We are flying Paris to Vancouver BC on Air France then Vancouver to Seattle on Alaska. We are using different mileage programs for each leg of the flight.
Would it be possible to check our bags through from CDG to SEA and not have to pick them up in Vancouver and recheck them again to Seattle?
Definitely not. You will go through USA immigration, passport control, customs in Vancouver before your flight to Seattle.
http://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/navigate-yvr/customs-and-immigration/us-customs-and-border-protection
And even if you were not flying through Canada you would not be able to do that
Oh thanks — so when we land at Sea Tac we just walk out the door without doing paperwork?
when we land at Sea Tac we just walk out the door without doing paperwork?
Yep
And hopefully you’re not attempting to fly in, land, and fly back out all in the same day..
In this case, because you have two separate bookings (right?) you will have to pick up your bags and re-check.
And even if you were not flying through Canada you would not be able
to do that
While it's not possible in this case because there are two separate bookings, if this were one booking it is not necessarily impossible to do this. Just because there are US preclearance facilities in Vancouver does not mean that passengers always have to pick up their bags. Check the YVR transit guide -- passengers who arrive from an international destination on a number of airlines (including Air France) and continuing on to their destination will usually "have their luggage checked-through to their final destination, so [they] will not claim your checked-bags at YVR."
It is similar in Toronto -- passengers transferring from an international destination to a US destination who travel through Terminal 1 also do not have to pick up their bags during the connection and don't see them until the US.
It is similar in Toronto -- passengers transferring from an international destination to a US destination who travel through Terminal 1 also do not have to pick up their bags during the connection and don't see them until the US.
Not sure about that one. I have transited through Toronto on a flight from Duesseldorf to Chicago and we had to collect our bags in Toronto and pass through US immigration and customs there before boarding our flight to Chicago (ORD). That is because the flight to Chicago (United) lands at Terminal 1 at O'Hare and there are no immigration and customs facilities at that terminal. Those facilities are at Terminal 5.
Sam -- take a look at the Toronto Pearson connection guide. If you input:
The resulting guide will inform you that you arrive in Terminal 1, go through security screening, and then (I quote):
Step 4 - Proceed to the USA Connection Area
This area includes a 3 Step process that eliminates the need to
collect your baggage.
If you have to change terminals at Pearson (like Terminal 3 to Terminal 1) this does not apply; you must in that case pick up your baggage.
Please note I'm not saying you skip US immigration and customs in Toronto. All flights from YYZ to the USA are pre-cleared at YYZ, we agree there. What I am saying is that US-bound passengers coming from an international flight do not always have to pick up their baggage in Toronto.
I hope you have allowed a lot of time for this "connection" (which is not really a connection). If your Paris to Vancouver neither AF or Alaska will be responsible for getting you to Seattle.
Alaska airlines might not be “required” to get them to Seattle if they are late, but I bet that they would. They are a fairly customer oriented airline. In addition bus service and train service go from Vancouver to Seattle.
It appears Gretchen is arriving YVR at 1125AM.
Alaska has flights at , 3, 5 and 7 to SEA.
As long as the 1st flight is not seriously late, making any of the Alaska flights should be no problem. The problem could arise if the 1st flight is way late, and if the chosen Alaska flight is the 3PM and is missed there are only 2 other flights, which could be full.
As Alaska no longer has a partnership with AF, I would have to believe, there is NOT a way to check bags all the way to SEA, thus retrieval and re-checking in YVR is needed. This is a question to put to AF
