Customs Question...FLL to BCN via Toronto

[Wonders10]

Hi everyone!

 

My family and I are flying from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona with a 90-min (approx) layover in Toronto. First, I'm concerned that we will not have enough time to make our connecting flight. Second, do we have to get our luggage and go through customs? My one and only time flying internationally was crazy trying to get luggage and go through customs but we had a really long layover. Not so much this time. I'm having a hard time finding the answer and my sister in law booked the plane tickets. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

[DanJ]

Yes you will clear Canadian immigration with your luggage. There should be an onward journey luggage belt just past customs.

 

If you happen to be doing the reverse coming home, you will clear US immigration in Toronto as well, but I'm not 100% sure if you would clear Canadian first or go directly to the US departure area.

[Wonders10]

Yes you will clear Canadian immigration with your luggage. There should be an onward journey luggage belt just past customs.

 

If you happen to be doing the reverse coming home, you will clear US immigration in Toronto as well, but I'm not 100% sure if you would clear Canadian first or go directly to the US departure area.

 

Thanks for your quick reply. Not that I don't believe you, but the airport website says that if my luggage is tagged for my final destination (BCN), then I don't need to get luggage. I could be reading it wrong though. Regardless, you think 90 min is enough time to get luggage, clear customs, etc? We are arriving and leaving from same terminal.

[DanJ]

I did some checking, and you are correct. I've never had to do US-International, so I was remembering old info. So, yes, as long as your luggage is tagged right through, then you just have to follow the International signs. 90 minutes should be plenty, but I wouldn't waste any time in case your inbound is out at the end of one pier, and your connection is at the end of the next pier.

[mountainhouse]

Just confirming... 90 minutes should be plenty of time. The only slight delay in Toronto for us was passport control. It's a long walk, but they do have some cool "turbo walkways" (moving really fast) that help. Hopefully, you have a longer layover if you're returning through Toronto. I don't recall exactly how long it took us, but was probably close to an hour to clear US customs/security. Have a good flight.

[Wonders10]

Another question, not about customs, but I'm hoping I can get an answer :) Our return flight leaves Barcelona and gets into Toronto at 14:45...the confusing/scary part, our flight from Toronto to FLL leaves at 14:00 (45 minutes before our first flight lands). Please tell me that this is some weird time zone issue, otherwise how could this flight have even been booked? Again my sister in law did it through Expedia (on the phone).

[alidor]

Can't possibly be booked like that. Possibilities are that there was a schedule change, if which case you need to get this corrected, or the flight is actually booked at 2:00 the following day.

[Wonders10]

Can't possibly be booked like that. Possibilities are that there was a schedule change, if which case you need to get this corrected, or the flight is actually booked at 2:00 the following day.

 

Crazy, right? The times were from the original email sent when we first booked so thats what it was when the reservation was made. My sister in law said she'd call today but she doesn't get as freaked about this as I do. Really hope we can get it figured out!

[Wonders10]

All cleared up...you were right, the second flight was booked for the next day! But apparent SIL fixed it and we are back on another flight leaving the same evening. Whew, just glad it's cleared up. Thanks for your help!

[DanJ]

You do have to collect your luggage in Toronto on the way home. Make sure it is tagged for FLL when leaving BCN, and you will get it at the US baggage belt near US customs. You clear US immigration then put the luggage back on the belt and go through security. You do not clear Canadian immigration doing this.

 

If your luggage is tagged only to YYZ, then you will have to claim it at the regular baggage claim, clear Canadian immigration, and check-in for your FLL flight as if you walked in from the street.

[Wonders10]

You do have to collect your luggage in Toronto on the way home. Make sure it is tagged for FLL when leaving BCN, and you will get it at the US baggage belt near US customs. You clear US immigration then put the luggage back on the belt and go through security. You do not clear Canadian immigration doing this.

 

If your luggage is tagged only to YYZ, then you will have to claim it at the regular baggage claim, clear Canadian immigration, and check-in for your FLL flight as if you walked in from the street.

 

That part I knew...it was really the travel TO BCN that I was questioning. Thanks for all your help!

[waterbug123]

All cleared up...you were right, the second flight was booked for the next day! But apparent SIL fixed it and we are back on another flight leaving the same evening. Whew, just glad it's cleared up. Thanks for your help!

 

You are lucky that she was able to make that change without incurring change fees!

[alidor]

I would be very surprised if there were no change fees. There had to be and I'm willing to bet the buyer didn't want to admit a really dumb error (should have used a travel agent) and paid the penalites hereself.

[Wonders10]

I would be very surprised if there were no change fees. There had to be and I'm willing to bet the buyer didn't want to admit a really dumb error (should have used a travel agent) and paid the penalites hereself.

 

Thank you or insulting my sister in law, and trust me, she would not pay the change fees for all 6 of us! She actually booked over the phone and talked to a person, FYI.

[alidor]

If there were no penalities involved and she DID talk to a person - would you say that was very smart to book a flight the next day? Someone wasn't paying attention. I would guess the company saw the error that was made by their agent and rectified it - that's the only way this would have been repaired without any penalties.

[Wonders10]

We are all getting together this weekend to do cruise planning so I'm sure she will explain what happened. Yes, maybe she made a mistake in not realizing the day of the flight was wrong, but its still not necessary to imply she is dumb or stupid. Mistakes happen. Luckily we were able to rectify it very easily. One could also wonder why the agent didn't question her choosing said flight. Or maybe she is just dumb too. :rolleyes:

[LiftLockCouple]

We are all getting together this weekend to do cruise planning so I'm sure she will explain what happened. Yes, maybe she made a mistake in not realizing the day of the flight was wrong, but its still not necessary to imply she is dumb or stupid. Mistakes happen. Luckily we were able to rectify it very easily. One could also wonder why the agent didn't question her choosing said flight. Or maybe she is just dumb too. :rolleyes:

 

Well Said !!

[waterbug123]

If there were no penalities involved and she DID talk to a person - would you say that was very smart to book a flight the next day? Someone wasn't paying attention. I would guess the company saw the error that was made by their agent and rectified it - that's the only way this would have been repaired without any penalties.

 

Not necessarily. Just last month my significant other and I booked TATL flights for October. Despite both of us reviewing the tickets before purchase, we goofed, and booked RT flights rather than multi-city. Caught the error a week later. I called the airline and very humbly explained that it was our error (a confusing quirk in the online booking system, but our error nonetheless for not catching it) and said I needed help fixing it. The agent immediately offered to waive the $250/ticket change fee, and charge only the difference in fare, which luckily turned out to be a grand total of $11. Granted we are both elite/elite+ FF's, but sometimes the change fees ARE waived.

[Clay Clayton]

I did some checking, and you are correct. I've never had to do US-International, so I was remembering old info. So, yes, as long as your luggage is tagged right through, then you just have to follow the International signs. 90 minutes should be plenty, but I wouldn't waste any time in case your inbound is out at the end of one pier, and your connection is at the end of the next pier.

 

For what it is worth, when DDP and I transversed Toronto on our flight from RDU to Buenos Aires, we had to go through immigrations but not customs. As i recall, there was an Air Canada agent who pointed us in the right direction and/or took us to a glass door leading to an Immigration station almost in the middle of the concourse. Seems like we had a choice of either going left and to baggage claim or to the right into this immigration area. Anyway, our passports were reviewed stamped and then we walked through another glass door back into the concourse and on to our international departure gate.

 

As you know, you will go through US Customs in Toronto on your return. That took us a great deal of time, I was very happy we had a long layover, otherwise it could have been a problem. Seems like it took an hour or longer - I just remember waiting a good while for immigration, our luggage and in the customs line.

[DanJ]

Going through Toronto is going to be even more of a pain than it normally is, based on the news about the security company laying off a bunch of screeners and the ones still working will be giving extra scrutiny to people and their bags.