Recheck baggage If you have a connecting flight, recheck your baggage with your departing airline (even if it has been through-checked to your final destination) which is located outside of the US Customs processing area.

Whether you have to recheck your bags at JFK on an international connecting flight depends on several key factors. Here’s a breakdown to help you determine your situation:

The General Rule: It Depends on Your Airline Alliance and Ticket

The most important factor is whether your flights are on a single ticket and with partner airlines that have an interline baggage agreement.

1. Single Ticket with Partner Airlines (Most Common & Ideal Scenario): If you booked your entire journey (from origin to final destination) on one ticket, and your airlines are partners (e.g., both are in the same alliance like SkyTeam, Star Alliance, or Oneworld, or have a codeshare/interline agreement), your bags will usually be checked through to your final destination. At JFK: You will NOT recheck your bags. You will follow the “Connecting Flights” signs after deplaning. You will go through immigration (passport control), collect your bags from the baggage claim, immediately proceed through customs, and then drop your bags at a dedicated connecting baggage drop right after customs. After that, you go through security for your next flight.

2. Separate Tickets (Two Unlinked Bookings): If you booked your international flight and your onward flight separately, airlines will NOT through-check your bags. At JFK: You MUST recheck your bags. You will collect your bags after immigration, go through customs, exit the secure baggage claim area, find the check-in counter for your next airline (in the departures hall), and recheck your bags from scratch. You will then