United Airlines has announced the introduction of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program – the International Remote Baggage Screening (IRBS) – on its flights from Sydney to San Francisco.
United Airlines has announced the introduction of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program – the International Remote Baggage Screening (IRBS) – on its flights from Sydney to San Francisco.
The Chicago,US-based carrier stated passengers bound for San Francisco from Sydney, and who gives personal consent will be able to proceed to the gate of their connecting flight at San Francisco International Airport without having to collect and re-check their baggage.
Launched by US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) in April, the IRBS program allows passengers arriving in the US from foreign airports to continue to their connecting flights without re-checking their bags, unless specifically referred to by CBP for further inspection. CBP personnel will be able to view the same checked baggage x-ray images captured at the foreign airport of departure and review them remotely before the aircraft lands.
Upon arrival in the US, passengers will still have to clear through CBP, immigration, and agriculture inspections before heading to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening to get to the gate for their connecting flight.
Along with US CBP, United is partning with Sydney Airport, BagCheck, and Brock Solutions for the launch of the program.
"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's Vice President of Customer Operations Strategy and Execution. "Together with CBP, we're testing this new process on routes between Sydney and San Francisco and plan to expand to additional international routes in the months ahead."
United is the fourth airline to integrate the IRBS on one of its US-bound international flights. American Airlines has integrated it on its flights from Sydney to Los Angeles, and Korean Air/Delta have also done so with its flights from Seoul Incheon to Atlanta.
According to United, it plans to introduce the baggage screening program on more US-bound international flights.
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