Checking in for transfer flights / seperate airline
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Join Date: Jun 2002
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Checking in for transfer flights / seperate airline
Hello,
Although last years trip to the USA included a change of plane at Atlanta, this was to another flight of the same carrier. Thus when I checked in at Gatwick my bags were checked in all the way through to Miami and I received boarding cards for both the Atlanta and Miami flights.
This year, in June, I am going to Naples (Florida) again, but am going to fly to Fort Myers via Miami. The transatlantic flights are with Virgin Atlantic and the internal flight to Fort Myers are with American Eagle.
So when I check in at Heathrow, will my bags be checked straight through to Fort Myers? I understand that I will need to collect my bags in order to go through customs at Miami. Also will I be checked, ie. receive a boarding card for the American Eagle connecting flight?
Another quick question. Has anyone been through Miami airport on an M-1 visa recently? I had to wait at Atlanta Immigration for two hours for "special processing" as I was going to Florida for a flight training course.
My connecting times between flights at Miami are two and a half hours, so I really hope I don't miss the American Eagle connecting flight because of the M1 student visa processing (I'm going for flight training again).
Best wishes,
Richard.
Although last years trip to the USA included a change of plane at Atlanta, this was to another flight of the same carrier. Thus when I checked in at Gatwick my bags were checked in all the way through to Miami and I received boarding cards for both the Atlanta and Miami flights.
This year, in June, I am going to Naples (Florida) again, but am going to fly to Fort Myers via Miami. The transatlantic flights are with Virgin Atlantic and the internal flight to Fort Myers are with American Eagle.
So when I check in at Heathrow, will my bags be checked straight through to Fort Myers? I understand that I will need to collect my bags in order to go through customs at Miami. Also will I be checked, ie. receive a boarding card for the American Eagle connecting flight?
Another quick question. Has anyone been through Miami airport on an M-1 visa recently? I had to wait at Atlanta Immigration for two hours for "special processing" as I was going to Florida for a flight training course.
My connecting times between flights at Miami are two and a half hours, so I really hope I don't miss the American Eagle connecting flight because of the M1 student visa processing (I'm going for flight training again).
Best wishes,
Richard.
Your bags will initially be checked to Miami, as with everybody else, because you need to clear customs there. As soon as you are through customs inspection and before you come out into the terminal you will see a specific AA desk for re-checking your baggage onto a connecting internal flight.
It's actually the same baggage procedure if you were going AA on the transatlantic leg. The thing that I don't know, and might be different, is whether VS can give you your boarding pass for the connecting AA Eagle flight. If not the baggage check place can probably do it.
The last time I did this (going to Jacksonville) it was then a huge walk to the AA commuter gates, must have been half a mile or more (they are right at the far end of one of the piers, they then bus you to the aircraft). Don't know what the immigration is like now. It was always a zoo there before all the new regulations anyway. The various US authorities nowadays seem to see it as a career-enhancing move to mess visitors about in airports. The TSA started it, then Immigration began all their hassles and now customs feel they were being left behind and have started to mess everyone about in a way they did not do before as well.
It's actually the same baggage procedure if you were going AA on the transatlantic leg. The thing that I don't know, and might be different, is whether VS can give you your boarding pass for the connecting AA Eagle flight. If not the baggage check place can probably do it.
The last time I did this (going to Jacksonville) it was then a huge walk to the AA commuter gates, must have been half a mile or more (they are right at the far end of one of the piers, they then bus you to the aircraft). Don't know what the immigration is like now. It was always a zoo there before all the new regulations anyway. The various US authorities nowadays seem to see it as a career-enhancing move to mess visitors about in airports. The TSA started it, then Immigration began all their hassles and now customs feel they were being left behind and have started to mess everyone about in a way they did not do before as well.
Too mean to buy a long personal title
Unless something strange happened last year, you would have cleared immigration, claimed your bag and cleared customs at Atlanta although you would then have given the bag straight back to the carrier for the domestic flight. This happens even if the bag is through-tagged to your final destination and you have already been issued with a boarding pass for the domestic leg.
This year Virgin should be able to through-tag your bag LHR-MIA-RSW even though the flight to Fort Myers is on AA. They are not obliged to if the AA ticket is a separate one but in my experience major airlines are usually very good about this. If your bag has been through-tagged you should be able to give it to AA immediately after you have cleared customs at MIA, before you have exited into the landside area.
I doubt that VS will be able to give you an AA boarding pass and you will have to get that at MIA. I don't know if you will be able to get an AA boarding pass at the same place as they take the bags; you may have to go upstairs to the check in area. (If you are feeling cheeky and you have time at LHR after you've checked in with VS, you could pop over to AA who are in the next check-in area - IIRC, VS uses Zone A and AA uses Zone B - and see if they will issue you with a boarding pass there. Be prepared for a no, though.)
One advantage that you do have at MIA is that there is only one horseshoe-shaped terminal building, although there are a number of concourses that radiate from it. It looks like VS arrives at Concourse E and the Fort Myers flights depart from Concourse D so at least you don't have to walk the entire length of the terminal building to get to your connecting flight. The concourses are still pretty long fingers, though.
If you are doing the same itinerary in reverse on your return, AA should be able to through-tag your bag to LHR and automatically transfer it to VS at MIA so you would only need to collect your boarding pass from VS and go to the gate. VS will almost certainly want to see your bag tag receipt so have that handy.
This year Virgin should be able to through-tag your bag LHR-MIA-RSW even though the flight to Fort Myers is on AA. They are not obliged to if the AA ticket is a separate one but in my experience major airlines are usually very good about this. If your bag has been through-tagged you should be able to give it to AA immediately after you have cleared customs at MIA, before you have exited into the landside area.
I doubt that VS will be able to give you an AA boarding pass and you will have to get that at MIA. I don't know if you will be able to get an AA boarding pass at the same place as they take the bags; you may have to go upstairs to the check in area. (If you are feeling cheeky and you have time at LHR after you've checked in with VS, you could pop over to AA who are in the next check-in area - IIRC, VS uses Zone A and AA uses Zone B - and see if they will issue you with a boarding pass there. Be prepared for a no, though.)
One advantage that you do have at MIA is that there is only one horseshoe-shaped terminal building, although there are a number of concourses that radiate from it. It looks like VS arrives at Concourse E and the Fort Myers flights depart from Concourse D so at least you don't have to walk the entire length of the terminal building to get to your connecting flight. The concourses are still pretty long fingers, though.
If you are doing the same itinerary in reverse on your return, AA should be able to through-tag your bag to LHR and automatically transfer it to VS at MIA so you would only need to collect your boarding pass from VS and go to the gate. VS will almost certainly want to see your bag tag receipt so have that handy.
Thread Starter
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Many thanks for the replies.
As I like to be very early for transatlantic flights I'll have extra time on my hands to go and ask at the AA desk. They are pretty near each other if I remember rightly from a couple of years ago.
As I like to be very early for transatlantic flights I'll have extra time on my hands to go and ask at the AA desk. They are pretty near each other if I remember rightly from a couple of years ago.
