Advice needed on LAX transit

[KLMCM]

Hi, first time at LAX. Will be on incoming flight LATAM to Tom Bradley at 6pm and out again at 10pm via QF from same terminal, on one ticket. How long should I expect it to take to get bags, clear customs and immigration and check in for QF flight? Could some nice person take me through exactly what we do on arrival? And would we have time to walk to T6 - thinking of using their Point the Way café as Priority Pass lounge.

 

[moa999]

Basically everyone must clear immigration, collect bags, customs,
Drop baggage off at transit desk.
Then take a right to Connecting Flights security
(Pics here The Best Kept Secret at LAX - Live and Let's Fly )

Escalator up you're at the connection point between T4 and TBIT near the QF FL. Probably only a 10min brisk walk to T6 from there (assuming you don't have QF lounge access) (and no access to the Korean TBIT lounge at that time with PP). Leave a bit more time coming back if departing from the other end of TBIT.

 

[KLMCM]

How long does it take to do the customs, immigration, bag thing?

 

[robtemt]

How long does it take to do the customs, immigration, bag thing?

There is an LAX Customs Time thread HERE. The short answer is, it varies. Its a LOT better than it used to be. I've lucked out at about 30-60 minutes to clear both customs and immigration my last few trips. We were in the United lounge within 60 minutes of landing on one of our most recents...

 

[KLMCM]

Do I have to go through Connecting Flights security again when coming back from T4 to TBIT - how long does this take? Wondering when I need to be back in TBIT before flight

 

[moa999]

No. Once you're airside, you're airside.

There is a connecting walkway between TBIT and T4 then tunnels to T5 and T6

 

[DC3]

Four hours should be plenty of time for a transit at LAX. Worse case is if the arriving LATAM flight is delayed and you miss the connecting QF flight, you’ll be put on the next available (?) seeing as how it’s on the same PNR.

How far you can wander will depend on actual transit time.

 

[Himeno]

After the new TBIT concourse opened a few years ago, getting through CBP has averaged 20-30 minutes. Once through TSA, there is no need to go back through security to change terminals (unless going to T1-3 and the airside bus setup).

 

[KLMCM]

If we have already been given boarding pass beforehand do we need to go to QF checkin desks or can we just deposit luggage at some luggage transfer desk?

 

[KLMCM]

We are on one Qantas ticketed ticket via Latam from Lima to LAX and then 4 hrs later via QF to Syd and home to Perth. A couple of questions. When we check in at Lima will our bags be tagged right through to Perth (or only to LAX or Sydney?) and will we get all boarding passes at this point? I know at LAX we have to claim bags for customs but afterwards can we just drop off bags at a transit desk or do we have to go to QF ticketing counter?

 

[albatross710]

My understanding

At Lima your bags will be tagged to Perth as well as be issued all boarding passes
you will NOT collect the bags in LAX
you will collect them in SYD for customs
you will deposit them again at the Qantas Domestic setup at Syd International

At LAX stay within the terminals and connect via the tunnel system. that should also reduce going through security scanning at LAX

Hope that helps.

Alby

 

[KLMCM]

Confused now, I understood everyone had to collect bags in LAX and resubmit them

 

[albatross710]

Confused now, I understood everyone had to collect bags in LAX and resubmit them

Last time I transited LAX I was coming from a domestic USA port and flying to Aus. No opportunity to collect bags.

When flew Aust - USA I had to collect bags then recheck them again using the original tags.

Others may be able to confirm specifically that an international transit pax will not need to collect bags in LAX.

 

[Himeno]

If it's all on the same ticket, you should be given the QF boarding pass prior to flying to LAX. You'll go through CBP, drop bags at the transfer counter, then go through the TSA connections checkpoint.

JALs LAX map is the best view of the process

LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT/Arrivals and departures (Airport guide)- JAL International Flights

 

[Himeno]

Last time I transited LAX I was coming from a domestic USA port and flying to Aus. No opportunity to collect bags.

When flew Aust - USA I had to collect bags then recheck them again using the original tags.

Others may be able to confirm specifically that an international transit pax will not need to collect bags in LAX.

International to International connections don't exist in the US. Everyone arriving from a non US port goes through CBP and "enters" the US, even if they are only there for a few hours to connect to a departing international flight. There is a very limited amount of exceptions, none of which apply here.

US port International connections:
Intentional > Domestic | collect and recheck
Domestic > International | no recheck
International > International | collect and recheck
International (from preclearance ports) > other Intentional or Domestic | no recheck

I can only think of 2 or 3 exceptions to the I > I CBP clearance, only one of which is at LAX, and that's going away soon (it only covered the NZ AKL-LAX-LHR flight)

 

[KLMCM]

Very helpful all!

 

[KLMCM]

I have just done online chat with someone at QF and they say that we won't be checked through from Lima to Perth, we have to recheck in at LAX with QF since our first leg was with Latam. We will not get our boarding passes till LAX and will have to relabel our bags.This goes against everything I thought!!!

 

[DC3]

... say that we won't be checked through from Lima to Perth, we have to recheck in at LAX with QF since our first leg was with Latam. We will not get our boarding passes till LAX and will have to relabel our bags.

HUACA will give you the right answer at some point.

 

[moa999]

We will not get our boarding passes till LAX and will have to relabel our bags.This goes against everything I thought!!!

Whether or not they have a sticker (or you have a boarding pass) you still have to collect them, then recheck at LAX.
If they don't have a label for PER they will add it, and if you don't have a boarding pass they will provide one.

 

[KLMCM]

I posted that while still ranting at the person and I finally, after another half an hour, got them to go away and check again and come back and admit they were wrong. The whole online chat process with waiting time took 73 minutes and that was the result. I have put in a complaint to QF.