Question about luggage and POE

[NgocThuan 0]

Thuan picked up her visa yesterday and we will be flying out on sept. 2. I booked her a flight with Korean air; cost me a fortune but she will be on the same plane sitting right next to me. Anyways, when we purchased the ticket, the lady at KAL said our luggage will go all the way to our final destination in Florida. She told Thuan that it will save time when she goes through immigration and customs, since we won't have to pull our luggage. The POE will be in Atlanta, so I thought it was a requirement to pull our luggage in Atlanta and then go through immigration and customs. Anyone familiar with the process know if it's ok for her to go through POE processing without luggage to check through customs?

[Bobby+Umit 161]

That doesn't really make sense, since every US POE I've ever gone through, after an international flight, always made me get my luggage for customs, regardless if it was "checked through" to my final destination.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Yes your luggage will be examined. But after it is you just put in on a special area of your airline ( the second one if you are changing at that point and it is put on the plane. Otherwise you would have had to go to check in and recheck to bag

[NgocThuan 0]

That doesn't really make sense, since every US POE I've ever gone through, after an international flight, always made me get my luggage for customs, regardless if it was "checked through" to my final destination.

I thought so too. After returning from my last trip to VN, I remember having to pull luggage for customs in Atlanta. Just curious why she would say we wouldn't have to fool with the luggage in Atlanta.

[NgocThuan 0]

I'm still a little worried if she's right and our luggage goes right on through Atlanta, or what if it gets lost in transit, will Thuan still be able to enter the country, as long as she has her brown envelope and visa?

[ScottThuy 140]

I'm still a little worried if she's right and our luggage goes right on through Atlanta, or what if it gets lost in transit, will Thuan still be able to enter the country, as long as she has her brown envelope and visa?

Brother, you will do the same thing as always in ATL.. you will get your luggage after you go through customs and will be waiting for her to come out of POE immigration and then you will throw the luggage back on that other conveyor and go through 1 more security check before getting through to go on the last leg to FLA

[SP&JM 0]

It won´t go through to Florida. You won´t have to recheck it, but you´ll go through POE, get your luggage, and go through customs the same as every other time. Then you´ll drop off your luggage with a Korean air (or whoever the codeshare partner is in the US) representative and go through security again. She´s probably confused because in some other countries you don´t have to take your luggage through customs - or, better said, not until you are leaving your airport at the final destination. Here, even the tiniest airport has a customs area, which is a guy who never looks at anything. POE (where they look at your passport in your arrival airport) is about the same as in the US.

[ScottThuy 140]

I always pay that guy at the entrance to the airport the few bucks to wrap my luggage in plastic.. Customs NEVER opens it... nor does TSA... too much trouble to cut the plastic away and dispose of it I guess.. and the guy puts very official stickers on the bag that say it was inspected in HCMC.. he he he

[NgocThuan 0]

I'm still a little worried if she's right and our luggage goes right on through Atlanta, or what if it gets lost in transit, will Thuan still be able to enter the country, as long as she has her brown envelope and visa?

Brother, you will do the same thing as always in ATL.. you will get your luggage after you go through customs and will be waiting for her to come out of POE immigration and then you will throw the luggage back on that other conveyor and go through 1 more security check before getting through to go on the last leg to FLA

I know. I'm just stressed over the POE thing. Read the POE reviews and We'll only have 2 hours before we have to board for next flight in Atlanta. Just didn't want anything to hold us up and miss our flight to Florida. Thanks.

[NgocThuan 0]

It won´t go through to Florida. You won´t have to recheck it, but you´ll go through POE, get your luggage, and go through customs the same as every other time. Then you´ll drop off your luggage with a Korean air (or whoever the codeshare partner is in the US) representative and go through security again. She´s probably confused because in some other countries you don´t have to take your luggage through customs - or, better said, not until you are leaving your airport at the final destination. Here, even the tiniest airport has a customs area, which is a guy who never looks at anything. POE (where they look at your passport in your arrival airport) is about the same as in the US.

Thanks for the info. She must have been confused, but had good intentions.

[Craneman 2]

Thuan picked up her visa yesterday and we will be flying out on sept. 2. I booked her a flight with Korean air; cost me a fortune but she will be on the same plane sitting right next to me. Anyways, when we purchased the ticket, the lady at KAL said our luggage will go all the way to our final destination in Florida. She told Thuan that it will save time when she goes through immigration and customs, since we won't have to pull our luggage. The POE will be in Atlanta, so I thought it was a requirement to pull our luggage in Atlanta and then go through immigration and customs. Anyone familiar with the process know if it's ok for her to go through POE processing without luggage to check through customs?

I have flown in through Atlanta at least 50 times.

You must first clear immigration, if it is her first entry be prepared for her to be in the interview room without you, armed guards will escort her from the passport desk to the interview room, you will not be allowed in the interview room, then collect your luggage and clear customs, having your bag wrapped in plastic is no deterent to inspection, in fact it is more of an invitation.

Once cleared customs your "recheck" your bag for the domestic flight, the go through security again, shoes off, no liquids etc, if you buy anything from duty free, put it in your checked luggage before rechecking.

Since your POE is Atlanta and your flight to Florida is a local flight, you can not circumvent immigration or customs.

2 hours could be cutting it extremely close, since your visa and your packet and an interview is conducted at immigrations.

When me and my lady came through last Oct the inteview took 15 minutes and she was the only one in the room, she was upset that I did not go into the room with her, armed ICE guards are there to assist you if necessary.

[NgocThuan 0]

Thuan picked up her visa yesterday and we will be flying out on sept. 2. I booked her a flight with Korean air; cost me a fortune but she will be on the same plane sitting right next to me. Anyways, when we purchased the ticket, the lady at KAL said our luggage will go all the way to our final destination in Florida. She told Thuan that it will save time when she goes through immigration and customs, since we won't have to pull our luggage. The POE will be in Atlanta, so I thought it was a requirement to pull our luggage in Atlanta and then go through immigration and customs. Anyone familiar with the process know if it's ok for her to go through POE processing without luggage to check through customs?

I have flown in through Atlanta at least 50 times.

You must first clear immigration, if it is her first entry be prepared for her to be in the interview room without you, armed guards will escort her from the passport desk to the interview room, you will not be allowed in the interview room, then collect your luggage and clear customs, having your bag wrapped in plastic is no deterent to inspection, in fact it is more of an invitation.

Once cleared customs your "recheck" your bag for the domestic flight, the go through security again, shoes off, no liquids etc, if you buy anything from duty free, put it in your checked luggage before rechecking.

Since your POE is Atlanta and your flight to Florida is a local flight, you can not circumvent immigration or customs.

2 hours could be cutting it extremely close, since your visa and your packet and an interview is conducted at immigrations.

When me and my lady came through last Oct the inteview took 15 minutes and she was the only one in the room, she was upset that I did not go into the room with her, armed ICE guards are there to assist you if necessary.

So, we go through the visitors line together, then they will escort her to the interview room. While they are interviewing her, I go get our luggage and clear it through customs or wait for her before clearing it through customs?

[ScottThuy 140]

So, we go through the visitors line together, then they will escort her to the interview room. While they are interviewing her, I go get our luggage and clear it through customs or wait for her before clearing it through customs?

Wait... If I remember she will be off to the right just before customs...

[NgocThuan 0]

So, we go through the visitors line together, then they will escort her to the interview room. While they are interviewing her, I go get our luggage and clear it through customs or wait for her before clearing it through customs?

Wait... If I remember she will be off to the right just before customs...

So after her interview then we go through customs. Right?

[ScottThuy 140]

So, we go through the visitors line together, then they will escort her to the interview room. While they are interviewing her, I go get our luggage and clear it through customs or wait for her before clearing it through customs?

Wait... If I remember she will be off to the right just before customs...

So after her interview then we go through customs. Right?

customs is just a couple of folks sitting at the end of a hallway collecting the form you fill out on the plane.. hand them the card and walk down the hall and then a lady will tell you which conveyor on the right to take the luggage to.. then over to the left to wait in another screening line... you know the same ####### you had to do in seoul.. checking for water and cuticle clippers... then its down an escalator to the train to go to your departure terminal for fla... I cant remember which terminal it is... so if you dont know which terminal, ask the lady sitting at the desk on the right at the top of the escalator before you go down and she can look it up on her computer...