Question (ANSWERED) about going through Customs in Canada

[bumbershoot]

Mini-crisis* has passed, thank you!


*or rather just...quick first business trip quickly planned semi-sortof-mini-tiny crisis.



*********
Hubby's on a plane right now for his first business trip. Since he's up there, I'm trying to do some research for him, since that's MY job, LOL.

First question is....when do you go through customs? Hubby had one flight into Calgary, then Calgary to a small airport in Alberta. Will he go through Customs in Calgary or at the final airport? I think he expected to do it at SeaTac, but he hasn't been on a intl flight in decades, so his memory might be false or things changed.


Other question...

His flight out of Seattle was delayed at the gate. He was supposed to get to Calgary at 12:30ish their time. His next flight is at 2:10 their time. He's not scheduled to get to Calgary now until 2. Both are on Jazz (regional Air Canada). The next flight out is after 6pm.

If there are knowledgeable people out there...do you think AC/Jazz will hold the scheduled flight, or will he get to hang out until 6? He has a rental car at his destination, but it's Sunday...augh. If they close, he is stuck stuck stuck, and since it's only a one-night business trip where he *has to be* in that town, the whole point of the trip will be wasted.



Thanks for your info and thoughts!

 

[bumbershoot]

While I was figuring out what to type, I was surfing in other tabs, and finally found the Location button on the rental car site. Good news, they are open until 11pm their time. And the later flight gets in well before then. Whew. So no matter what he should get to the smaller town, and that will be fine.

So that's good.

 

[bumbershoot]

And hey, look at that. Second flight is delayed. I don't quite think he can get off the plane, go through Customs, and get to the other gate in 20 minutes, but that's better than 5, LOL.


(it's not the same plane; that would have made it easy!)

 

[bumbershoot]

Tension is lowering (in case anyone is out there and anyone cares, LOL).

His company is new at this...or rather, his manager is new at this...turns out there's an airport shuttle. And it's 5 km to the airport. So...no need to worry about anything but his blood sugar.

Not that HE knows there's nothing to worry about...this trip was just sprung on him on Friday, no time to research!



I would still love the info on Customs, though!

 

[yxe dad]

He'll go through customs in Calgary. He'll also need to go back through security so it is highly unlikely he'll make the early flight unless they hold the flight for him. Tell him to ask a AirCanada rep/agent if they can help him get through the lines quicker. Good luck!

 

[yxe dad]

Where is he flying into?

 

[bumbershoot]

He'll go through customs in Calgary. He'll also need to go back through security so it is highly unlikely he'll make the early flight unless they hold the flight for him. Tell him to ask a AirCanada rep/agent if they can help him get through the lines quicker. Good luck!

Editing to be polite....thank you for replying! I really appreciate it.

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He has to go back through security? Oh man, how annoying! Yeah, sounds like he'll be taking the later flight.

Plane landed about 18 minutes ago, so I'm sure right now he's dealing with all of it...I've just realized that I'm not sure what sort of international phone stuff we have, so hopefully he won't call, and will just get online if he's waiting around. I sent him info on the rental car place, directions to the hotel, etc etc, and a big laugh about how there's a shuttle. Silly manager getting him a rental...

Hopefully he's drawing on the attitude of his demanding mother right now...he and I are really laid back flyers (except for the time when we got to the gate 5 minutes before our flight, which was, thankfully, not yet boarding) and don't need much help, but this int'l flight landing in our laps, er, HIS lap so quickly threw us for a loop. Anyway, hopefully he's asking for help.

Of course, once he gets on the next flight, whether it's the one that should have left 3 minutes ago or the one in a couple hours, he's NOT going to be happy, as it's a prop plane. He's landed at the island airport in Hong Kong (or is that Singapore?), which is an experience in and of itself, but he's never been on a plane without jet engines...

 

[bumbershoot]

He missed it.

And now he's decompressing from some pretty big and continued rudeness of the flight attendant on the flight, who seemed to dislike him from the moment she saw him and it lasted until he got off the plane. Yucko.

Hopefully the FA on the next flight will be kinder, and, ya know, not take the earbud headphone thing out of his ear b/c s/he thinks he's not complying with her mysterious instructions (tapped him awake and pointed at the window and that somehow meant "turn off electronic devices and open the window shade"), when he was actively turning off his player b/c he could hear the pilot talking...little things like that, I hope, don't happen again.

(who on earth would take an earbud out of some stranger's ear???? why not just SPEAK to him????)

(that was not the only rudeness...it was from the first moment she saw him until she turned her back on him as he got off the plane...very very weird...he's not used to people being like that to him...)

 

[seashoreCM]

Shouldn't you (Disney bound) or he (this case) plan more time to connect?

Since his company is new at this, it can use "this" as a learning experience.

A snail mail letter to the airline regarding the rudeness might be worthwhile. If no reply ensues, send a second letter this time with a request for a $50. voucher, for the purpose of making heads upstairs roll.

 

[crashbb]

A snail mail letter to the airline regarding the rudeness might be worthwhile. If no reply ensues, send a second letter this time with a request for a $50. voucher, for the purpose of making heads upstairs roll.

You have got to be kidding? As a frequent flier I can tell you - it is NOT going to happen. First of all, unless there is a lot more that the FA did to the OP's husband, the incident does not demand compensation (rude, yes - worthy of a letter to the airline, no). Secondly, even if it did deserve compensation, the airline would offer frequent flyer miles not cash. Given that the OP's husband couldn't hear the pilot talking with his earbuds in, it is possible that the FA was trying to speak to him, before removing the earbuds. But hey, I'm still recovering from the *** of a passenger yesterday who didn't seem to think the turn off electronics or don't use your cellphone referred to her and was seriously rude to both FAs (not implying that the OP's husband was rude - just feeling sorry for FAs).

Also, assuming that the OP's husband was not booked on two separate flights (but, rather, a single connecting flight) the connection time was perfectly legal and should have been fine. I've done the US-Canada connection at YYC in well under an hour (the legal connection time is 60 minutes).

ETA - on the return trip, your husband will again clear customs/immigration in Calgary. This time, however, he is pre-clearing US customs/immigration. This means that he will have to pick up his luggage, go through customs/immigration, drop off his luggage, and re-clear security.

 

[bumbershoot]

Before this gets out of hand....


As I said in my initial post...

His flight out of Seattle was delayed at the gate. He was supposed to get to Calgary at 12:30ish their time. His next flight is at 2:10 their time.

The first flight was delayed. He had a lovely almost 2 hour layover between connecting flights, but that was taken down to nothing because of the mystery delay in seattle. The shortened layover had nothing to do with bad planning (getting him a rental car, when the airport was only 5 km from his hotel and the hotel had a shuttle...might have been bad planning LOL).


The second flight actually was delayed too, and took off 39 minutes after it was supposed to, but he still didn't make it, b/c of Customs and security. If his first flight hadn't been delayed, that would have been a really solid layover (they might have been holding it for him, but I doubt it, it was just him trying to catch it, not the whole plane).


He will be contacting Jazz/AC, but not for compensation; just to let them know of the rudeness directed at him so they can perhaps help the FA to not be rude. When she took the earbud out, he was awake and aware, and was turning off his player b/c he could hear the pilot; the pilot had just started speaking. This wasn't a case where she was talking and he was unaware. And the rudeness towards him specifically started as soon as she saw him until she turned her back on him as he left the plane, it wasn't just that one thing.

His second flight was much better; the FA was kind and polite.


He's coming home today (short trip!), and he's flying to Edmonton first, so it'll be another new airport experience. No checked luggage, just carryons (and small ones, too! all of our luggage is official carry-on size even for international flights, and he's just carrying a backpack and a personal-item-sized bag). He even has them packed so if the small plane requires him to check one, he can do so easily.




But anyway, I got my questions answered, and we can just let this fall to the bottom of the Transportation forum. Thanks so much to yxe dad who was there for us on a Sunday afternoon!!!!!

 

[yxe dad]

Thanks so much to yxe dad who was there for us on a Sunday afternoon!!!!!

No worries, that's why we're here.

I haven't flown out of/through Edmonton to the US, but I think he will go through US customs in Edmonton.

 

[crashbb]

No worries, that's why we're here.

I haven't flown out of/through Edmonton to the US, but I think he will go through US customs in Edmonton.

He will.

I however, was wrong (or became wrong when I found out he was connecting in YEG not YYZ). Apparently, your husband does NOT have to collect his baggage. The Edmonton airport has a special transfer system:

http://www.flyeia.com/travel_info/us_quick_connect