Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 27

Thread: Baggage/customs

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    California, USA > Dunedin
    Posts
    74

    Default Baggage/customs

    We fly to Dunedin this coming Saturday (Sunday for those of you already in the southern hemisphere) and we fly from San Francisco through Auckland. We have a 9.5 hour layover in Auckland... I'm hoping we can get some sleep during that time!

    My question is this: we're taking all of our things over as extra baggage rather than shipping. Will we be going through customs in Auckland, or when we reach our final destination (Dunedin)? And, will they unload our bags in Auckland to do customs/searching on them, and then load them onto our plane for Dunedin? Also, if this is the case, will we have to pay the extra baggage fees again?

    Or do they wait until our final destination to go through customs?

    Any help is (as usual) much appreciated!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    San Francisco to Auckland
    Posts
    626

    Default

    You will definitely go through customs in Auckland. And then you get onto a Domestic flight to go down to Dunedin. best of luck to you!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    San Francisco to Auckland
    Posts
    626

    Default

    And forgot to answer your question about your bags, yes everything is taken off the International flight and goes through customs and then gets reloaded onto the Domestic flight. We had to do this on one of our visits when we flew through Auckland to Christchurch.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    California, USA > Dunedin
    Posts
    74

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kiwihusker View Post
    And forgot to answer your question about your bags, yes everything is taken off the International flight and goes through customs and then gets reloaded onto the Domestic flight. We had to do this on one of our visits when we flew through Auckland to Christchurch.
    Glad I picked the 9.5 hour layover instead of the 2 hour one then!

    Did you have to pay for the bags again? And do they direct you where to go/what to do upon leaving the plane?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    San Francisco to Auckland
    Posts
    626

    Default

    Upon leaving the plane you will follow all the other bleary eyed travelers to baggage claim, and there are loads of free trolleys and you load your bags onto the trolleys and line up for customs. As for paying excess baggage fees, you will most likely pay at SFO. They won't let you on the plane till you pay. At least that has been my experience. This is very exciting. Best of luck.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    California, USA > Dunedin
    Posts
    74

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by kiwihusker View Post
    Upon leaving the plane you will follow all the other bleary eyed travelers to baggage claim, and there are loads of free trolleys and you load your bags onto the trolleys and line up for customs. As for paying excess baggage fees, you will most likely pay at SFO. They won't let you on the plane till you pay. At least that has been my experience. This is very exciting. Best of luck.
    Oh, wow! Free trolleys, haha! We know we'll pay at SFO... will we have to pay again in Auckland when they re-load our baggage?

    Thanks for all of your help so far!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    North Canterbury, New Zealand
    Posts
    865

    Default

    I think it depends on how may flights you take. If your ticket is for a flight SFO to DUD then it is one flight although it has several legs: SFO to AKL is one leg. For one flight I would only expect to pay once. If your flight finishes at AKL on one ticket and then you fly on to DUD on another you would expect to pay again.

    This is only what I believe to be the case. I may be quite wrong!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    California, USA > Dunedin
    Posts
    74

    Default

    That's what I was thinking, Myles - and we're on 1 ticket, just with a layover in the middle. I've never taken extra baggage on a flight before, or gone through customs mid-way through a flight where they take everything off! I've only been through customs in Canada, and it was at our final stop, so it seemed to make sense.

  9. #9
    Manks's Avatar
    Manks is offline Serial procrastinator and general busybody
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    UK->CT, USA->Wellington, NZ
    Posts
    1,853

    Default

    It should all be taken care of at SFO in terms of excess baggage but you should ring up and check anyway. If you are flying all the way with Air NZ it will be easy peasy. If you're using different airlines it can become more difficult.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    California, USA > Dunedin
    Posts
    74

    Default

    Yup, we're the whole way with Air NZ. What is it about international travel/moving that brings out the what ifs, and paranoia in me?

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •