UNITED AIRLINES: trialing remote baggage screening on Sydney to San Francisco route

This is good news if you hate lugging your checked bag through the transit maze at San Francisco International Airport. United Airlines has launched a new baggage screening system that eliminates the dreaded re-check step for connecting passengers.

What’s Changing?

Until now, travellers arriving in the United States from Australia faced the same time-consuming, dreary and painful process. You have to collect your checked bags plus clear customs, and then drag them to a re-check desk, drop them again, and then dash through security before sprinting to your connecting gate.

But under the International Remote Baggage Screening (IRBS) program, being trialled on United’s daily Sydney–San Francisco flights, passengers with onward connections no longer have to touch their bags until they reach their final destination.

Here’s the new flow for you and your baggage:

1. Check in at Sydney: Hand over your bag as usual. at the check-in counter
2. Arrive at San Francisco: Clear customs, immigration and agriculture counters. But, instead of reclaiming your checked bag/s, head straight to security. Behind the scenes, United, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the TSA handle your baggage screening.
3. Pick up your checked luggage at the final destination.

Unless, of course, CBP decides to pull your luggage for additional inspection. If that happens, we wish you luck. See The Fine Print below.

Why It Matters

United says the change will save passengers up to 45 minutes during connections. For anyone who’s sprinted through San Francisco International’s terminals, this could be the difference between making your connection and spending the night at an airport hotel.

United frames it as part of the airline’s ‘streamlining’ push:

“We’re eliminating extra steps for travellers to pick-up and re-check their bags on connecting flights… we plan to expand this to more routes in the coming months.”

Jennifer Schwierzke, United’s VP of Customer Operations Strategy

Sydney Airport is also applauding the move:

“It’s a win for passengers – saving valuable time, making connections easier, and showing how Sydney Airport and our airline partners are working together to deliver smoother, more seamless journeys.”

Scott Charlton, Sydney Airport CEO

How Does United Compare With Other Airlines?

Here’s how baggage re-check looks right now for Australians flying into the USA:

Airline	Port/s of Entry	Current Baggage Process	Notes
United	Sydney → San Francisco (trial route)	No re-check: bags screened remotely and transferred directly to connecting flight	IRBS trial, saves ~45 mins
Qantas	Sydney/Melbourne → Los Angeles, Dallas, New York (via LAX/JFK), etc.	Must collect and re-check bags after customs	Standard U.S. CBP process; queues at LAX notorious
Delta	Sydney → Los Angeles	Must collect and re-check bags	No remote screening in place
American Airlines	Sydney → Dallas, Los Angeles	Must collect and re-check bags	Long customs + baggage queues at DFW common

At present, United is the only U.S. carrier trialling bag re-check elimination. For travellers used to schlepping suitcases through LAX or Dallas-Fort Worth, this makes the San Francisco entry point suddenly look a whole lot more appealing.

The Fine Print

Before you start celebrating, a word of caution. CBP can still pull your bag for further inspection. So while most passengers will breeze through without re-checking, don’t bet your connection on a guaranteed shortcut. In the U.S., border agents always have the final say — and ‘random secondary’ is as American as apple pie.

2PAQXfly Takeout

The trial currently covers only United’s Sydney–San Francisco service, but the airline has flagged expansion to other international routes. With CBP’s blessing, it could soon become standard on other United Airlines Australian–USA flights.

For now, if you’re flying United from Sydney to the USA and connecting beyond San Francisco, you could be in for a hassle-free international baggage transfer. This initiative could break America’s nasty reputation for a clunky arrivals process.

Whether this process will be adopted by other airlines, or if they have the supporting tech, I don’t know. This initiative sure gives United Airlines the edge if you are transmitting San Francisco, though.