Yet another international flight/luggage/customs/immigration question
Sorry - did search, still don't get it. Dtr is flying Boston-IAD (Washington)-EZE (Buenos Aires). Change planes in IAD but one ticket with connecting flight. I am assuming she checks luggage in Boston through to Argentina, right? (United Airlines).
Questions. Does she have to anything in IAD other than find and board her connecting flight - like passport, etc or is that taken care in Boston? What is reasonable connection time to allow - in summer, so less likely weather delays. I know she will have to do whatever Argentina does regarding customs/immigration when she gets there. Upon return, does she have to collect luggage and do the entry to US thing at IAD or BOS? If so, what would be reasonable time to allow for that? Final question - if airline allows x amount of luggage for an international flight, does that amount also hold for the BOS-IAD leg or is she subject to less weight/higher fees for that part. And if she flies BOS-IAD on a regional jet does that effect the luggage weight allowed at all? Thanks. International studies office is requesting flight info in next month, so answers to above will effect what flights we book. |
Luggage will be checked through. Passport and visa checks will be done in Boston. (She does have her visa for Argentina, right?)
On return she will go through immigration and customs in Washington. Luggage allowances for international flights will also apply to the domestic flights. For minimum connecting time, if United has it scheduled it will generally be sufficient. Someone here may have more specific tips for the return through IAD. |
Hi gail, the only for sure question I can answer is that when your daughter returns to US she will need to go through immigration and customs at the first airport she arrives at in the US..which would be IAD. From all of my experience she can then recheck her luggage for her Boston flight outside of customs.
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Since the outbound connection is just like a domestic - go to new gate - it just depends on your normal comfort level. For me, I hate any connection that's under an hour, but that's just me.
For the inbound, personally, I prefer 2 hours; and won't book anything under 1.5 hours. At most US airports, it takes about a US citizen about 1 hour from door open to getting to the new gate. Though in this case, since this is early in the morning, I'd be more comfortable with a 1.5 hour connection than I would otherwise have. |
Thanks all. I think I finally get it. United was all over the place southbound with connection time - giving choices of itineraries with connections from 1 to 12 hours. Since there is only 1 flight/day IAD-EZE, and she must be there on a certain day, I think I will likely pick the one with something like 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
On the return there is a 3 1/2 hour connection that - of the choices - we will probably have to take since I do not remember one any shorter. International studies office is taking care of the visa thing. Now if someone can tell me how she is going to manage with only 100 pounds of luggage for 6 months when she is used to having a carload - with the car packed to the rafters - for her usual college check-in. |
DD managed 6 months in Spain and needed to take winter clothes and summer clothes. She also had to take about 10 text books. 100 lbs checked luggage (two pieces were allowed when she went), a rolling laptop case stuffed and a backpack stuffed. There is shopping once there. DD ended up at Carrefour quite often which she described as a KMart type place where she could find things cheap.
Notebook paper was a different size in Spain so it had to be purchased once there as you weren't allowed to turn in assignments on US sized paper. |
Sounds like this is answered already. Outbound she'll just transfer gate to gate and do customs upon arrival. Coming home she'll do customs her 1st airport in the U.S. I'm cautious so prefer 1 to 1-1/2 hours transfer going, and 3 hours on the return.
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My experience is that, regardless of the government institutions, the airlines always check your passport before allowing to onto a plane that will land in another country, so its best to always have it handy.
As far as how much she has to take with her, when they realize that they will have to be hauling all their luggage by hand, most students give a lot more thought to taking stuff they won't really need. If she really can't live without ten pairs of shoes, one solution might be to mail a package of her shoes to where she will be staying. Another might be to buy new necessities in Argentina, and either discarding the excess before returning, or mailing it back home. |
U questioned about delays in the summer. IAD often has delays due to severe thundertorms. Rarely are flights cancelled but there can be signficant delays.
IAD has a relatively new immigrations hall and it is much faster than in the past. On her return she will likely be arriving early in the am and generally immigrations is not terribly crowded. |
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