Air New Zealand ticket-flts operated by Air Canada and United

We are going to Australia for the first time and all segments are booked on the same Air New Zealand ticket. I have some questions for our resident experts about how this will all work. Here are the details:

Sept 14:

Departing from Toronto YYZ via Air Canada 10:40 AM to LAX (very long layover)

Departing from LAX via United 10:35 pm non-stop to Melbourne AU

Sept 28:

Departing MEL via Air New Zealand with 1 hr 45 min connection in Auckland (also via NZ,) and 1 hr 45 min connection at SFO via Air Canada back to YYZ.

When checking in at YYZ are we going to an Air Canada desk or Air New Zealand? Will bags be checked through for us? I know that we will preclear US customs in Toronto. Do we still have to collect our bags and recheck them at LAX?

Upon arrival in back in the states at SFO, what is the procedure? Will we be clearing customs there? Do we have to collect our bags and if so is 1 hr 45 mins long enough to get it all done? Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.

I believe going to Australia, your bags will check all the way through.

Coming back, I believe you will have to claim and recheck bags in SFO. 1:45 will be OK there.

You should check in with the airline you first board, and in most cases they will give your onward boarding passes all the way to your destination. So check in with AC departing, and with ANZ coming home.

for going to

since you are starting on Air Canada, You check-in with Air Canada. You should get your boarding pass (or something relating to it)for United at Air Canada check-in for use in the connecting airport so you can board your flight. Your bags should be checked all the way through to your destination, just double check at the check-in counter

Thank you both.

booked on the same Air New Zealand ticket.

Sept 14:

Departing from Toronto YYZ via Air Canada 10:40 AM to LAX (very long layover)

 

When checking in at YYZ are we going to an Air Canada desk or Air New Zealand?

I may be wrong, but I don't think Air New Zealand offers service from Toronto, so you couldn't check in with them at YYZ even if you wanted to. ;)

ANZ is the "ticketing carrier" and as you suspect, this has no bearing on where to show up or check in. ( ANZ does not fly to YYZ at all, so it would be a bit difficult finding any ANZ counter or staff! ) :)

The key words are in the title..."operated by". Check in at the operating carrier's terminal / counter, which is the airline whose aircraft ("metal") you will actually fly on....in your case, Air Canada at YYZ and United at LAX. Since you pre-clear US Customs and Immigration at YYZ, your luggage will be checked all the way to MEL and you don't have to re-claim your luggage at LAX. (That said, you have the option to claim your bag(s) at LAX. In that case you need to make sure they "short check" your bags to LAX, and it's your responsibility to physically take them to United and check them back in.) I recommend against this....you will be stuck with your luggage for 8+ hours before United will accept check-ins for the MEL flight (on a 787-9 Dreamliner....nice!!)

If any of your flights are codeshares (for example if the LAX-MEL flight is an Air Canada flight number with a note "Operated by United Airlines"), then you'd check in with United and not Air Canada. Although almost all flights are codeshares, it looks like all the flights you listed are the direct, operating carrier. If you provide us with the flight numbers we can confirm.

Air Canada uses T2 at LAX while United is T6-T7. You can take the inter-terminal bus, but it will take 20+ minutes since they load and unload at 4 terminals on the way to T6. If you're mobile and traveling light you can walk...the terminals are arranged in an open rectangle and the walk from T2-T6 cuts across the open end...about 300m on sidewalks. Kill some time by going to Santa Monica or Manhattan Beach on local buses, get a day rate at an airport hotel, lunch at In-n-Out Burger, etc.

Hope this helps!

As others have said, you check in with Air Canada. They should be issue the boarding pass for the unit flight. They will also issue a boarding pass for the united flight. The boarding pass for the united flight will have an Air Canada logo and have an Air Canada look to it. That is not a problem. They will also check the baggage all the way to Australia.

LAX has a silly layout in that that it is make up of several terminal buildings. Your connecting flight is in a different building and you will need to take a shuttle bus.

I have done the United 747 down to Australia out of LAX, If they are using a different aircraft type you may be better off. It is much tighter that I am use to on Air Canada. If buying an upgrade to United Plus is reasonably priced I would go for it. Usually that extra inch of room is no work it but on a long flight on that aircraft I would for it if it is reasonably priced.

It makes for a long trip. Given they drive on the opposite side of the road and your going to be tired coming off the flight I would avoid a rental car the first day.

One other item to mention. Australia has a silly visa program called an ETA. Before you leave you need to pre-register with imigration and pay a fee. (http://www.immi.gov.au/services/pages/visitor-visa-online-applications.aspx)

One other item to mention. Australia has a silly visa program called an ETA. Before you leave you need to pre-register with imigration and pay a fee. (http://www.immi.gov.au/services/pages/visitor-visa-online-applications.aspx)

Not so silly in my experience. Quick and efficient and your passport never leaves your hand to sit in some consulate for weeks. The ETA doesn't eat up pages in your passport. Personally, I'd rather have it than a traditional visa.

As others have said, you check in with Air Canada. They should be issue the boarding pass for the unit flight. They will also issue a boarding pass for the united flight. The boarding pass for the united flight will have an Air Canada logo and have an Air Canada look to it. That is not a problem. They will also check the baggage all the way to Australia.

 

LAX has a silly layout in that that it is make up of several terminal buildings. Your connecting flight is in a different building and you will need to take a shuttle bus.

 

I have done the United 747 down to Australia out of LAX, If they are using a different aircraft type you may be better off. It is much tighter that I am use to on Air Canada. If buying an upgrade to United Plus is reasonably priced I would go for it. Usually that extra inch of room is no work it but on a long flight on that aircraft I would for it if it is reasonably priced.

 

It makes for a long trip. Given they drive on the opposite side of the road and your going to be tired coming off the flight I would avoid a rental car the first day.

 

One other item to mention. Australia has a silly visa program called an ETA. Before you leave you need to pre-register with imigration and pay a fee. (http://www.immi.gov.au/services/pages/visitor-visa-online-applications.aspx)

Thanks so much! We are on the United 787-9 but I imagine that it will still be quite squishy. I can assure you there will be prescription meds involved:D. Can you pay for an upgrade through United on that segment if you didn't book through them? I was able to do so on the Air New Zealand segments coming home. Maybe I'll call United later and see. I called Air canada and United to get seat assignments already because I was only able to book the NZ ones online.

Our daughter lives over there so luckily she will be my chauffeur although I couldn't stand her driving when she was over here so lord knows that may not last hahaha.

Already have our ETAs in place. Quick, painless and cheap. Thanks again for all the great info.

Thanks everyone. Greatly appreciated.:)

Thanks so very much! This is exactly the info we needed. We have a 9.5 hr layover so will definitely head over to Santa Monica Pier and wander the area for a while. I'm thrilled to read we won't need to deal with our bags.

Flight numbers I have are:

YYZ TO LAX NZ4821 operated by Air Canada

LAX TO MEL NZ9898 operated by United - looks like UN98

On the way home we connect through SFO. What is the procedure there? Customs or baggage issues? TIA

Thanks so very much! This is exactly the info we needed. We have a 9.5 hr layover so will definitely head over to Santa Monica Pier and wander the area for a while. I'm thrilled to read we won't need to deal with our bags.

 

Flight numbers I have are:

 

YYZ TO LAX NZ4821 operated by Air Canada

LAX TO MEL NZ9898 operated by United - looks like UN98

 

On the way home we connect through SFO. What is the procedure there? Customs or baggage issues? TIA

I recently flew AKL-SFO and baggage took quite a while. The customs line was very long too. Just be prepared, time wise. I'm guessing baggage and customs alone could easily have taken some people 45-60 minutes (not counting immigration) based on how many people were still waiting when I left.

Not so silly in my experience. Quick and efficient and your passport never leaves your hand to sit in some consulate for weeks. The ETA doesn't eat up pages in your passport. Personally, I'd rather have it than a traditional visa.

Yeah I like it. It's just Australia's version of the U.S. ESTA, and is easy. Much better than having a visa, and only slightly more of a pain than going somewhere that you can just show up at the border.

Not so silly in my experience. Quick and efficient and your passport never leaves your hand to sit in some consulate for weeks. The ETA doesn't eat up pages in your passport. Personally, I'd rather have it than a traditional visa.

Between Canada, US, Europe, Japan and a host of other contries there are virtually no visa requirements.

What will happen is Australia imposes visa requirements. The other countries retaliate by imposing visa requirements.

If the purpose of this is boarder control so bit it, the Australians do have every right to decide how closed or open there boarder should be. If the purpose of this is to collect another tax, then it would be to just have the airlines do it with all the other taxes.

Thanks so much! We are on the United 787-9 but I imagine that it will still be quite squishy. I can assure you there will be prescription meds involved:D. Can you pay for an upgrade through United on that segment if you didn't book through them? I was able to do so on the Air New Zealand segments coming home. Maybe I'll call United later and see. I called Air canada and United to get seat assignments already because I was only able to book the NZ ones online.

 

Our daughter lives over there so luckily she will be my chauffeur although I couldn't stand her driving when she was over here so lord knows that may not last hahaha.

 

Already have our ETAs in place. Quick, painless and cheap. Thanks again for all the great info.

Even if you booked through someone else you should be able to go online with united and just upgrade that segment. You may need the united locator.

Not certain how the United 787 is. It is a more modern aircraft that the 747 so the seats are likely different. Sometimes that is a good things sometimes not.

United premium economy is a regular economy seat with just a little bit more space. I think the price depends on how early you upgrade and how full the flight. You should be able to login online. You may need to ask NZ for your united locator number if it is not printed on your ticket.

Air Canada and NZ premium economy is a wider seat with better meals and service. It is a different and better experience that United.

As far as driving with rental cars down under coming from Canada, I find every time I turn on the windshield wiper blades when I want to signal a turn. They flip those two around.

The must see place is Carnes. It is quite different than the rest of Australia.

The must see place is Carnes. It is quite different than the rest of Australia.

Assume you are referring to "Cairns".

United does not have premium economy -- they have economy plus which is a totally different product.

Assume you are referring to "Cairns".

Yes, typo, thanks for catching that.

I recently flew AKL-SFO and baggage took quite a while. The customs line was very long too. Just be prepared, time wise. I'm guessing baggage and customs alone could easily have taken some people 45-60 minutes (not counting immigration) based on how many people were still waiting when I left.

My question is if SFO is a stopover on the way to Toronto, do we collect our bags and clear customs there or are we just switching planes and carrying on? Thanks

My question is if SFO is a stopover on the way to Toronto, do we collect our bags and clear customs there or are we just switching planes and carrying on? Thanks

Yes, US immigration and customs, then re-check your bags for the flight to Toronto.

Yes, US immigration and customs, then re-check your bags for the flight to Toronto.

Yes. It is a pain. In Australia, bags will normally be tagged all the way to Toronto. You have to pick-up and walk them through customs. Just as you leave the customs hall there usually a drop off counter where you put it on a connecting bags belt.

The Americans are slowing installing automated kiosks for passport control. They work with US and Canadian passports. They do speed up the process quite a bit. I have passed through them in Seattle and Vancouver. They do speed up the process quite a bit. Not certain if SFO has them or is getting them.

Nice thing about SFO is if you are there for several hours you can take BART into the city.

Yes. It is a pain. In Australia, bags will normally be tagged all the way to Toronto. You have to pick-up and walk them through customs. Just as you leave the customs hall there usually a drop off counter where you put it on a connecting bags belt.

 

The Americans are slowing installing automated kiosks for passport control. They work with US and Canadian passports. They do speed up the process quite a bit. I have passed through them in Seattle and Vancouver. They do speed up the process quite a bit. Not certain if SFO has them or is getting them.

 

Nice thing about SFO is if you are there for several hours you can take BART into the city.

Thanks so much. We have an hour and 45 mins to connect so that leg is a bit of a concern but what will be will be I suppose.

I recently flew AKL-SFO and baggage took quite a while. The customs line was very long too. Just be prepared, time wise. I'm guessing baggage and customs alone could easily have taken some people 45-60 minutes (not counting immigration) based on how many people were still waiting when I left.

Just as a follow up now that we're back, we had a similar experience at SFO. We ended up with about 90 mins between flights and the line for security was very long. We have Nexus so we were hoping for TSA PRE on that leg. When we saw the security line we thought we better not take the time to stop at a kiosk at SFO to reprint boarding passes to see if we had it. The ones printed internationally don't indicate whether or not you have that program and when we asked if they'd check in the TSA PRE line they said no. Well after spending about 65 mins in the line for security, we got to the podium and heard the familiar three beeps of TSA PRE even though there was no indication on the printed pass. Oh well, lesson learned. Next time take two mins and reprint the boarding pass :D. Regardless we made our flight and thanks to all the info received from everyone here on this thread there were no surprises along the way.

We were very lucky on our way over from LAX - MEL (15 hrs 50 mins on UA 787-800). We had booked a window and an aisle and ended up with an empty middle seat which made it much easier to take turns laying down. On the way back on Air New Zealand, they offer 'One-Up' which is the opportunity to bid on a one class upgrade. We bid $20 above the minimum allowable amount ($350) and it said we had virtually no chance of winning but 6 days before departure we were notified that they accepted our offer and we were moved to premium economy on their 777-200. (Just as a point of reference I checked the difference in price for that leg of the trip and it was over $1400 per person more to buy the upgrade outright which is about what we paid per person for our entire round trip tickets.) Anyway PE on Air New Zealand was wonderful and made the 12.5 hr AKL to SFO leg very very enjoyable.

So thanks once again to all for the excellent information. Australia was wonderful and the journey painless.:)

Australia was wonderful

Always.

and the journey painless.:)

Sometimes :)