If you are expecting an international package from USPS then you might have seen the notification of “Your Item Departed a Transfer Airport” on your tracking status.
Do you know what it means? Is there something wrong with my package? Do I need to do something to get my package delivered to my address?
Here I have provided all the information that you really need to know if you have got this Item Departed a Transfer Airport update. So continue reading to know more about it.
What’s the meaning of “Your Item Departed a Transfer Airport”?
The “Item Departed a Transfer Airport” status means that USPS has delivered the package to US Customs officials where it will be properly inspected and then transferred to the airport from where it will make its way to its destination country.
When you receive the “Your Item Departed a Transfer Airport” it doesn’t necessarily mean that your package has made its way to the cargo planes. The package might be in the waiting queue after getting customs clearance from the officials.
It indicates that USPS has successfully handed over the package to the customs official and from there it will make its way to the destination country, only if gets clearance from the customs officials.
Even after your package has arrived in the destination country, your tracking status will not change until the package reaches the required facility of USPS and gets scanned.
Why does my tracking status seem to be stuck on “Your Item Departed a Transfer Airport”?
Backlogs at Customs Facility
During the time of any festive sale or especially during the holiday seasons the Customs facility gets piled up with thousands of packages which leads to the formation long queue of packages.
Any International package can’t be loaded up in any cargo plane until it gets clearance from the Customs officials. All countries have customs departments to safeguard their nation’s interests and stop all illegal & prohibited items from entering their country.
Severe Conditions
Bad and Severe Weather conditions can also halt the working operation of the cargo flights. It means that all the cargo flights have to wait till the weather is clear up and all the normal operations resume as always.
In the worst-case, scenarios the weather can take as long as a few weeks to clear up and resume all the halting operations.
No Timely Update
Lack of updating the tracking page(from the company side) can also cause your Tracking status to remain stuck on the same notification. As the USPS has handed over the package to the receiving postal Agency they don’t have much information related to the package anymore.
Now it’s the sole responsibility of the Postal Agency to update the Tracking page with the latest information about the package as soon as possible. Sadly, not in every country, does the national postal agency provide this facility for tracking updates which means the recipient needs to contact on their own about the current status of their package.
Availability of Cargo Planes
The Availability of Cargo planes can also cause a potential delay in the delivery of the package. For economic reasons, cargo planes are used only when they have that minimum quantity of packages otherwise they will wait till they reach that minimum number.
This can also be one of the reasons why the tracking status remains stuck on the “Your Item Departed a Transfer Airport USPS” update.
Technical Issues
Although this happens very rarely, it has the potential to cause the tracking status to freeze over the same notification for days.
It happens when the tracking system of the USPS faces some glitches or delays which cause the status to freeze over the same update even though your package is moving in the USPS delivery network.
How long should I wait If the Tracking status shows “Your Item Departed a Transfer Airport USPS”?
In general, if you have received this update then you need to wait for at least 1-2 weeks as it’s the ideal timeframe in which your package should arrive at your address if everything goes all right.
But if your package gets held up at the Customs facility on account of suspicious items then you need to provide more information and might have to wait for a bit longer to get your package delivered.
What to do when a package Remains Stuck on the “Item Departed a Transfer Airport” update?
Wait for a Few Days: Most of the time, the delays are temporary, and the tracking information may update after a few days. So you are always required to wait for at least a few days (1-2) before taking any action.
Contact the USPS: If weeks have already passed and you have not heard anything from your carrier then you need to reach out to USPS customer service and provide them with your tracking number so that they can tell you what exactly is wrong with your package.
Contact the Seller/Retailer: If you have purchased any item online, then you need to contact the seller or retailer from whom you made the purchase. They may have additional insights or be able to assist you in contacting the shipping carrier to know about the current status of your package.