I am travelling from Chennai to Portland, USA via San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Do I need to collect my baggage at SFO and re-check it before boarding the flight to Portland?
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1Note that there are two significant Portlands in the USA: one is the largest city in Oregon and the other is the largest in Maine. Since you're travelling via San Francisco, I assume you're going to Oregon. You should get used to saying "Portland, Oregon" (or "Portland, Oregon, USA") rather than just "Portland, USA".– David RicherbyJan 28, 2019 at 13:24
1 Answer
Yes.
You will have to go through immigration (passport/visa control), collect your bags and go through customs in SFO. If the two flights are on the same ticket, your bags will still be tagged to your final destination, and you will be able to drop them at the counter available right after customs (no need to go back to departures for that).
If the second flight is on a separate ticket, you will need to go the the check-in desk for your second flight before the check-in deadline.
You'll then go through security and to your gate (possibly in a different terminal).