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I've recently flown LHR-MIA-MVD with AA. It's not the first time I do this, but to my surprise, it was the first time I didn't have to pick up my suitcase in Miami and go through customs with it - I checked it in at Heathrow, and picked it up in the final destination.

Is this a recent policy? I'm particularly interested in knowing what will happen with my return flight (MVD-MIA-LHR). Any list of destinations or combinations where they do this?

Crazydre
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ggambetta
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2 Answers2

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MIA and DFW are special airports, both American Airlines hubs which somehow pulled this trick off.

http://www.miami-airport.com/baggage_international.asp

International flights connecting to international destinations (ITI) - confirm with your airline if your luggage was checked directly to your final destination or if you have to collect it before clearing U.S. Customs.

Can't find the relevant source for DFW. But ITI through check happens there as well.

Edit: apparently, DTW as well and very surprisingly to me, IAH as well -- it's the only non-AA hub I am aware of doing this.

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Is this a recent policy?

I can’t quote on Miami, but in 2002 I travelled to Australia from Germany via Canada. Our final flight was Vancouver–Sydney on Air Canada which had a stop in Honolulu with everybody exiting the plane, passing through immigration, going back to the departure lounge and getting back onto the same plane. Unless my memory is strongly fooling me, we did not have to collect our bags.

Thus, it’s not a recent thing, it’s not a thing restricted to US-based airlines and it’s not restricted to Miami.

Jan
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