Korean Job Discussion Forums

[catman]

The last two times that I have gone to Korea I have been fortunately enough to have a direct flight from Canada straight to Seoul.

This time I will be travelling from Toronto to Detroit to Tokyo to Seoul. My question is do I have to recheck my luggage in Detroit and again in Tokyo because it is a different country?

The only reason I'm concerned is because I just have an hour between flights in both cities.

Note-I will be flying with NW the entire way. thanks

[tzechuk]

One word: no.

As long as you are flying with the same airline, they will check your baggage through from Toronto to Seoul. They will tell you this when you check in as well.

[catman]

Thanks a lot for the quick reply. This is good to know.

[peppermint]

You may have to in the US- I did once a couple of years ago. You don't have to check in again though- just grab your bags off the carousel, and drag them through some point for people transfering where they scan ( and possibly open) your luggage again.

Best bet is to call the airline.

[kangnam mafioso]

the one good thing about detroit airport is you can smoke at the brewhouse bar ... can't remember the name.

[Bulsajo]

re: re-checking bags, no need unless there is some sort of an unusual security alert or something.

Warning, anecdote on the worst case scenario ahead:

One year I flew to Tel Aviv with a transfer of flights at Paris.
When we left Montreal the bags were checked all the way to Tel Aviv, no need to re-check at de Gaulle airport.
At the time Canadians needed a visa to visit France (I know some Cdns are saying WTF?!? but it's true, at least for a period of 5-6 months during 86-87, there was some sort of tit for tat economic or diplomatic spat or something).

Anyway, our stopover was only about 4 hours so we didn't bother going through the hassle of getting a visa (and it was a hassle- that was the whole purpose, plus it cost money- not alot, but money is money).
The plane landed about an hour late, so three hours to kill.

But because we were changing from an AC to an Air France flight and the destination was the middle east, we were informed that there was a change in plans- for security purposes we now had to pick up our luggage, identify it, and re-check it .
Well, fine, I guess we know how we're going to kill most of our 3 hours...

So we follow the signs towards the baggage claim and hit a huge line up. It's customs and immigration, and baggage claim is on the other side. Finally we get up to the desk and the clerk asks to see our passports.
He notes "You have no visa."
"Yes, but we were told our bags have been unloaded here and we just have to re-check them."
"But you can't enter France without a visa."
"But we don't want to enter France!!! We just want our friggin bags on the plane!"
"Well then you should have got a visa."
"But we were told the bags were checked straight through!!!"

To make a long story short- we had to argue until they brought someone to escort us to the baggage claim area. We claimed our bags, but by that time we missed our flight, and had to wait an extra 6-7 hours for another one. Our bags went missing and we got them 3 months later back in Canada.

The only good news is that we got reimbursed for the lost baggage and then we got our baggage back as well, but to be honest the money never made up for the overall inconvenience. Not even close.

Now, if you've bothered to read this far, don't you feel better knowing that this probably won't happen to you?

[Homer]

Flew that route (except I went to Busan) 6 times and you check in your luggage at TO and don't touch it until final stop (Seoul for you).

On the way back (Korea to Canada) you do have to pick up your bags in detroit to clear customs (coming in you do this at the TO airport as they have a US customs area inside the international terminal).