American, CBP to Pilot Remote Int'l Baggage Screening

Passengers arriving in the United States from select international airports no longer would have to claim checked baggage in the Customs and Border Protection customs hall and recheck it, under the terms of a new initiative piloted by American Airlines and the CBP, they announced Tuesday.

American, CBP and the Sydney Airport Authority on April 9 will launch the initiative for the carrier's daily flights from Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport to Los Angeles International Airport. Customers on that flight no longer will have to claim their checked baggage in the CBP customs hall and recheck it with American, unless referred by CBP for further inspection. 

Rather, after clearing CBP passport control, passengers will proceed directly to a U.S. Transportation Security Administration checkpoint, then continue to their connecting flights.

CBP personnel will be able to view the checked baggage X-ray images captured at the foreign international airport and review them remotely before the aircraft lands, according to CBP. The initiative does not change any existing screening requirements.

American and CBP anticipate the new process to expand to other cities.