Do I need to recheck my luggage in Chicago?

Everyone on your flight needs to claim their luggage at O'hare as Chicago is the first point of entry into the United States. After you exit immigration/customs, you will re-check your luggage for the next flight.



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All customers arriving on an international flight must clear U.S. customs checkpoints, and collect their bags before being able to enter the United states, including if you have connecting flights.

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If your flights were booked under one ticket, your bags will be checked through to your final destination. If your flights were booked under separate tickets, you will need to collect your bags and recheck them before your connecting flight.

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This is because luggage is not automatically transferred on connecting flights. All passengers must pick up their luggage at the arrival airport, clear customs and immigration, and then proceed to the departure airport to check in and recheck their luggage.

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In cases where the connecting flight is one another airline or another terminal, passengers must go through a security and baggage check once again before you get on board the connecting flight to reach your destination.

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If you arrive on an international flight (excluding those who have arrived from a preclearance airport), you must clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) checkpoints and claim all checked luggage before being allowed to enter the United States, including travelers with connecting flights.

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If your flights were booked under one ticket, your bags will be checked through to your final destination. If your flights were booked under separate tickets, you will need to collect your bags and recheck them before your connecting flight.

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For domestic flights on different airlines where you have to switch terminals, plan for a minimum one hour connection. For international flights where O'Hare is your first port of entry to the US, two hours is safe.

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No matter what airline you're flying, if you have a connecting flight that arrives in the United States from an international destination, you'll need to pick up your bags and recheck them on your next flight.

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Generally, the first three terminals are considered domestic terminals and are easily traversed. All three of these terminals are connected by pedestrian walkways, making them so much easier to cross than having to wait for transportation to take you to them.

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Tip: Make Sure to Check the Label on Your Checked Luggage
If it's headed to the layover country/airport, you'll need to recheck your bags there. If it's headed to the final destination, you won't need to recheck your bags. This is the most accurate way of knowing whether you'll need to recheck your bags or not.

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All connecting passengers must go through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security screening.

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Airlines will transfer your checked bags if a codeshare or interline agreement exists between them. You can find out what agreements your airline has by visiting their website.

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You can get your luggage during a layover by asking when checking it in. If your layover is more than 4 hours, there's a chance that it will be allowed and you'll get it on the conveyor belt once you arrived. At 10+ hours layover, the airline might inquire you to take your luggage.

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You can get your luggage during a layover under 2 circumstances: If you booked flights under separate tickets since you will need to gather and recheck your luggage before boarding the next flight. If your flights are booked under a single ticket, usually luggage will automatically be checked to the final destination.

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In most cases, passengers on layover flights must clear customs and immigration at the first point of entry.

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Most (but again, not all) airports connect international terminals airside. When you're connecting from an international flight to a domestic one, you'll always have to exit and reenter security as you'll need to go through customs and immigration (unless you have gone through preclearance aboard, which is rare).

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What is a good connection time? Travel advisers say there's a lot to take into account when booking connecting flights, but a general rule of thumb is 60-90 minutes between domestic flights and at least two to three hours for international itineraries.

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If you missed your connecting flight due to a short layover, the airline will book you on the next flight free of charge as long as the connecting flight is part of the same ticket.

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While skiplagging isn't illegal, American Airlines filed a civil lawsuit earlier this month against Skiplagged.com, accusing the company of unauthorized and deceptive ticketing practices and tricking customers into believing they've gained access to a secret loophole.

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24 hour layover in Chicago On a long layover, you can really get to grips with the city. An overnight layover means a hotel stay, but it also means you can experience the city's nightlife and dining scene.

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