Clearing customs w/checked bgg and onward domestic flight
 

We are flying from Rome to Greenville, SC, in Sept., on DL flt 1044, to JFK, operated by Alitalia. In JFK, we connect to a DL flt to Atlanta and then to a connecting DL flt to Greenville.

I've done the bgg claim-customs-bgg recheck in Atlanta but never in JFK.

Can anyone tell me how it'll happen this time?

Thx.

Same procedure. Different layout. Different signage.

Yup, procedure is always the same no matter which airport you land at! Deplane, follow signs to Passport Control to clear Immigration, go to Baggage Claim to retrieve any checked luggage, clear/exit Customs, recheck your bags immediately outside Customs, check overhead monitors for your connecting flight departure gate, proceed to TSA checkpoint and on to gate.

OP arriving on AZ in T1 at JFK. After clearing immigration and customs and dropping off bags, need to take AirTrain over to T2 and reclear security for DL flight.

rkkwan, thanks for that! I didn't exactly make myself clear, but that was one aspect of this I was curious about.

I think, basically, I'm flying from Rome to JFK on Alitalia, as far as they are concerned. So the fact that they're a DL partner and I'm connecting to a DL flight after I get to JFK is irrelevant; they must give me my bag so I can clear customs, and from that point on it's my pblm how to get from T1 to T2 or 4 dep on where my JFK-ATL flight leaves from.

Thx one and all.

I just reread your msgs and I overlooked one part of them. You say I will get my bag at Alitalia, clear US Customs, and then I'll recheck my bag at the terminal I came in on, even though I came in on Alitalia and I'm leaving from DL on a different terminal, and it'll get on to my connecting flights? Cool! I.e., I'll check it all the way to Greenville when I check in at Alitalia in Rome! Do I understand it right this time!?

>>Do I understand it right this time!?<<

yup - :)

If I can tag on...Is the procedure the same if I am flying AC from CDG-YUL-MCO? At Montreal, am I allowed to leave the terminal? (obviously going thru security again to catch the flight to Orlando).

Tully, if you don't leave the terminal at YUL, you don't have to go through Canadian immigration at all. You simply follow the signs that say CONNECTIONS and the American flag and then go through US immigration and customs there and board your flight. I believe this has to be an Air Canada-to-Air Canada connection.

http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...l_intl_us.html

If you want to leave the terminal, then you've officially ientered Canada and must pass through Canadian immigration.

Thanks Jeff. I most likely will leave the terminal on my layover, just wanted to make sure it wasn't a big hassle. Sounds like it is pretty straightforward.

Tully, do remember that you clear US immigration and customs in Canada before you board your YUL-MCO flight. Allow time for that.

I will, thanks Jeff!