US to New Zealand travel with layovers, where will I need to pick up my bags?
I have a trip planned for NZ in about a month and I was wondering where and when I will have to pick up my bag that is check. I am leaving out of KCI on america west to phoenix, then from phoenix to LAX on america west again, then from LAX to Auckland NZ, then from Auckland to palmerston north, I am wondering will I have to pick up my bag at LAX to check it for an international flight, and then after that will I pick it up at Auckland where I go threw customs (I think) or will it go directly to palmerston north, my last stop?
basically if anyone knows how checked bags work for this kind of layovers, any help would be great, just want to be prepared.
Thank you.
It really depends on what the gate agent in KCI puts on the bag tag. When you check in bags, look at the code. It should read, from bottom to top, PHX, LAX, AKL, PMR
If it doesn’t have all these codes, then pick up your bag in the top airport listed on the bag tag. Most likely, that will be LAX because I’m really not sure if HP (America West) will automatically tag bags for Air New Zealand or Qantas.
If all are listed, then pick up your bag in Auckland, New Zealand. This is where you’ll clear NZ Customs. Most international airports require passengers to get their luggage and present it for inspection when first entering a country. Once you clear Customs in NZ, there will be an area to re-check your bag for the flight to PMR.
The only reason you’d have to pick up your luggage at LAX is if America West didn’t tag the bag for the New Zealand leg of your trip.
If your NZ flight number is listed on the bag tag, just walk out of LAX Terminal 1, make a right when you hit the street, and walk either to Terminal 2 (Air New Zealand) or to the Tom Bradley International Terminal between Terminals 3 and 4 (for Qantas and Air Pacific). There’s one UA flight at Terminal 7 that goes to NZ also.
July 16th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Your bags should be checked all the way through when you first check in at KCI
References :
July 16th, 2009 at 10:51 am
It really depends on what the gate agent in KCI puts on the bag tag. When you check in bags, look at the code. It should read, from bottom to top, PHX, LAX, AKL, PMR
If it doesn’t have all these codes, then pick up your bag in the top airport listed on the bag tag. Most likely, that will be LAX because I’m really not sure if HP (America West) will automatically tag bags for Air New Zealand or Qantas.
If all are listed, then pick up your bag in Auckland, New Zealand. This is where you’ll clear NZ Customs. Most international airports require passengers to get their luggage and present it for inspection when first entering a country. Once you clear Customs in NZ, there will be an area to re-check your bag for the flight to PMR.
The only reason you’d have to pick up your luggage at LAX is if America West didn’t tag the bag for the New Zealand leg of your trip.
If your NZ flight number is listed on the bag tag, just walk out of LAX Terminal 1, make a right when you hit the street, and walk either to Terminal 2 (Air New Zealand) or to the Tom Bradley International Terminal between Terminals 3 and 4 (for Qantas and Air Pacific). There’s one UA flight at Terminal 7 that goes to NZ also.
References :