checking baggage through to final destination

[vanessag]

Does anyone know what the rules are regarding this? We land at Newark on a Virgin flight at 1900, then we fly out of Newark on Jet Blue the following morning to Fort Myers, would we be able to check our baggage through to our final destination of Fort Myers from Heathrow on checkin? Thanks

[Robert5988]

No!

All baggage has to go through Customs at your point of entry to the US.

You collect it as normal and then check it in again immediately the other side of customs. However as your flight is the next day, you will have to check with Jet Blue if they will allow this to happen.

Flying back to UK you don't see your luggage until you reach UK.

[Katys Grandad]

There's no doubt that you won't be able to check your bags through to Fort Myers, as Robert points out.

As far as the return is concerned, I'd check with JetBlue but the last time I flew with them they weren't able to book either me or my bags back through to the UK as I would have been able to do with the same (or most other international) carrier. As a result, I had to collect my bags in New York and check-in again for my transatlantic flight.

[ShirleyD]

Many of the 'low cost' airlines don't have a bag transfer service, so as Katys Grandad says, you may not be able to check it through on the way home.
Going to US, bags always have to clear customs at first port of entry, but normally you can have your bags labelled to the final destination and if you already have a boarding card, when you go through customs there is a transfer belt where you put your bag for it to be sent onto the next flight. Some airlines also have a desk at this point.