Bags, Security & Immigration On A USA Connecting Flight

You would think that, having been “in travel” for over 20 years, I would have experienced a flight to somewhere in the USA connecting via another U.S airport…

So, when I was informed that my “through ticket” with American Airlines meant that my bags would hop straight onto the next plane without any interaction from me, I took it as gospel. And, that was wrong.
After a chance conversation with the boss about the flights, for our cruise starting in Puerto Rico, I was suddenly a little panicked and apprehensive after hearing that we had more steps to follow. We were flying from London Heathrow to San Juan, Puerto Rico, via Charlotte, North Carolina; and there was 1 hour and 50 minutes to make the connection.

Now… I should point out that the process we had to follow may not be fully necessary, dependent on the carrier you are travelling with. On our AA flight they announced over the tannoy that everyone joining a connecting flight would need to identify their luggage on arrival at CLT airport. I would imagine that most airlines that offer these connecting services will make that announcement, either way, to make sure passengers know what to do.

Starting With Immigration

As British citizens, travelling with an ESTA, we have to pass through immigration and customs at the first point of entry to the USA. This is correct for every flight connecting in North America.
This was actually really easy at Charlotte. We joined the main line for global passengers, and went through the requisite questions from the nice-man-with-a-gun, and entered our fingerprints and mugshots into the DHS’s database. I didn’t have to show my full ESTA, as the system informs the Customs & Border Patrol official about the passport holder’s authorisation status. However, you will still need your ESTA open, as you’ll have to to supply the last four digits, and expiry date to verify that it’s yours. With a curt smile and a nod from the official we’d officially, and legally, entered the USA.

Identifying Your Bag

Now… the bit I was most worried about…
a) Did my bag make it to Charlotte, in the first instance, or was it still in Heathrow?
b) What do I do now???
Well, my bag did make it to Charlotte. It was in the baggage claim hall, doing a turn on the conveyor belt.
Luggage claimed, we headed out of the hall in the direction of “Connecting Flights”. We didn’t get far down the corridor before attendants with scanners asked where we were flying to. On hearing we were going to Puerto Rico (which is a territory of the United States) they scanned the labels on the bags and directed us into a short queue, where our bags were taken from us and popped onto another conveyor belt.
And that was it.
Easy peasy.

Immigration? Check.
Baggage identified and sent to the connecting flight? Check.

Security Check

All we had to do then was go through security. I’ll admit that it felt a little odd emerging into the main departures hall, and heading to security like we’d done at the start of the journey in Heathrow. However, the queue was smooth and we even had a little time spare to peruse a couple of shops and grab some drinks for the next flight. Just to note that if you have bought Duty Free on the way out of the UK, then, so long as it remains unopened, you shouldn’t have any problem getting through the security check with it.

So, that was my journey, and my first experience transiting through the States to another American destination. It was fine. But, I’m glad that I was prepared for these steps.