Gerald Sylvester wrote in message . com...
3. Limit your hand luggage to allow you to move quickly. This is one case
where I'd recommend checking rather than carrying luggage.

DEFINITELY NOT!!! This is the time to NOT check luggage. If you check
luggage you have to wait to claim it from the luggage carousel (very
very long at MUC), re-check the luggage and then go through customs at
the same time as everyone else. Bring carry-on only and bypass the
checked luggage wait. If it were an Intra-EU flight than I might
agree.

No, that is not usually necessary. Local regulations at MUC *do not*
require you to schlepp the bags through customs if your connecting
flight leaves Germany again. In fact, this isn't required by local law
*anywhere* in the world where I have ever been. Or can remember. The
US is no different in this respect.

Whether your bags can be checked 'through' has nothing to do with
local laws, it depends entirely on inter-airline agreements. Checking
'through' costs the airlines real money. They have to pay the airport
for that service.

The thing that *is* different at German (Schengen?) airports is that
you can land at FRA on your international portion and continue on to
MUC. Your bags get checked to MUC, no need to do customs at FRA.

Then you land at MUC in the airport's Schengen area. So normally no
need to go through customs there either. Cool, you think. Let's
smuggle a few pounds of cough.

But beware, in FRA your bag received a little yellow 'hot' tag.
Customs looks for that. Of course you could just tear that off. If you
think that all those video cameras are just decoys.

....

And you don't really wait a long time for luggage at Munich. You don't
have to wait endlessly at immigration, so it just seems to take long,
because you get to the carousel so fast.

M