USA flights confusion

[SunnyNights]

Hoping someone will be able to help as I’ve googled a lot and still not clear on how our flights operate for a USA holiday next year.

On our return journey, we are flying from Miami to JFK with American Airlines then stop over at JFK for four hours, then flight to UK with Finnair (operated by BA), do we have to go through immigration at JFK on the flight from Miami?

Also, assuming we will need to collect our luggage at JFK and check in again for flight to UK as different airlines?

We booked via Expedia, and Bizarrely, the Finnair app seems to hold all the flight details, even the flight out which is BA, whereas the BA app only shows the flight out with them so totally confused.

Can you tell I’m not a seasoned traveller!

Immigration is not applicable because it’s a domestic flight between two USA cities.

Your bags should be checked through to their final destination I.e London at the check in desk in Miami. Do double check that though with the staff at check in. AA, BA and Finnair are all part of the same airline alliance so this should happen.

It’s likely going to be a Finnair aircraft on the way home with a Finnair flight number to the UK but it will have a codeshare with BA and AA.

This is incredibly helpful, thank you very much!

It’s likely going to be a Finnair aircraft on the way home

Finnair don't operate any direct flights between the US and the UK, so the OP is right, it will be BA (or AA).

Are you flying direct or indirect on your outbound journey Sunny? Your luggage should be checked right through to your final destination on the return, but if you're flying indirect on your way to the US, you'll need to collect and recheck your luggage at the point you enter the US.

Once you collect your bags you are free to drop off for the next flight.

You can with some airlines arrange for the baggage handlers to do this for you.

Is your Miami to JFK then JFK to London two separate bookings or one booking? If separate bookings then you will need to collect luggage. If one then the answer is it may go straight through but it depends. You will need to ask at the airport.

American and BA used to fly out of different terminals but I think they moved together in covid buy not sure now.

'Operated by BA' means the plane and crew will be BA.

BA, AA and Finnair are all part of oneworld so they codeshare and operate together at most airports. The reason why the flight 'is' with Finnair in the OP's case, is because that was probably the cheapest available connection at the time she booked it. Eg Finnair hadn't finished selling their share of the £400 segment, whilst BA were already charging £500.

If your flights are all on one booking, your luggage is checked all the way through from Miami. At JFK you might need to change terminals - I am not entirely sure what the AA/BA situation is there at the minute - and maybe clear security again if you do so. There will be no immigration.

If you're flying direct to the US that's fantastic. If you also have a stopover in the US then that's the more complicated bit, as you'll need to clear immigration, customs, and re-check your bags right after you land on US soil. Even if the flights are on the same booking, you're responsible for making the connection and the airline won't rebook you on a later flight if there are queues and you miss your original one, even though it's not technically your fault. In Europe you would be covered by EU261 so you never have to worry about making a connection.

Many thanks all.

We have a direct from Heathrow to Miami. On the way home, separate flights, Miami to JFK with AA then JFK to Heathrow with Finnair.

So sounds like we won't have to go through immigration at JFK before the Heathrow bound flight but will have to collect bags and check them in - which might be safer anyway I guess?

So your booking doesn't mention 'layover 4hrs' at JFK, you have separate bookings for each flight?

A 4h layover is as safe as it gets for bags that go all the way through. The most likely place for bags to get lost is actually the departure airport.

Oh yes, sorry, it does say a four hour layover.

Does that mean that it's a through flight despite being with different airlines?

Just looked at the booking again, it says Finnair operated by AA and mentions a four hour layover so must all be one through flight. God I'm dim!!

Sometimes baggage is not booked through, even if it’s the same airline and on one booking, especially if one flight is domestic. I would definitely ask at bag drop.

You may also have to go through passport control and security check again at JFK. Sounds like you have plenty of time so I wouldn’t be concerned about this.

That's reassuring, thank you

@SunnyNights

Just looked at the booking again, it says Finnair operated by AA and mentions a four hour layover so must all be one through flight. God I'm dim!!

Not really sure what you mean by “one through flight”?

FWIW looking at the info in the snap shot you’ve provided you’ve got a domestic sector with AA (MIA to JFK), then as others have said a flight with BA from JFK to LHR….

I mean not technically all separate, so the journey home is kind of connected. I think I'm using the wrong plane language

For your further info if the schedule stays as planned it looks like the Finnair 5474 will actually be the BA174, planned to be operated by a 777.

Don’t ya’ll love code shares…

Your flight is booked through, yes. Just ask at the check-in counter on the day so they can confirm it will all be checked through, but that should be the case.

You’ll be flying AA for the first segment and then BA to London. I actually love codeshares and alliances because it means lots of loyalty schemes that are interconnected! hides away in a cave for nerds

Now, what bugs me is the 3h59min layover. If only the US did increments of 5 or 10 minutes only, like most of the rest of the world does!!!

It all sounds so much simpler now it's been explained. I was worried that having a layover would be a nightmare, but sounds much more doable

Hi, as someone who lives in New York and flies frequently, take it from me your bags might not be checked through. They more than likely will be but it is certainly a possibility they are not and you may have to claim them at JFK and check them in again.

@SunnyNights

Many thanks all.

We have a direct from Heathrow to Miami. On the way home, separate flights, Miami to JFK with AA then JFK to Heathrow with Finnair.

So sounds like we won't have to go through immigration at JFK before the Heathrow bound flight but will have to collect bags and check them in - which might be safer anyway I guess?

There is no exit immigration when leaving the US. You don’t go through immigration in either Miami or New York. You will clear immigration in London on arrival, of course, just the same as people arriving in Heathrow from Japan, Russia, etc, etc, etc will.

@Chargreen

Hi, as someone who lives in New York and flies frequently, take it from me your bags might not be checked through. They more than likely will be but it is certainly a possibility they are not and you may have to claim them at JFK and check them in again.

That certainly shouldn’t happen on a through ticket such as the OP has. If it does, it should be reported. I work for an airline here in the US (although not the one OP is flying with) and through ticketed passengers’ bags should be checked through. We don’t have the resources to have passengers going back through check in and rechecking. Not to mention the havoc it would cause with flight scheduling.

You are right in theory it shouldn’t happen for all the reasons you mention it but I (ex-airline employee) have on very rare occasions been aware of bags tagged only as far as the intermediate airport (US and elsewhere)….I know it shouldn’t happen these days but …

Best advice advice I can give the OP is for piece of mind simply to get confirmation from the check-in staff at MIA as they hand the bags over..

There will be no immigration as you arriving domestically.

You bag can be through checked if the flights are on the same TICKET, not just the same booking. They will tell you at check in where to collect your bag and the tags they attach to your suitcase will show the destination airport code. They usually stick a tag receipt to your passport. The airlines are both part of the Oneworld alliance which allows through checking of baggage.

The ticket sounds like a Finnair (AY) ticket for all flights which is why the booking shows all flights with them, the BA flight will likely have been sold with a code share AY flight number. BA will only show the flight they operate and possibly for information a connection flight so that's nothing to worry about.

@BritWifeInUSA I often fly into EWR from the UK and all passengers have to clear immigration at Newark, checked bags have to be collected and rechecked for onward flights with United. I realise the OP is flying domestically then internationally rather than the other way round so it might be different, hence why I told her to check at bag drop in Miami.

I have definitely had to collect and recheck bags at Kennedy, when flying from Boulder to Manchester, via JFK, on the same airline and on what I had assumed was the same ticket. Maybe it wasn’t.

Anyway, as an abundance of caution, the OP should check, in fact the agent at bag drop will almost certainly inform her. It’s easy enough to do and no big deal.

Thanks everyone, this has been so helpful. We will definitely check at the Miami end as to what we should do about baggage.

Everyone needs to clear immigration, customs and re-check bags on an International-US-US flight. OP is doing US-US-International which in 90% of cases doesn’t require anything other than walking from one gate to the other.

Definitely check when you first drop your bags in MIA, and enjoy your trip OP!