Flight from Vancouver to DC with Canadian stop question

[TWG_ag]

So a friend of mind is doing an Alaska round trip out of Vancouver. I know what happens when you land at Vancouver go to the ship and return. My question is that the cruise line booked him on a one-stop through Toronto on Air Canada. I have flown back from Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto directly and each time I went through US customs before I dropped my bags off. Where will he have to clear US customs on this trip? His Vancouver departure is a domestic Canadian flight to Toronto. In Toronto his bags will have been checked through. Does he have to reclaim his bags and go through passport control with the other DC passengers in Toronto, will his bags be in something like bond? Just wondering if anyone else had had this experience.

[Canadianhey!]

He should not have to collect his bags, but sometimes you have to collect them and transfer them to another conveyor belt. Best to just ask at Vancouver airport. Seems like just when you think you got everything figured out, they go change it.

[teach/2/cruise]

I have flew Air Canada from the States into Canada with a stop in Toronto round trip. Each time I have had to collect my bags and go through Customs and then put them back on a luggage belt before going to my gate.

Hope this helps. :)

[gold1953]

Usually you clear customs at your first entry point into the country.. so yes . When you arrive in BC it will be a domestic flight and you will just collect your luggage and leave.

[CXSoloTrav]

So a friend of mind is doing an Alaska round trip out of Vancouver. I know what happens when you land at Vancouver go to the ship and return. My question is that the cruise line booked him on a one-stop through Toronto on Air Canada. I have flown back from Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto directly and each time I went through US customs before I dropped my bags off. Where will he have to clear US customs on this trip? His Vancouver departure is a domestic Canadian flight to Toronto. In Toronto his bags will have been checked through. Does he have to reclaim his bags and go through passport control with the other DC passengers in Toronto, will his bags be in something like bond? Just wondering if anyone else had had this experience.

 

 

I'm not entirely clear in which direction the stop in Toronto is happening, so I'll do a quickie cover on both...

 

If outbound to YVR- Your friend will clear Canadian Immigration and Customs in Toronto (the Canadian point of entry). Usually requires a bag pickup and drop once customs is cleared so they can go on the Vancouver bound flight.

 

If inbound from YVR- Your friend will pre-clear American Immigration and Customs in Toronto. Same deal as above with bag pickup and drop.

 

One recommendation I'd give is for your friend to try and pick up a US Customs Declaration at the counter or gate in YVR so they can complete it on the flight to YYZ. Since it's a domestic flight, they won't hand them out as a matter of course and may not have them on hand. Just one less thing to deal with once they're on the ground at Pearson.

[em-sk]

So a friend of mind is doing an Alaska round trip out of Vancouver. I know what happens when you land at Vancouver go to the ship and return. My question is that the cruise line booked him on a one-stop through Toronto on Air Canada. I have flown back from Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto directly and each time I went through US customs before I dropped my bags off. Where will he have to clear US customs on this trip? His Vancouver departure is a domestic Canadian flight to Toronto. In Toronto his bags will have been checked through. Does he have to reclaim his bags and go through passport control with the other DC passengers in Toronto, will his bags be in something like bond? Just wondering if anyone else had had this experience.

 

I transfer in Toronto all the time.

 

Vancouver checkin is in the domestic terminal area. Any check baggage is tagged to the final destination.

 

In Toronto you follow signs to US Transfer (US Flag on the signs). At the transfer area you need to show you boarding pass. You wait a few minutes until your names shows up on a computer screen. If US authorities want to inspect your bag, the computer system pulls them from the baggage handling system and send the bags upstairs otherwise it goes straight to your connecting flight. The vast majority of times it is automatically transferred and you never touch the bags. You arrive in the US at a domestic gate and there is no additional inspection required there.

 

Same process happens if your connecting from overseas onto a US flight in Toronto. For the majority of passengers everything is checked to final destination. Much cleaner and simpler process than clearing customs at a US airport.

Edited June 19, 2016 by em-sk

[avcruz]

 

 

 

One recommendation I'd give is for your friend to try and pick up a US Customs Declaration at the counter or gate in YVR so they can complete it on the flight to YYZ. Since it's a domestic flight, they won't hand them out as a matter of course and may not have them on hand. Just one less thing to deal with once they're on the ground at Pearson.

 

 

They don't offer paper US Customs Declarations at YVR any more. Because of the pre-clearance its all done on kiosks now.

[TWG_ag]

Thanks for the replies. I will pass this along, so he will understand the possibilities. This is Cruise Critic at its best, when you can get useful information.

[toberman]

Just a thought... question actually for someone who might know. Since YVR has US Customs and Immigration available, would it not be possible to pre-clear in YVR and not have to go through that process in YYZ? I'd do it anywhere other than Toronto!

[FlyerTalker]

Just a thought... question actually for someone who might know. Since YVR has US Customs and Immigration available, would it not be possible to pre-clear in YVR and not have to go through that process in YYZ? I'd do it anywhere other than Toronto!

Stop and think of the logistics of this. Once you clear US C&I at YVR, you would need to be kept "sterile" until you reach USA soil. That would mean a completely separate sterile corridor to your YVR-YYZ domestic flight, then a separate sterile section of the aircraft with no intermingling with "domestic" pax or crew, then a sterile corridor from your arriving gate to the USA section at YYZ. Completely unfeasible once you think about it.

 

The key is noting how once you pass USA pre-clearance at a Canadian airport, you are kept separate from all but those going to the USA. In effect, you have left Canada.

 

But I like how you're trying to find a way to avoid the crowds at YYZ.

[toberman]

Thanks Flyer... it was just a thought. But I appreciate your input - totally makes sense. Like you - avoid YYZ if u can.

[GeezerCouple]

We've transferred in Toronto (for Vancouver) to/from the USA (not DC specifically) several times during the past few years.

 

Both ways, the luggage was checked all the way through, although IF the authorities in either direction had any "questions", they could have called for the luggage to inspect.

 

However, a few years earlier, we did have to retrieve our luggage, pass through the border authorities, and then re-check the luggage at a nearby conveyor belt.

Apparently that isn't done any more, and it is so much easier now.

[em-sk]

As it turns out I just flew from Victoria to Toronto connected onto a US flight.

 

It has always been better that entering at US airport and there are some good improvements.

 

1. Follow the path to "International/US connections", follow signs to US connecitons.

2. Through security

3. You scan you passport on the kiosk.

4. US boarder does a quick checks

5. Your done.

 

No bags to handle, and no forms to fill out. There was an Air Canada agent at the security line pulling people forward who had tight connections.