Pre-international flight checklist.
July 7, 2011 3:23 PM Subscribe
What is the process for/before boarding an international flight (to Canada) and roughly how long does it take?
I'm flying to Canada later this week, and I haven't flown internationally since 2003.
What kind of stuff will I have to do, what do I need available, and how long does it usually take? Thanks.
I'm flying to Canada later this week, and I haven't flown internationally since 2003.
What kind of stuff will I have to do, what do I need available, and how long does it usually take? Thanks.
From the US, I assume? Customs/Immigration will be after you land, not before you take off. Flights to Canada often leave from the domestic terminals because of this, but not always -- but as far as departures go you can basically treat it as a domestic flight (with maybe 15 minutes or so extra) for purposes of getting to the airport.
posted by brainmouse at 3:31 PM on July 7, 2011
posted by brainmouse at 3:31 PM on July 7, 2011
Assuming you are going to Canada from the US, make sure to have your passport. Passport cards are not taken for flying in to Canada, only going by land or sea. Check-in may take a little longer as you will have to show passport to the airline, otherwise it's fairly standard. Customs is handled at the destination for flights to Canada.
Flying back from Canada you generally do customs at the Canadian airport. This is due to a shared agreement with the US and Canada that they can have customs pre-flight in the other country's airport. Canada doesn't bother with it because there are too many airports to cover in the US.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 3:33 PM on July 7, 2011
Flying back from Canada you generally do customs at the Canadian airport. This is due to a shared agreement with the US and Canada that they can have customs pre-flight in the other country's airport. Canada doesn't bother with it because there are too many airports to cover in the US.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 3:33 PM on July 7, 2011
(For the record, though, on your way back, Customs/Immigration will be before you take off, not after you land. That is -- you'll be doing it on the Canada side of both flights).
posted by brainmouse at 3:33 PM on July 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by brainmouse at 3:33 PM on July 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
You'll have to fill out a little form on the plane before your arrival in Canada. The flight attendants will hand these out.
As others have said, you'll only really need to add extra time to clear customs on the way back to the US. They will expect you to have a US customs/immigration form filled out before letting you in line. There may be time restrictions... the one here in Calgary will only let you pass through between 30 minutes and 2 hours before your flight is scheduled to board. (30 minutes is enough time to clear security in Calgary but I'm not sure about a busier airport like Toronto). Remember that this is 30 minutes before *boarding*, not the flight time. If your flight is at 9:15, but boarding at 8:45, the latest you can be at US customs is 8:15.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 3:57 PM on July 7, 2011
As others have said, you'll only really need to add extra time to clear customs on the way back to the US. They will expect you to have a US customs/immigration form filled out before letting you in line. There may be time restrictions... the one here in Calgary will only let you pass through between 30 minutes and 2 hours before your flight is scheduled to board. (30 minutes is enough time to clear security in Calgary but I'm not sure about a busier airport like Toronto). Remember that this is 30 minutes before *boarding*, not the flight time. If your flight is at 9:15, but boarding at 8:45, the latest you can be at US customs is 8:15.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 3:57 PM on July 7, 2011
Response by poster: This is all good to know. I'm flying from Denver to Edmonton and then back.
Does anyone have experience going through the Edmonton airport? I'm planning on being there in plenty of time, but I'm still curious about how busy is generally gets and if customs there is particularly time-consuming.
Thanks!
posted by Fister Roboto at 4:53 PM on July 7, 2011
Does anyone have experience going through the Edmonton airport? I'm planning on being there in plenty of time, but I'm still curious about how busy is generally gets and if customs there is particularly time-consuming.
Thanks!
posted by Fister Roboto at 4:53 PM on July 7, 2011
Pre-boarding, there's pretty much no difference in taking a flight to Canada vs. a flight within the U.S. As noted above, you'll need to be sure to have your passport available — the airline staff are likely to check it before you board. Make sure you've got a list of items you'll be leaving in the country, too, as this info will be needed to fill out the "little form" that Pruitt-Igoe mentions.
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:54 PM on July 7, 2011
posted by Johnny Assay at 4:54 PM on July 7, 2011
Last time I flew into Vancouver from Seattle (a multi-stop flight) they had us fill out the little customs cards before we got on the airplane. But, yeah, have your passport accessible, leave an extra 15 minutes, you'll be fine.
posted by straw at 5:27 PM on July 7, 2011
posted by straw at 5:27 PM on July 7, 2011
Best answer: Fister Roboto: "Does anyone have experience going through the Edmonton airport? I'm planning on being there in plenty of time, but I'm still curious about how busy is generally gets and if customs there is particularly time-consuming. "
Funny enough, I was in Edmonton last month. Flew from NYC (LGA) via Minneapolis. At customs in Edmonton, I was asked several questions about the nature of my visit (vacation), who I was staying with (a friend), how I knew my buddy, etc. I was then directed to immigration. I was asked many more questions (all along the same lines). Bizarrely, there was some flag in my file (I had visited Canada by air once before, in 1994) that indicated I had been sponsored to immigrate to Canada by a fiancee! This had never happened, and the note dated from the same time as my previous visit... when I was all of 17 years old. It fortunately didn't take too much to convince the immigration agent that the note was a mistake. Probably this whole second encounter took maybe ten mins.
On the way back (flying YEG to MSP), you go through customs at YEG (with American customs agents). I was flying in the middle of the day on a weekday, so there was absolutely no line either at security or customs. I whizzed right through. (If you're an American going back to the states, they don't ask many questions. I joked with the guy about Celsius vs. Fahrenheit.) The area at the terminal where international passengers who've cleared customs waits before boarding is sealed off from the rest of the terminal, and it's quite small. A magazine stand, a couple of very meager food options, and not much more. So I'd bring food with you.
Of course, I can't say how busy it would be if you're traveling at a peak time, but there don't seem to be that many flights, so I doubt you'd have an O'Hare-style mess on your hands. But you never now. Also, there's some construction going on at YEG at the terminals - not sure its current status or how much longer it'll last. Didn't seem to have any effect on my travel, though.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 5:34 PM on July 7, 2011
Funny enough, I was in Edmonton last month. Flew from NYC (LGA) via Minneapolis. At customs in Edmonton, I was asked several questions about the nature of my visit (vacation), who I was staying with (a friend), how I knew my buddy, etc. I was then directed to immigration. I was asked many more questions (all along the same lines). Bizarrely, there was some flag in my file (I had visited Canada by air once before, in 1994) that indicated I had been sponsored to immigrate to Canada by a fiancee! This had never happened, and the note dated from the same time as my previous visit... when I was all of 17 years old. It fortunately didn't take too much to convince the immigration agent that the note was a mistake. Probably this whole second encounter took maybe ten mins.
On the way back (flying YEG to MSP), you go through customs at YEG (with American customs agents). I was flying in the middle of the day on a weekday, so there was absolutely no line either at security or customs. I whizzed right through. (If you're an American going back to the states, they don't ask many questions. I joked with the guy about Celsius vs. Fahrenheit.) The area at the terminal where international passengers who've cleared customs waits before boarding is sealed off from the rest of the terminal, and it's quite small. A magazine stand, a couple of very meager food options, and not much more. So I'd bring food with you.
Of course, I can't say how busy it would be if you're traveling at a peak time, but there don't seem to be that many flights, so I doubt you'd have an O'Hare-style mess on your hands. But you never now. Also, there's some construction going on at YEG at the terminals - not sure its current status or how much longer it'll last. Didn't seem to have any effect on my travel, though.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 5:34 PM on July 7, 2011
The only thing about the Edmonton airport is that it is quite a distance from downtown and traffic can slow transit even further. Give yourself lots of time to get to or from the airport. I usually budget an hour from downtown, more if I'm on the north side of town.
Edmonton airport itself is not huge and new. It is fairly easy to navigate.
posted by bonehead at 7:55 PM on July 7, 2011
Edmonton airport itself is not huge and new. It is fairly easy to navigate.
posted by bonehead at 7:55 PM on July 7, 2011
For international flight they start boarding 40 minutes prior (unlike 20 minutes for domestic flights)
Once you land you'll have to go through immigration and the collect your checked in baggage.
posted by WizKid at 11:30 AM on July 8, 2011
Once you land you'll have to go through immigration and the collect your checked in baggage.
posted by WizKid at 11:30 AM on July 8, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
(Otherwise, from Europe tot the US these days you need minimally 2 hours for check-in and all the funny questions they ask you).
posted by Namlit at 3:30 PM on July 7, 2011