15

I was talking about PTY, ack and sayeh, but I have had a similar experience with MIA although, as sayeh suggests, these American TSA agents are complete a**holes.

I can't speak to LAX or MEX or CUN as I avoid both places like the plague. I much prefer the smaller airports anywhere.

16

I have no concept of what Ack thinks he is talking about at all.

Let me be clear... here first on downstream USA-MEX-HAV

From the US your bags are checked into MEX, regardless of your ongoing ticket MEX to HAV. Frankly speaking the baggage ticket machines in teh US cannot even print a HAV baggage ticket, and few US ticket counter agents will even dare to hand write a baggage ticket coneecting thru to HAV.

Since your bags come off in MEX you will need to formally "enter" MEX - on the flit down you will be given a MEX entry form, fill out completely BOTH sides, put "TRANSIT" as the reason for entry into Mexico. Upon arrival at MEX exit thru Immigration which will stamp your passport and give you the exit portion of that entyr form. Save that exit coupon. Claim bags and clear exit Customs which is red-light-green-light standard international procedure (which the US does not adopt here).

Exit Customs and turn right and proceed to intl departure area, check-in with Cubana and buy your Ciba visa/coupon there - checkin and proceed to intl deaprtures where entering departures you will surrender the exit portion of your entry coupon, proceed to gate with passport.borading pass/Cuba visa coupon.

Now on the return HAV-MEX-USA you have a big choice depending on checkin at Havana - if Havan can tag your bags back to USA thru MEX, then you don't have to claim in MEX - if Havan can only tag bags back to MEX then that's when you have to do the downstream procedure on the return.

If bags are checked thru to USA, then you have the option of staying " in transit" and go from arriving intl gate to departing intl gate - if and only if your bags are checked thru.

Do whatever is necessary at Havan checkin to be clear on how you returning bags are checked thru or not - a discreet CUC$10 tip helps "clarify" the situation.at checkin so you will get straight information

Keep the beat !

17

The question remains open, my friend.....how come you know so much....jejeje

As I suggested, I don't pretend to know MEX or LAX but I know various airports deal with various transits quite differently.

18

fabbrisd1 and sayeh: When is the last time (month/year) that you did an international-to-international transfer through MEX while staying "in transit" (not passing through MEX customs/immigration)?

19

I never transit in MEX, I always stay in DF for a short while to recover from transitting in LAX on the way over to Cuba, and on the way back I stay in DF for a short while after Cuba to steel myself for the LAX transit. Last time five weeks ago. So I am comparing international arrivals rather than international transits. I only transit in LAX.

And I still prefer MEX with its friendly manners, and I still think that a transit in MEX will be easy and hassle-free, even though the OP might have to turn around and go back - within the same building.