What are the steps involved in Domestic to International connection at Dallas/Fort Worth?
I have a flight from Greensboro, NC (USA) to Melbourne (Australia) coming soon and this is my first time leaving USA. I am not a US passport holder, just have a visit visa. The legs look like this:
- Greensboro, NC -> Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, TX (layover: 59 minutes)
- Dallas, TX -> Sydney (Australia), and so on.
Given the layover time is less than one hour, I was concerned and asked my travel agent to change it. They are asking for a quite a bit of money and said it is still over the the minimum connection time so a 'legal' connection. I am not overly confident about their remarks.
Can anyone tell me exactly what steps are involved in a outbound domestic to international connection in USA?
Specifically, do I need to:
- Collect my luggage at Dallas?
- Depart domestic terminal, go to international terminal and re-check the luggage?
- Again go through the Immigration and Security to board the international flight?
I have a bad experience when I was coming to USA due to a short layover time. The first flight was delayed from Melbourne and I missed the connecting flight due to wrong instructions from airport staff. I was put on standby and AA gave me a flight after 18 hours.
Disclaimer: I have searched quite a bit and mostly found questions involving international to domestic transfer, which does not apply to me.
Best Answer
- Collect my luggage at Dallas?
No you will not. Almost certainly, your luggage will be checked through to Melbourne, or at least to Sydney. You won't need to collect it in Dallas.
- Depart domestic terminal, go to international terminal and re-check the luggage?
No, as noted, you won't have to recheck your luggage. Your flights will not be at the same terminal. (Thanks to Michael Hampton for this information.) I don't know DFW well enough to know how much time you will need for the transfer.
- Again go through the immigration and security to board the international flight?
No, there is no immigration control when leaving the United States. You normally should not have to go through the security check again, because the train linking the terminals connects the secured areas with one another; the train is said to be "inside security" (see Zach Lipton's answer for the link). If for some reason you do have to clear security again, the airline should be able to expedite your transfer if it is necessary.
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Quick Answer about "What are the steps involved in Domestic to International connection at Dallas/Fort Worth?"
- Collect my luggage at Dallas?
- Depart domestic terminal, go to international terminal and re-check the luggage?
- Again go through the Immigration and Security to board the international flight?
Do I have to go through security again for connecting international flight at DFW?
No, you will not have to pass through security as long as you remain inside the secured area when going from your arrival gate to your departure gate.Do I have to go through security again for connecting flight domestic to international?
For connecting domestic flights, you almost never have to exit and reenter security, though there are some exceptions at airports where the terminals aren't all connected. For domestic-to-international connection, it's still pretty rare that you have to exit and reenter security, even if you're changing terminals.How do connecting flights work internationally?
In almost all cases, if your bags are checked through to your final destination and you already have your onward boarding pass, you'll go through transit security when you land at your connecting airport instead of customs.Do I have to go through customs for a connecting international flight?
Many wonder, \u201cdo I have to go through customs for a connecting flight?\u201d This is a common question amongst international travelers, and the answer is usually \u201cno.\u201d As long as you're not leaving the airport, your bags are checked through to your final destination and you have a boarding pass for your next flight, you won ...Dallas Fort Worth DFW Airport From the plane via immigration to customs for connecting flights
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