Going to US through Trudeau
 

My wife and I travelling to NYC and we are departing Halifax and connect in Montreal-Trudeau. If we're travelling with Air Canada, do we need to re check our bags in Montreal or should they be checked right through? What can we expect in customs in Montreal before we board our flight to NY?

You will probably do preclearance for the US at Montreal aiport therefore will need to recheck your bags.

will we need to do this on the way back in? also, how much time will we have to recheck our bags,go through customs and make our connecting flight? I am assuming we will have to exit the departures area and re-enter the arrivals area. do we just line up at the air canada departures desk?

oh, and what do we show at the air canada departures check-in, our boarding passes? we purchased on line tickets.

Old Trout - I would check with Air Canada re questions. At Halifax you will now need to do your own pre-boarding pass. Print off an electronic copy of your ticket - you should have been emailed one. You can use that info when you do checkin.

I should have mentioned if you don't at least try to book in at one of the new kiosks, some agents will send you back. Last time I was lucky and the agent did the paperwork for me, however, the agent beside me was sending everyone back and the line-up was long! Don't forget your passports!

so, we just go to one of the electronic kiosks and scan the emailed copies of our tickets

No scanning. I am trying to remember, you have to punch in info off of the electronic ticket plus you might have to put in info from your passport. I was unable to get the thing to work and it told me to proceed to an agent! Go figure? The agent told me it doesn't reduce the amount of time as they still have to punch in info when you get to them.

I flew through YUL in January to the US. You will have to claim your bags and recheck them after you pre-clear US Customs & Immigration.

As I recall, the bags for US-bound passengers don't arrive on the same carousel as others. Be sure to ask, but I believe they're delivered to a holding area just behind the Duty-Free store.

You have to pass through the store to retrieve your bags. After you go through border screening, you put your bags on the belt, go through security screening and head to your gate. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you spent some money in the duty-free store either. ;-)