Check through problems
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Check through problems
This is more by way of being a bit irritated on a friends behalf.
Travelling from Panama to LHR via MAD on Iberia. Checking in in Panama was told not able to check luggage through to the connecting flight. Argument and discussion with supervisor got nowhere. On arrival at MAD informed that needed to pick up luggage, leave airport and re enter in order to check in. This meant there were unable to make their connection. Iberia initially argued the toss and said there was nothing they could do about it but eventually provided hotel accommodation for that night and transferred to MAD LHR next morning.
Is this just stupidity at Panama (I have heard the airport quite inefficient) or genuinely something wrong with Iberias procedures?
Travelling from Panama to LHR via MAD on Iberia. Checking in in Panama was told not able to check luggage through to the connecting flight. Argument and discussion with supervisor got nowhere. On arrival at MAD informed that needed to pick up luggage, leave airport and re enter in order to check in. This meant there were unable to make their connection. Iberia initially argued the toss and said there was nothing they could do about it but eventually provided hotel accommodation for that night and transferred to MAD LHR next morning.
Is this just stupidity at Panama (I have heard the airport quite inefficient) or genuinely something wrong with Iberias procedures?
Join Date: May 2001
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If you come in from outside Europe the first landing on EU soil you should have to clear customs.
And they will also want you to go through security again as well.
As such the airline has no control over what's required.
Some airports as well have no way from getting from the outside EU side of things to the internal EU flights without going ground side.
You can't clear customs if your bag is transferred.
And they will also want you to go through security again as well.
As such the airline has no control over what's required.
Some airports as well have no way from getting from the outside EU side of things to the internal EU flights without going ground side.
You can't clear customs if your bag is transferred.
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From: https://help.iberia.com/user_questio...n-time-madrid/
"Transfer Luggage" is defined as checked-in luggage which has to travel on two or more connecting flights and therefore must be transferred from one aircraft to another. Iberia permits passenger and luggage check-in during transfers (between Iberia flights) on both single tickets and separate Iberia tickets. Passenger and/or luggage check-in during transfers with separate tickets from other companies, between Iberia and other companies in the OneworldAlliance, and between Iberia and the companies it has code share agreements with are also allowed, so long as the passenger can prove he or she has an ongoing ticket and meets the Minimum Connecting Time in the stopover or transfer airport. Passengers will be advised at the airport of origin regarding where they should collect their luggage.
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Dont know whether 1 ticket or 2 but booked as one journey so I assume 1.
I see the point about clearing customs. I guess my point is that it shouldnt have happened at all. I have flown connecting flights from non EU to an EU destination that stopped in a different EU country en route and not had that issue.
My point is that surely check in in Panama had the ability to route them through. That they didnt strikes me as incompetent. Plus the usual surly Iberian attitude meant that they were just met with blank faced refusals as opposed to any logic.
Eventually in Madrid they managed to get someone seemingly half way sensible to took ownership of the problem and agreed to accommodate them overnight but it apparently took a lot of throwing toys out of pram to achieve.
I see the point about clearing customs. I guess my point is that it shouldnt have happened at all. I have flown connecting flights from non EU to an EU destination that stopped in a different EU country en route and not had that issue.
My point is that surely check in in Panama had the ability to route them through. That they didnt strikes me as incompetent. Plus the usual surly Iberian attitude meant that they were just met with blank faced refusals as opposed to any logic.
Eventually in Madrid they managed to get someone seemingly half way sensible to took ownership of the problem and agreed to accommodate them overnight but it apparently took a lot of throwing toys out of pram to achieve.
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It depends what the local rules are and if its a first point of entry and if the flight is a continuation or a swap onto a new flight.
Some places it physically impossible for the baggage to be transferred as the baggage halls are different and there is no connection into the intra EU hall.
Some places it physically impossible for the baggage to be transferred as the baggage halls are different and there is no connection into the intra EU hall.
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MAD-LHR is not intra-Schengen. It is an international flight. No different than MAD-GVA or MAD-JNB.
The bags should have been 'through-checkable', unless the connection was too short (less than the MCT).
The bags should have been 'through-checkable', unless the connection was too short (less than the MCT).
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its got nothing to do with Schengen, it only has things to do with immigration.
Customs is a completely different kettle of fish.
Most country's want to get there hands on you so they get to keep any import duty that they can extort out of you on your entry point.
Flying from MAD to UK will get your passport checked but you go through the EU customs channel not the green or red.
Customs is a completely different kettle of fish.
Most country's want to get there hands on you so they get to keep any import duty that they can extort out of you on your entry point.
Flying from MAD to UK will get your passport checked but you go through the EU customs channel not the green or red.
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I have transferred at Madrid, Amsterdam and Heathrow to points within Europe and outside Europe after arriving on a long haul flight and my baggage has always been through checked. Last time with Iberia was San Juan-Madrid-Heathrow, no problem.
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going outside Europe is never a problem.
Coming in quite often is.
Personally I always presume that I will have to clear customs at my first arrival point and take that into account with my transfer time.
Mind you I have never lost my bags either. I wouldn't trust the buggers not to off load and just dump it on the belts what ever it had on tag.
Coming in quite often is.
Personally I always presume that I will have to clear customs at my first arrival point and take that into account with my transfer time.
Mind you I have never lost my bags either. I wouldn't trust the buggers not to off load and just dump it on the belts what ever it had on tag.
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Coming into EU from US the typical drill is that you do not see your baggage at your first point of entry into the EU, but only at your final EU destination. But you do generally go through some Passport checks at this first point of entry. So don't know why PAX was unable to get his bag checked to his final destination (especially if OneWorld all the way).
Perhaps there are some security concerns about PTY so that Spain wants to inspect bags immediately upon entry and before putting them on another flight?
Perhaps there are some security concerns about PTY so that Spain wants to inspect bags immediately upon entry and before putting them on another flight?
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Same issue within Europe in May this year. Heathrow to Kirkenes via Stavanger and Oslo with SAS. I was assured that my bag was checked through, but on arrival at Kirkenes found my bag was still in Oslo, as I had been expected to pick it up and go back through security there as Kirkenes is not a customs clearance airport for Norway. No mention at LHR or on either of the first two legs on board. The help desk at Kirkenes were expecting me on arrival - turns out that this catches out quite a few people.
Respect, though, to the SAS duty manager at Kirkenes who managed to route the bag on to Kirkenes very late that evening via another intermediate airport where it arrived at 1am and then personally drove it to my hotel after his shift finished as I was on a ferry the next morning. A top man !
Respect, though, to the SAS duty manager at Kirkenes who managed to route the bag on to Kirkenes very late that evening via another intermediate airport where it arrived at 1am and then personally drove it to my hotel after his shift finished as I was on a ferry the next morning. A top man !
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Norway isn't in the EU and can be a bit special.
In fact it can cause more than a few issues with transfer pax as you have the international duty free limits. And even if you are departing back into the EU in an hour or 2 they will have the import tax off you.
In fact it can cause more than a few issues with transfer pax as you have the international duty free limits. And even if you are departing back into the EU in an hour or 2 they will have the import tax off you.
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Yes - Kirkenes can be a bugger - they sometimes offload the baggage at an intermediate airport even on domestic flights from Oslo
Of course driving the bag to the hotel in summer at 01:00 is easy as the sun is still up and the bars are open as well..................
Of course driving the bag to the hotel in summer at 01:00 is easy as the sun is still up and the bars are open as well..................
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Quite spooky, Harry ! Clearly it was still daylight, and equally clearly I was waiting for SAS Man whilst nursing a beer in the (still open) bar in the Rica Hotel......
Perhaps you could pick my lottery tickets tomorrow ?
Perhaps you could pick my lottery tickets tomorrow ?
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Sorry I have the winning numbers......
Strange place kirkenes - bit of a one reindeer town I always felt...........
tho once had a dramtic skid sideways down the runway when the port brake locked on the SAS DC-9 .... and we had to walk back up the runway with our luggage ......
Strange place kirkenes - bit of a one reindeer town I always felt...........
tho once had a dramtic skid sideways down the runway when the port brake locked on the SAS DC-9 .... and we had to walk back up the runway with our luggage ......
Just did OSL - EDI via LHR yesterday booked the luggage through no problem, waved it good bye in OSL & next saw it happily wending its way around carousel 6 in EDI.
Of all the travel I've done in the past few years to North America Europe, Middle & Far East, the only time that I have had to pick up my luggage and clear customs at any airport, other than my final destination [even in Norway] has been when I have not been able to book a single ticket for the complete journey.
Of all the travel I've done in the past few years to North America Europe, Middle & Far East, the only time that I have had to pick up my luggage and clear customs at any airport, other than my final destination [even in Norway] has been when I have not been able to book a single ticket for the complete journey.
Did LHR-JFK-CVG (VS/DL) a few months ago. Managed to get "priority" immigration clearance due to a relatively tight connection (circa 2 hours). My bag was the last to come off the carousel! And then the endless queue for customs/food inspection.
Having to pick up bags and essentially drop them off again the other side of a wall, isn't half frustrating. But I'm guessing its the same at every other international-domestic connection in the US.
I must say, the US domestic flight system is very strange to say the least! Especially for a country so security conscious. The Delta domestic terminal has around 8-10 gates in one. Just a big free for all!
Having to pick up bags and essentially drop them off again the other side of a wall, isn't half frustrating. But I'm guessing its the same at every other international-domestic connection in the US.
I must say, the US domestic flight system is very strange to say the least! Especially for a country so security conscious. The Delta domestic terminal has around 8-10 gates in one. Just a big free for all!
