Do I have to pick up my luggage at Sao Paulo's GRU airport if I'm connecting thru?

[Gary K]

I have a flight to Sao Paulo (arriving in Terminal 3) on Air Canada, and then 2 hours later I have a flight to Rio de Janeiro on Gol Airlines (leaving from Terminal 1). Both flights are on the same itinerary.

 

When I arrive in Sao Paulo and go to Rio, do I have to pick up my luggage at Sao Paulo and check it in again to the Gol Airlines flight bound for Rio? Or will the airport move my luggage for me?

 

From what I understand, at the very least, I will have to go through customs and immigration again at Sao Paulo?

Edited December 30, 2014 by Gary K

[Fattony]

Yup. You will go through Immigration, wait for your bags at a baggage carousel (this is usually the longest delay for me), go through Customs (don't even have to fill out a form if you have nothing to declare, though you can get pulled aside for a check anyway; btw, you can shop at a big duty free store before customs).

 

After customs, you exit security, You go to a transit desk (other side of the escalator in front of you; "transito" means transit), get in the line for Gol, hand over your checked bags, and get the actual Gol boarding pass (yellow paper with a bar code). If somehow you've missed your connecting flight (2 hours is doable but isn't much), the Gol rep at the transit desk should put you on the next flight with available seats.

 

Then go upstairs, go through the door for domestic flights for your terminal (Terminal 1 for Gol, as I recall), go through security, and proceed to your gate. You may have to take a bus to get to your plane. Your flight to Rio is a domestic flight, without immigration or customs. On Gol you have to pay for anything but water from a large bottle, but for such a short flight that's not really a problem.

 

The

Edited December 31, 2014 by Fattony

[Gary K]

Excellent thanks for the reply. From everything I read, I definitely will assume that I have to pick up my luggage at GRU and check it back in. That is the safest bet.

 

I will also ask my airlines to see what they say, too.

[VidaNaPraia]

You'll find that Fattony has given you accurate and detailed information.

But you answered your own question initially when you said you understood you'd have to go through immigration and customs in S.P. Customs involves personally presenting everything you have brought into the country for X-Ray and possible inspection. So picking up your own luggage is required.

Some confusion may arise from the difference in being 'in transit' (using the airport to go from one international flight into the airport transit area only and almost directly to another flight out of the airport to a third country) and 'connecting' from an international flight to a separate domestic flight on a separate airline (despite their being printed on the same itinerary).

Happy travels.