The Plane Entered the Port – Tracking Alert Guide

You’ve ordered an item from China and you have received a “The Plane Entered the Port” tracking update.

What does this mean exactly? Where is your package when you receive this alert and is there anything you need to do?

Let’s take a look…

The Plane Entered the Port – Guide

As the summary above explains, a “plane entered the port” update could mean that your package is in one of many places.

The key is to actually look at the status updates around this particular update.

This will help to some degree as you can determine where the shipment has already been.

However, this will not always help. In the screenshot below we can see that the package left Guangzhou in China via plane.

It is unlikely to fly directly to the USA or Europe from there.

In fact, the shipment could just as easily arrive in Shanghai (triggering a “The Plane Entered the Port” update”) meaning it hasn’t even left China.

The only real guarantee is that the package has been in the air and it has now landed. Determining where it has landed will only be possible with follow-up status alerts.

My Tracking is Stuck on “The Plane Entered the Port”

As with so many shipments from China, tracking alerts can suddenly cease making it seem that the package is stuck at the last update.

The important issue is to not jump to conclusions. Just because you are not receiving any newer updates, doesn’t mean that the item is stuck.

Economy carriers from China are notoriously bad at providing updates. Services such as Sunyou and Yanwen, do not even provide updates outside of China.

Your package could be in transit in the air on its way to the destination country and you wouldn’t even know about it.

This means that you could easily be stuck on this update for weeks, yet are not experiencing any issues.

• Related Content: “Departed from AIRPORT of Origin” – Tracking Guide

What to do if Your Package is Stuck on “The Plane Entered the Port”?

All of the above being said it can be very frustrating if your package seems stuck on this update without further news.

At some point, you will understandably want to make inquiries.

The amount of time you leave before you do this will depend on the e-commerce platform you made the order or the shipment method used.

For example, AliExpress provides a 60-day guarantee period on its standard shipments.

In other words, if your order doesn’t arrive and the 60 days is close to being up, you can open a dispute with the seller for your money back or a replacement sent.

AliExpress premium shipments, (sent by air) should arrive between 7 and 15 business days.

If this period is nearly completed, you will have good grounds to contact the seller and begin making inquiries.

Shein and Wish have slightly shorter guarantee periods. In the case of Shein, you should check the shipping page relevant to the country of destination.

This will give you important information on what you can do if your package isn’t delivered.

“The Plane Entered the Port” – Normal Procedure

Under normal circumstances, you should only see a “The Plane Entered the Port” update for just a few days.

If the item is passing through a transit country, it will be loaded onto another plane quickly as there is no need for any customs clearance process.

This is in fact the most common scenario of the update. Shipments sent from China will rarely travel direct from the airport in China to the destination country. The distances are just too far.

When the plane lands at the connection point you will receive the update.

Whether you receive another update notifying you of the fact that the package has left the connection point (transit country) is another matter. 

With economy carrier services you almost certainly won’t. Even premium services may only scan the item again once it has been handed over to the linehaul in the destination country.

The Plane Entered the Port – Destination Country

The process is longer if the plane has entered the port of the destination country. In this case, the package will have to be processed through customs clearance.

That being said, you should receive an update along the lines of “dispatched to Liege linehaul” (for shipments sent to Europe) or Processed through ISC Facility (USPS) (for items arriving in the U.S).

In either case, further delays are possible here, (see arrived at the airport of destination for more on that).

Again, keep an eye on your guarantee periods to ensure you are covered in case the item never arrives.

Final Words

“The Plane Entered the Port” is an update that simply reveals that the package is on the move.

It has finished one section of air transit and will either be placed on another plane toward the destination country or has already landed in the destination country.

Awaiting the next update will help to reveal the exact location of your package.

If your shipment is stuck on this update, the important step is to be patient and simply know your rights with the platform you ordered from.

Ensure to start making inquiries before the guarantee periods run out.

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