Say goodbye to one of the biggest hassles of international travel — that is, if you’re on the right flight.
United Airlines just became the latest U.S. carrier to launch a major time-saving program for travelers flying into the U.S. and then making a connection. As part of the new setup, passengers who fly United from Sydney Airport (SYD) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) won’t have to recheck their bags before racing to their next gate.
It’s a trial program that could save passengers as much as 45 minutes after a long flight.
Bag-transfer initiative for connecting flyers
In most cases, travelers arriving in the U.S. from abroad have to wait for their luggage at the international arrivals baggage claims after clearing passport control, and then recheck it before heading to their connecting flight. United’s new setup would eliminate that often-lengthy step.
Instead, passengers starting their trip at SYD and then connecting through SFO would see their luggage transferred right to their next plane, just like on a domestic connection.
“We’re streamlining the international arrival process by eliminating extra steps for travelers to pick up and re-check their bags on connecting flights,” said Jennifer Schwierzke, United vice president of customer operations strategy and execution, in a statement announcing the news.
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From the outset, this program will be pretty limited, applying only to travelers whose trip starts with a SYD-SFO flight. But United hopes to expand this option to additional international routes “in the months ahead,” the Chicago-based carrier said Monday.
New ways to save time at the airport
United is the third major U.S. airline to launch an innovative, time-saving initiative for flyers traveling back to the U.S. in 2025. American Airlines launched a similar bag-transfer initiative this spring for passengers flying from SYD through its Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) hub. Delta Air Lines recently did the same for passengers traveling from Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul, South Korea, through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
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And this summer, American and Delta (and their partners) both began allowing passengers flying from London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) through both ATL and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to skip the security recheck — another time-consuming process travelers face when making a connection after an international flight.
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Airlines are partnering with the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection on these new streamlined security programs.
These initiatives are made possible by technology that allows officers in the U.S. to remotely review baggage images first captured when passengers pass through security checkpoints at certain international airports with similar protocols as the U.S. — so far in Sydney, Seoul and London.
Here’s a full rundown of the new “one-stop security” and “international remote baggage screening” programs now in place:
| Airline and route | Connecting passengers’ bags transfer right to next flight | Connecting passengers allowed to skip TSA security recheck |
|---|---|---|
| American Airlines, LHR-DFW | √ | √ |
| American Airlines, SYD-LAX | √ | |
| Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic, LHR-ATL | √ | √ |
| Delta Air Lines, ICN-ATL | √ | |
| United Airlines, SYD-LAX | √ |
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