Quote:
Originally Posted by CoryB
In terms of baggage for international passengers, I think Canadian law is that you clear customs on your first entry to Canada and your checked baggage needs to be with you in case it is required for Customs inspection. You cannot say arrive from the UK and connect onto the USA without going through Canadian customs.
|
You're right, you do have to clear customs in your first entry point, however, both Vancouver and Toronto (and maybe others) have implemented a programme called ITD - Inernational to Domestic where passengers can arrive on an international flight and connect to a Canadian destination without having to claim and recheck their bags.
It's for select "trusted" flights and airlines, and passengers wait in a hold room until their baggage is cleared before they can connect. But the upshot is, passengers don't touch their bags.
It's a huge $$ investment for the airport, so don't expect to see it except in the largest hubs.
In Vancouver, at least, a similar process exists for International to U.S. passengers, where passengers take a special hallway to bypass the normal Canadian customs and head to U.S. preclearance, with only a few checks.