Check-in luggage at connecting flight in Toronto
My mom will be travelling from Europe to Canada (Winnipeg) soon and I've been researching how to streamline the transfers for her, as she doesn't speak English.
She will be travelling from Warsaw to Toronto and then Toronto to Winnipeg. The second flight is listed as "LOT-Polish Airlines Operated by Air Canada". As far as I understood, in Toronto it will be mandatory for her to pick up her check-in luggage then recheck it again.
I am unsure about the recheck process. On the Pearson airport website it says "Drop off your baggage at the connection drop-off belt". What does this mean exactly? Does she have to go to an Air Canada desk and show her boarding pass for Winnipeg to check her luggage again? Or is there an automated belt where she can drop off the luggage without any check-in?
Best Answer
I live in Calgary, and quite frequently travel to/from Europe on Air Canada (or StarAlliance-affiliated airlines), so have done exactly this transfer-from-international-to-domestic-Air-Canada-in-Toronto operation many times.
Your mother's baggage will be tagged in Warszawa through to Winnipeg, however as you correctly understand, she will need to collect it in Toronto and re-deposit it. The purpose of this is essentially so that she will have the baggage physically with her when she passes through Canada Customs, which will happen during her transfer in Toronto (so if there are any questions, if they want to inspect the baggage, etc. then she can do that).
So:
In Warszawa, her baggage will be tagged through to Winnipeg (via Toronto), as above.
When she lands in Toronto, she will first be directed to clear Canada Immigration (she will naturally have no choice in this matter - at this point all the signs will indicate "Arrivals" / "Baggage Carousels" / "Canada Connections" / "International and US Connections" and will all point to the same place).
After passing through immigration, she will come down the escalators to the baggage carousel area (see the area marked "#1" on my attached map) and will have to pick up her luggage from the appropriate carousel for her LOT flight from Warszawa.
She will then continue through to Canada Customs (again, all signs will indicate "Customs" and (possibly?) "Connections"), with her baggage.
Immediately AFTER passing through customs, she will make an immediate left turn, following signs to "Canada Connections". At this point, there is a separate corridor for said connections, with a dedicated baggage drop-off (see the area marked "#2" on my attached map).
She will drop off her baggage (still tagged through to Winnipeg) on this conveyor belt (on her left), which should be also checked by local staff to verify it is correctly tagged (although this has sometimes not occurred).
She will then exit through the doors on her right (Air Canada staff will usually be on hand at this point to confirm she has a correct onward boarding pass herself) then go up the escalator to the departure level, again following signs for "Canada Connections" (see the area marked "#3").
Once at the departure level, she will pass back through security to the post-clearance domestic departure lounge, where she can proceed to the gate for her onward flight to Winnipeg.
YYZ Terminal 1 arrivals Level, screenshot from interactive maps at maps.torontopearson.com
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Do I have to pick up my luggage on a connecting flight Toronto?
If your bag is tagged to your next or final destination, you may need to pick up your bags and place them on the connection drop-off belt. If it is not tagged to your next or final destination, then you will definitely need to pick up your bags and check them in for your next flight.Do you have to recheck baggage on connecting flights in Canada?
Same terminal connections No terminal changes, and no bags to recheck as they'll automatically be sent to your next Air Canada flight.Do I need to check-in my luggage on a connecting flight?
If you're connecting in the U.S., they require everyone from international flights to re-check their baggage upon the first landing point.Do I need to recheck my luggage at Toronto?
For all flights connecting through Toronto from Canada to the U.S., you do not need to claim checked baggage.Connecting Flight procedure India Boarding Pass Check-in bag Airport par मुझे अपना सामान कहां मिलेगा
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