Adding baggage at a transit point

[CaviAck]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning on flying YYZ-LAX-SYD on QF with a 10 hour transit at LAX. I was wondering if I can check more bags in at LA as I've got family there that wants to send stuff over to SYD.

On a side note I know I have to pick up my luggage at LAX anyway due to customs and move from T4 to TBIT anyway.

Cheers in advance

 

[JohnK]

I don't think you will have any issues checking in additional luggage at the transit point as long it does not get you over your baggage allowance.

 

[dajop]

On a side note I know I have to pick up my luggage at LAX anyway due to customs and move from T4 to TBIT anyway.

But do you? US immigration formalities take place prior to departure at YYZ.

 

[legroom]

How would the airline know the weight of the already checked in luggage?

Is that info stored somewhere (after it was placed on the scale)?

If not, how could anyone state 'I am under the limit' and entitled to some more?

The system would flag you had already checked in!

I could see no issue exiting LAX terminal (? T4) to meet up with relatives as you would have the BP for the next flight already issued.

You'd need to go through bag check and security again though but you have 10 hrs for that.

EDIT:

If you use non-OW airline for YYZ, I guess you would have to check your luggage again with QF (?) for the flight home.

In other words, it may work if your luggage was tagged to LAX (and not onwards to SYD).

 

[RooFlyer]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning on flying YYZ-LAX-SYD on QF with a 10 hour transit at LAX. I was wondering if I can check more bags in at LA as I've got family there that wants to send stuff over to SYD.

On a side note I know I have to pick up my luggage at LAX anyway due to customs and move from T4 to TBIT anyway.

Cheers in advance

You don't pick your luggage up at LAX. You clear US customs and immigration at YYZ, so your YYZ-LAX flight effectively is a domestic flight. If you have your bags checked through to SYD you won't see them again. (Air Canada and United WILL interline and check your bags all the way through if its one ticket).

Unless you are on AA YYZ-LAX, you probably will have to get a QF (I assume) BP at TBIT. You'll have to show them the YYZ baggage chit so that can be married to your new BP. At that point they will know what you have already checked in and I don't see why you can't check in another bag if your allowance permits.

 

[CaviAck]

But do you? US immigration formalities take place prior to departure at YYZ.

Completely forgot that I'd probably end up doing immigration in YYZ... Posting while half asleep for you.. There's still a terminal change anyway. (Which I'd probably end up taking the bus just for the fun of it and traveling on the tarmac... Can I still exit TBIT and re-enter?)

How would the airline know the weight of the already checked in luggage?

Is that info stored somewhere (after it was placed on the scale)?

If not, how could anyone state 'I am under the limit' and entitled to some more?

The system would flag you had already checked in!

I could see no issue exiting LAX terminal (? T4) to meet up with relatives as you would have the BP for the next flight already issued.

You'd need to go through bag check and security again though but you have 10 hrs for that.

EDIT:

If you use non-OW airline for YYZ, I guess you would have to check your luggage again with QF (?) for the flight home.

In other words, it may work if your luggage was tagged to LAX (and not onwards to SYD).

QF uses a piece system anyway, they'd know we'd only have x bags check-in on the system I would assume.

It's all OW. Still tossing up between flying QF to LA and then buying AA tickets separately or go under the one PNR with all QF numbers. (Difference is a stop over at LA or not on the way back, for some reason if I fly to SEA on the way over and from YYZ back it won't let me have a free stop-over at LAX compared to flying to YVR on the way over...)

You don't pick your luggage up at LAX. You clear US customs and immigration at YYZ, so your YYZ-LAX flight effectively is a domestic flight. If you have your bags checked through to SYD you won't see them again. (Air Canada and United WILL interline and check your bags all the way through if its one ticket).

Unless you are on AA YYZ-LAX, you probably will have to get a QF (I assume) BP at TBIT. You'll have to show them the YYZ baggage chit so that can be married to your new BP. At that point they will know what you have already checked in and I don't see why you can't check in another bag if your allowance permits.

I know if we don't short-check the bags at YYZ we won't see our bags until SYD. Yeah forgot that we'd end up clearing immigration at YYZ... whoops.

Flying AA(/QF codeshare) and QF to SYD, so I know baggage and boarding passes shouldn't be a problem (at least that's what the lady on the phone said... even if it's on separate PNR's)

I don't think you will have any issues checking in additional luggage at the transit point as long it does not get you over your baggage allowance.

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

 

[RooFlyer]

Completely forgot that I'd probably end up doing immigration in YYZ... Posting while half asleep for you.. There's still a terminal change anyway. (Which I'd probably end up taking the bus just for the fun of it and traveling on the tarmac... Can I still exit TBIT and re-enter?)

<snip>

So what you are exploring doing is landing at T4 with AA, then catching bus to TBIT, then exiting TBIT and re-entering to catch your final flight?

I've never thought about exiting TBIT once inside. The bus deposits you by one of the new departure gates. Assuming you have an actual path from the 'departures' area to immigration, you would have to clear US immigration again I suppose (which might get some questions as to why you are 'entering' the USA twice in a row), then clear security again on re-entry to TBIT. Thinking about it, I doubt you will be able to find a straightforward path to immigration from the departures areas, although it must be possible (change-of-mind pax etc).

 

[CaviAck]

So what you are exploring doing is landing at T4 with AA, then catching bus to TBIT, then exiting TBIT and re-entering to catch your final flight?

I've never thought about exiting TBIT once inside. The bus deposits you by one of the new departure gates. Assuming you have an actual path from the 'departures' area to immigration, you would have to clear US immigration again I suppose (which might get some questions as to why you are 'entering' the USA twice in a row), then clear security again on re-entry to TBIT. Thinking about it, I doubt you will be able to find a straightforward path to immigration from the departures areas, although it must be possible (change-of-mind pax etc).

Yes that's what I'm thinking of doing. Landing at T4, catching the bus to TBIT for the dodgems with the planes experience and then exiting TBIT to meet with family and pick up extra baggage.

I was close to exiting TBIT last year after clearing security and realising that there was nothing to eat or do airside and I was getting hungry. Walked half way to the security check-point before giving up cause it was such a long walk back to the entrance to check if I could in deed go out. (Well I was told by the gate agents that if I wanted food it was landside and had to go out, so I assumed it was possible since there's no immigration to clear on departure)