Advice on Interline QF-AA & LAX Min Connection Time

[sprites]

Hi folks,

I’ve booked two legs SYD-LAX (business reward with QF) and LAX-SFO (economy cash with AA). They are on separate tickets and PNR.
I’d booked the LAX-SFO leg departing 2030 to allow 5+ hrs between my arrival in LAX (1430) and the next flight (in case I needed to do a self transit). AA have since cancelled my flight and rebooked me onto a flight to SFO departing 1730. There are no later flights available on AA (all appear to have been cancelled).

Questions: is 1430-1730 enough time to make the connection? Will Qantas allow me to interline checked baggage all the way to SFO?
If I recall, I’ll need to pickup my luggage (first port in US) and recheck at LAX airside. Can I request a boarding pass for LAX-SFO / print any required bag tags when I am doing the recheck? Or will I need to exit and reclear security & a potentially hours long LAX queue?
If the connection is too tight, my only recourse is to cancel the AA flight (for full refund) and book on united / delta who still have later flights… but as I’m OW Sapphire I’d miss out on any lounge access for what could be a long layover.

Any advice/thoughts greatly appreciated.

Cheers

 

[RichardMEL]

Welcome to AFF.

1. Yes. If on time. Three hours would be fine.
2. You have to clear CBP and customs - and thus redo security at LAX - no airside connection but there is a connecting flights bag drop pist customs exit.
3. QF should through check to AA given first tix is reward (it is their policy) and should issue BPs too


Would I chance that on separate tix with no later flights? Honestly no. The five hours I would feel much more comfy with. I have very conservative in this regard though(and been bitten with a 4 hour connect there) Three should be ok but not a lot of margin if QF is delayed, and AA will not protect you to the next day (do not think flat tyre rule would work in that situation). CBP could take 15mins or an hour, then security at either TBIT or say T4 could again be long.

i guess it comes down to your risk tolerance.

Btw I believe Southwest also fly LAX-SFO.

 

[Mwenenzi]

<snip>
i guess it comes down to your risk tolerance.

Btw I believe Southwest also fly LAX-SFO.

As does Frontier & Alaska (QF partner)
I saw an AS flight LAX SFO AS3353 20:55-22:17 from a quick google search. May be different on the day you want to travel

 

[PatoRojo]

3 hrs should be fine if SYD-LAX is not delayed. As others have mentioned, you should be able to get your bag tagged and bp in Syd (or you can check in online for the AA flight and get your pb on your phone prior to leaving SYD). If you are travelling on an Australian passport you should give MPC (Mobile Passport Control app from CBP) a go as it can make clearing immigration at LAX much faster. Finally, you can clear security at either TBIT or Terminal 4 so you should check how long the lines are at TBIT once you clear immigrations/customs as getting back airside maybe faster at TBIT and you can just use the airside hallway to get to T4.
Good luck.

 

[RSD]

AA will not protect you to the next day

That's the kicker isn't it - we are all OneWorld partner airlines - until something goes wrong and then we don't want to help each other.

 

[equus]

That's the kicker isn't it - we are all OneWorld partner airlines - until something goes wrong and then we don't want to help each other.

There is a bit of unrealistic expectation here with respect for what is being looked for, and what it is actually paid for. That AA will protect at all for any time in these sort of circumstances is going a bit over any real obligation.

Booking the trip on a single PNR would provide protection - but that comes at additional cost (and part of that additional cost make its way eventually to paying for the protection). The additional cost may be that you have to fly on the same carrier, or pay for the ticket - or pay a Travel Agent to organise the ticket (it is possible to get award and revenue fares on the same PNR, just not necessarily easy).

The choice to save money and accept the risk is that of the traveller - it is not really reasonable to expect airlines to expend the same resources looking after passengers who have chosen the cheapest option rather than paying the airline more for a something that includes extra benefits.

 

[RichardMEL]

That's the kicker isn't it - we are all OneWorld partner airlines - until something goes wrong and then we don't want to help each other.

As @equus says - it's not OW or even AA that is the issue here, it's the choice to have separate bookings. As far as AA is concerned the pax is booked on that one LAX-SFO flight and for them, it's up to the pax to show up. US airlines at least have the flat tyre rule which offers some protections - but in this case the lack of later scheduled flights would be the problem - they can't put someone standby on the later flight if one doesn't exist - and I am not sure if that would extend to the next day. (I just googled and it is same day)

When I took the gamble myself at LAX and lost (due to a 3+ hour mechanical on Nancy - also on a reward tix in F)), I was going to UA to DEN. A route the serve quite frequently as hub-hub - which is one reason I took the chance. And yes, UA found me a seat on the next flight. Sure, it was about the last seat in Y on a "F" fare, but it got me where I needed to be almost perfectly. I also knew tge risk I was taking.

In this instance, QF and AA being partners would almost be incidental (bar the desired OWS benefits, which are perfectly understandable).

Again, it comes down to risk taking. Worst case scenario? Flight is missed and fare potentially forefit, with needing a walk up fare on another carrier to get to SFO. If that's an Acceptable risk, then no worries. If not, then one meeds to evaluate further the options (eg perhaps booking a flex fare on UA for say 7pm, with tge notion to fly earlier assuming all goes OK and wind up perhaps on a 4 or 5pm flight.

So - risk vs "reward" basically.

Fair chance everything will be fine here (or what if AA does another schedule change?) but there IS a non zero chance of missing that connection with zero protection.

 

[RSD]

I guess the take away from this is that when doing these unprotected bookings then to make sure it is an early morning arrival into LAX so as the whole day for them to find you an onward flight if you miss yours.

 

[equus]

And realise that when it is unprotected, they don't actually have to find you an onward flight - or cover any accommodation or the like if there are no flights. The ability to find an onward flight when the booking was unprotected will always be much less. The airline involved may be accommodating enough to find you a seat on one of their later services, but wouldn't be looking at putting you on a competitor - whereas if connection was protected, they would most likely do so to avoid accommodation expenses etc. which they may otherwise incur.

 

[BAM1748]

If on time you won't have a problem, however, it can easily happen the flight out of Australia is an hour late then missing the landing spot and gate which means a bit longer at arrival, then a queue to get back through security and you've missed it.

You'd just have to book another ticket and airline when you arrive.

 

[Capricornus]

do not think flat tyre rule would work in that situation

I was on a delayed QF11 once due to … a need to change a wheel tire, so one can try

Also, immigration can take longer than an hour depending when QF11 lands in LAX. I would look for a fully refundable ticket on AS later if available, while keeping the existing bookings.

 

[sprites]

Great thanks all, sounds like a cheap later backup flight may be my best option.
AS a good option to keep OWS benefits.
Cheers All!