I’m glad it helped!

I’m glad it was useful!

I’m glad it’s useful!

Thanks a lot for the information! I really thought connecting traffic was more than 55%. I clearly underestimated Houston, my bad!

@@flyingaroundtheworldytb No worries at all! Houston is a very ethnically diverse and big business city but it is not a tourist city so a lot of times people don't think about it as a destination.

To be honest, if there had been a chance to make a stopover for a day, I would have taken it. There surely is something interesting to do in such a big city, and after all, it’s adding a new place to the list as well!

@@flyingaroundtheworldytb well, the name I’m commenting by is my real name. I’m on Facebook and LinkedIn. You can shoot me a message next time you pass through Houston and if the layover is long enough I can show you around a bit.

Don’t know when I’ll have the chance to be back in Houston, but I’ll try to remember this! Appreciate it very much!

I had about 2 hours and got quite tight… it always depends on how many people you find at the passport control. However, I believe 2 hours is a decent connection time if there are no issues along the way.

@@flyingaroundtheworldytb Thanks for the quick reply... almost ready to book a trip to Guatemala 🎉 And that’s what I was thinking - doable but a risk! Keep up the good work 👍🏼

Good luck with it! Thanks!

Hey! You only need to pick your luggage upon entry into the United States. Therefore, if you are connecting from an international flight, you will have to do it. However, if you are returning to your country from another point in the US, you won’t have to pick your luggage nor go through security. You will just have to go straight to your connecting flight’s gate. Hope this helps!

Depends on how many people you find at the passport control. It should be enough though. You’ll have to take your luggage and drop it off again, but the airline personnel will do it for you. You just have to walk towards the ‘Connecting Flights’ sign once you take your bags and follow the process.

No idea to be honest, but I’m pretty sure that 4 hours won’t be enough to get out of the airport, head to the city and then come back to check-in and go through security again. I wouldn’t risk it.

Do you think 4 hours is a do-able layover time on an international transfer in general?

If you mean connection time, 4 hours should be more than enough. If you are planning to go out of the airport, I wouldn’t do it.

I live in the area of Bush Airport, and there is a Best Buy about 10 minutes away, with no traffic. With that being said, traffic has a way of happening at all hours of the day around that area, especially with a hospital, schools, and a mall all in the same general area. I would not take a chance on it, especailly when you figure in the amount of time, it takes to deplane, get your luggage, and the 30 minutes ahead you have to be at your connecting flight.

I’m glad you found it useful! If you are connecting from a domestic flight, all you’ll need to do at IAH is head to your connecting flight’s gate! Security check is only needed when you arrive from an international flight.

Once you drop off your bags I’m pretty sure you must go through security, which means you can’t go out. Unless you stay at an airport hotel, which I don’t know what the situation is at IAH, whether there are any hotels inside the airport, you will have to either go with your luggage or leave it in a locker. Most big airports have these for people in your situation to leave their bags and go out during long connections.

It actually depends on where your inbound flight arrives and where the outbound flight departs from. Therefore, there’s a chance you might transfer through Terminal E. Anyway, all the concourses are connected.

I believe you still have to go through all the process. No matter if you are not staying in the States, you still have to enter the country. There’s no transit connection as far as I’m concerned. Anyway, if you’re booked with United, if you happen to lose your flight, they will have to find you a place in the following one.

I'm in a similar situation coming from Canada, but we have US Customs clearance in our airports here before we even board the first flight to Houston. not sure if the UK has a similar set up but it could. assuming both your flights on with the same airline... I only have 1 hour between flights so I can only assume that they have left enough time between the 2 flights they sold me as part of one ticket.

Don’t know if you’ll have to take the train, but you should be fine with time!

4 hours and a half should be more than enough for a connection as far as I’m concerned.

Upon arrival into the US from another country, at any airport, you are usually instructed to pick your luggage and drop it off again if you have a domestic connection. Not sure if that’s also the case when you are connecting internationally. You will probably have to do so, as your connection will be domestic, but don’t worry. It doesn’t take more than two minutes.

@@flyingaroundtheworldytb as I stated in my previous comment, I dont believe this is the case for Canadians who have US pre-clearance in their own airports before they board the flight to the US. I have done this countless times, whether continuing on to other US domestic flights or international flights and never had to collect my luggage and go through immigration again.

Not really sure if there are any assistance services, but you can definitely ask either airline or airport personnel to help you out with the bags.

It depends on how many people you find at the passport control upon entry to the US, but 2 hours should be enough.

The first being a domestic flight, you won’t have to do anything with it. Just walk straight to your departure gate!

when I arrive to Miami . I don't find my luggage

Didn’t quite understand your question. When you arrive into the States, you must pick your luggage and drop it off again. Once you’ve done that, you can head to your connecting flight.

So basically the luggage doesn't go to the connecting flight automatically.

Yes!

Thank you!

If you are arriving on an international flight, you will have to take your bags and drop them off again. This doesn’t take more than 2 minutes though. If you are connecting from a domestic flight, your luggage will go straight to your final destination. An hour should be fine for a domestic connection, but not sure if you are arriving from abroad. In that case, it will depend on how many people you find at the passport control.

@@flyingaroundtheworldytb I really think you are missing some important facts here... I am in the same situation as this person. but I know that I have pre-clearance for US customs in Canada before I board my first flight. but why would an airline sell tickets for connecting flights with only 1 hour between them if they expect people to go through immigration, collect their luggage and go through security again... it simply isnt possible.

It is possible indeed. Make sure you check that. It does not apply to you because your trip is originating in Canada, where you can pre-clear everything. Coming in from any other country where you can’t do that in advance, you’ll have to do everything I mentioned, and that is where 1-hour connections become very tight.

@@flyingaroundtheworldytb but again I ask you... why would airlines schedule and sell flights that connect through the US with such short layover times? surely it would be a massive problem for them with people missing flights constantly. no way in the world could anyone go out through immigration, get their bag and check back in that fast. you need to provide more details about your flights. were they purchased as part f a single trip or separately? on the same airline or different airlines. I think the fact that you were connecting to another US city as your end destination would be the reason why you had to do it. I cant see it for someone who is only connecting in the US to a 3rd country on a trip purchased all as a single ticket.

In the United States there is no such ‘transit passenger’. If you are entering the country, no matter where you arrive from, you have to clear customs. It doesn’t vary with the ticket either. Airlines sell those connections because ultimately they can book you in another flight if you don’t make it. And about the luggage, I’ve always had to re-drop it off during my connections arriving from abroad. That’s just part of the connecting process and does not take more than 5 minutes; it’s not that you have to go out of the airport or anything; you just follow the ‘connecting flights’ sign once you’ve picked your bags and you’ll find a few counters to drop them off again. I don’t know if it’s like that in every other case, but I had certainly missed the situation for Canadians who pre-clear everything before the flight, and so it basically works like a connection coming from a domestic flight.

There are no immigration checks upon departure from the US.

If Yes do you know how long it will take to clear everything?

Only if you are arriving on an international flight. The time it takes to clear everything depends on the day!

If you are coming on an international flight, it will be tight. Not because of the transit but because of the time it might take you to clear the passport control. In my experience, it took us an hour. However, it will probably depend on the time of the day you arrive.

Hi, just a follow up to this - was this enough connection time for you? I have a 1hr 15m connection and wondering if it's long enough.

not if both tickets were bought from the same airline as a single trip. there is no way in the world they could schedule like this and expect people to exit through immigration ad collect their luggage and then re-enter. I have done this dozens of times flying in from Canada and continuing on to a 3rd country or a domestic US destination. never had to exit from the secured area and my bags were transferred to the next flight by the airline.

If you arrive on time, it should be enough time to make it to your departure gate.

this is insane and makes no sense. on a previous comment you just stated there are no immigration checks upon departure from the US.

For Canadian travelers who clear US Customs in Canada, any connection works as a domestic connection as far as I understand. That is to say, you’ll just have to get off the plane and walk to your connecting flight’s gate.

Only on international arrivals. You pick your luggage, go through customs and drop it off again. However, I don’t think we went through customs though, so I’m not really sure.

@@flyingaroundtheworldytb okay thank you. I'm flying international tomorrow and I'm really confused.

I honestly don’t know. As far as I’m concerned, every time you enter the US and have a connection you need to take your luggage and drop it off again. There might be special cases but I’m not aware of them.

@@flyingaroundtheworldytb not true... at least for Canadians. and the only time I ever heard of going out through immigration and getting your luggage and then returning for a connecting flight is if you bought the 2 tickets separately and they are on different airlines. there is no way that you buy a ticket with a short layover of 1 hour and you have to do what you described. why would the airline sell such a ticket? on my flight into Houston I am in row 32 of my flight. it is going to take me 15-20 minutes just to get off that plane.

My mistake with flights coming from Canada, but that is an exception. Every time you enter the United States not having pre-cleared customs, you have to follow the procedure I mentioned. I’ve entered multiple times and that has always been the case. Canadians can avoid it just because they have the chance to do so before they even board the plane.

At a hub like IAH there’s people 24/7! If you meant to ask if there will be a lot of people at the immigration control, I wouldn’t think so, but you never know.