bringing into the country"* - https://www.torontopearson.com/en/connections/customs-immigration .
United Airlines uses YYZ Terminal 1 for check-in, arrivals and departures, so that should will probably make the connection relatively easy. If you're flying direct from Toronto to Minneapolis, you may be using a code share airline (Air Canada, Delta)?
Ken - remember that the OP is not changing in Toronto from an international arrival to a domestic departure, but from an international arrival to United States bound departure. The procedures are different (Toronto was reconfigured a few years ago to make these kinds of transfers easier).
That's why it's important to use the link I gave, to learn exactly what applies in your particular situation.
Harold, as I mentioned earlier, procedures may have changed in the last few years. I just wanted to indicate what my experience had been with connections. I had a look at the link you provided didn't seem to provide menu options for flights originating in Rome.
Ken - note that your link and my link are different. If you follow the "connections" link, you can input your exact flights and get details. Here it is again:
Harold, that's the same link I tried before. The return flight will be originating in Rome, but I wasn't able to enter that combination. In any case, the process should be fairly straightforward and the OP shouldn't have any problems transiting through Pearson.
I've had to go through passport control every time I've flown from Chicago O'Hare to international destinations. I assumed that is the same for all int'l flights departing the US. Since MSP-IAD sounds like a domestic flight, I thought the OP would have to go through passport control at IAD.
The process is much faster than when entering the US, but there can still be lines.
Dulles can be a challenge. I went to their website, https://www.flydulles.com/iad/arrivals-and-departures so see what I could learn.
Today the United flight from MSP is parking at C28. They don't have a flight to Rome today but United flights to Paris and Frankfurt are leaving from C gates.
If you booked one ticket with United that includes a plane change it's my understanding that they believe the connection is do-able and they'll do their best to get you on the next available flight to Rome if the first plane is late. Since boarding will likely start an hour before, you might be cutting it a little tight. I'd call United and see what they think and what your options are. They might switch you to an earlier first flight or route you through a different city.
With only a one-hour layover, be prepared for your bags to miss the second flight. Use carry-on to take everything you might need for a 24 hour delay in receiving your checked bags. Lesson learned the hard way last year.
