What about my luggage while waiting for immigration

[sarahandbrian 0]

Well I'm just about all packed and ready to cross the pond, but thought there would sill be time for one last minute panic question !

I was wondring if when you arrive at your POE , if I have a long wait to get through the immigration process is this likely to cause a problem with my luggage that will be circling round and round all lonely on the carousel whilst everyone else has collected theres and gone.

I'm nervous enough about taking as much as I am in my checked in luggage, don't want it to be at risk if I'm held up waiting on immigration to give me the go ahead.

Does anyone have any experience of this ?, is it an awfully long time before you are free to go collect your wordly posessions?

Thankyou

Sarah

[WifeOHunkyJohn 2]

Hubby was allowed to go get it while I waited to be seen in the secondary inspection office. This was in LAX.

Are you traveling alone? If you have someone else in your party, I'm sure they can go get it for you.

Hope that helps

[TracyTN 237]

Heck, it took me so long at Heathrow once, they (the airline) had just pulled my bags off and set them aside. I'm sure they'll do the same for you.

[payxibka 10,047]

Well I'm just about all packed and ready to cross the pond, but thought there would sill be time for one last minute panic question !

I was wondring if when you arrive at your POE , if I have a long wait to get through the immigration process is this likely to cause a problem with my luggage that will be circling round and round all lonely on the carousel whilst everyone else has collected theres and gone.

I'm nervous enough about taking as much as I am in my checked in luggage, don't want it to be at risk if I'm held up waiting on immigration to give me the go ahead.

Does anyone have any experience of this ?, is it an awfully long time before you are free to go collect your wordly posessions?

Thankyou

Sarah

Common problem... most times the luggage will either be still circling on a carousel or it will have been pulled off and sitting on the floor nearby (if they need the carousel for another flight). You will not be allowed to collect your luggage until you have cleared past passport control so timing all depends on how busy the POE is at the time of your arrival

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Your luggage is rather unlikely to be "lonely" given the limited number of carousels at most POE's (especially JFK, Hartsfield, O'Hare or DFW); when they offload later flights, they'll have no issue in using that carousel and providing it some company till you pick it up to take through customs.

[YuAndDan 153]

Everyone has to first go through immigrations before reaching the carousel before then going through customs, so a lot of baggage tends to go around that conveyor. Immigrations only took about 30-45 min to go through.

The last time we came through Chicago it appeared they delayed the baggage for 30 min or so before sending it up to the carousel.

We had 4 large suit cases full of stuff and had no problems.

[cheeky^Wolf 0]

I found at Charlotte, NC that the US Immigration took no longer than usual, they just told me to go through to Customs and divert off to the side for my interview, therefore I collected my bags from the carousel before going in.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine.

Helen

[Leney 0]

David got through so damn fast that he was standing behind me while I was staring at the arrivals waiting to see him come out of the international gate I felt like a goober!

[chloe 1]

When I went through Atlanta, the main immigration queue took no longer than any other visitors/immigrants etc.

The instructions were to collect my baggage and then go to the customs section where they opened the envelope etc.

There was no interview, just the question ' will you marry within 90 days?' and that was it.

Whilst being 'interviewed' the customs guy asked me to put my luggage trolley on The Carpet, next to my seat, and that was it!

You'll be fine!!! all the best and have a beautiful reunion!!!!

x

Edited July 24, 2007 by chloe

[Clarky and Tarah 0]

Good luck on your trip! I think you're luggage will be fine. Like many of the posters have already said, it will probably be pulled to the side.

[kins 0]

I was about half an hour in secondary immigration. Someone official took my bags off the carousel and set them aside for me and a porter helped me get them through customs (8 bags, just me plus 3 small children to carry them).

Dread to think what they do with the bags if you're in immigration for hours though...

[Converse34 1]

Your bags will just be put to the side after a certain period of time (once an airline employee is available of course). Mostly they assume that you are a misconnection. Certainly nothing to worry about, it happens all the time.

Edited July 25, 2007 by Converse34

[JaEnglishGirl 34]

I went through immigration first, then he sent me to pick my luggage up and then go to secondary immigration.