Airlines and Customs

[Jimmy]

I am flying from San Francisco to LA. Then LA to Shanghai and then on to Harbin. While I am in Shanghai will I need to collect my bags from bag claim go thru Customs and then recheck in to get back on the flight?

[Willy The Londoner]

I am flying from San Francisco to LA. Then LA to Shanghai and then on to Harbin. While I am in Shanghai will I need to collect my bags from bag claim go thru Customs and then recheck in to get back on the flight?

I take it that you have through tickets.

You will not have to collect your bags they should be moved through the system for you to collect at Harbin.  You will not have to go through customs and immigration until you get to your final destination airport.  

When I fly back from the UK I sometimes go London - Mumbai -Hong Kong then at Hong Kong I get a ferry to Mainland China and my bags are always waiting at the quayside for me in China.  

Willy

Tip  for others - using the ferry ports to enter China are probably the easiest route possible.  Customs is a machine and immigrations almost non-existent.

[Neil]

Willy's right, I took the ferry from Zhongshan to Hong Kong and when I bought my ticket they needed to see my flight ticket to arrange my bags.  It couldn't be easier.

[Willy The Londoner]

Just another point on airlines and security.

Last week I travelled back from the UK to China.  Went through high security checks at London Heathrow.  Took over one hour from joining the queue to getting through with my laptop and hand luggage carrier bag. Take of shoes and belts.  Same in Doha, Qatar and then before I boarded the ferry in Hong Kong another security check.

Well they remove from you any sharp instrument - obviously knives etc but also nail files, nail clippers, even disposable razors in case you break it down and use the blade as weapons.

I had nothing removed because I have done this trip 4 times now since June and know what I can carry and cannot.  WELL I thought I knew!!!!  

In the taxi going home from Zhongsham ferry port I remembered that in my hand luggage I three photo A4 size photo frames that I had fitted with photos of my Angel before leaving the UK.  These each had a nice piece of A4 size thin glass and because they were in my hand luggage I had access to them throughout the 16 hours of flying and the glass could easily have been broken up to make very nasty weapons!!!   In fact the securtiy at the ferry port came close to discovering them when he thought that the frames were in fact a laptop but when I told him they were photo frames they were passed Ok.

So was the 90 minutes of time spent in various security checks really beneficial to anyone?

Willy

[Jimmy]

I am flying from San Francisco to LA. Then LA to Shanghai and then on to Harbin. While I am in Shanghai will I need to collect my bags from bag claim go thru Customs and then recheck in to get back on the flight?

Jimmy,

This is really odd! You are flying from San Francisco to Los Angeles? When I'm fly out of Las Vegas, I have the option to go to Los Angeles first or San Francisco. Both being international airports, it seems real odd you would fly from one to another! My first trip, I landed in Beijing and had to pickup all my luggage then check it through and my luggage was at final destination. My second trip, I landed in Seoul Korea and didn't have to do this...butt then again I didn't see my luggage when I landed at my final destination.  different airlines and airports will have different situations!

Jim

I thought it was odd myself but the ticket was $200 less doing it their way. I didnt check but then China Eastern may not fly out of SFO. 4 hours in LA. I hate LAX. This ticket only cost $640 not including the commuter to LAX which is always cheap.

[JimB]

I gave up trying to figure out rates and reasons for the airlines a long time ago.  Flying out of Savannah, Ga to Beijing is the same cost as flying out of Atlanta.  Now I land in Atlanta and switch planes, go figure,
The travel agent got me a northwest flight so my sky miles will accrue. Same cost. $859, no major layovers. Now if I could only get them to bump me up to business class. lol

[David5o]

Willy,

Normally you will have to go through Immigration and Customs at the first point of arrival in the destination country your traveling to, if you have to change planes. This is because the ongoing flight within that country will be a domestic flight only.... So Jimmy with have to offload his baggage and go through Immigration and Customs at Shanghai and recheck them in for the Harbin flight. This is Normal practice within any country.

Remember, there is no Immigration and Customs facilities at domestic arrivals/departure terminals....

David.......

[Willy The Londoner]

Willy,

Normally you will have to go through Immigration and Customs at the first point of arrival in the destination country your traveling to, if you have to change planes. This is because the ongoing flight within that country will be a domestic flight only.... So Jimmy with have to offload his baggage and go through Immigration and Customs at Shanghai and recheck them in for the Harbin flight. This is Normal practice within any country.

Remember, there is no Immigration and Customs facilities at domestic arrivals/departure terminals....

David.......

Ok David  - I stand corrected.  Come to think of it I have never made an internal flight following an International one.

Willy

[brett]

Yes David is right. On the way out I picked up my bag in Beijing and had to check it in again for the internal flight to Wuhan. On the way home the bag went all the way from Wuhan to London (via Beijing) by itself. I felt a right fool waiting for my bag in Beijing :icon_cheesygrin:.