Change in Departure from LAX

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Gremlin

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I'm flying J on VA into LAX in March arriving at 0630. I will have a bag to check. I couldn't get a connecting flight to MEM with DL or VX that suited, so I subsequently booked cheap one-way Y ticket on an AA flight departing at 1110 via DFW. Flights are not on the one ticket.

I've received notification from AA that my flight has been rescheduled to a 0930 departure to DFW and a longer layover in DFW.

Whilst I breached my own rules in not having flights on the one ticket, I was prepared to accept a 280 minute window in LAX. 180 minutes is tighter than I would've booked.

My fallback had I missed my original AA flight was to buy a walk up on a SouthWest flight that afternoon which would get me there that day.

Will three hours be enough? Or should I expect to be on the SouthWest flight? Any other suggestions?
 
I'm flying J on VA into LAX in March arriving at 0630. I will have a bag to check. I couldn't get a connecting flight to MEM with DL or VX that suited, so I subsequently booked cheap one-way Y ticket on an AA flight departing at 1110 via DFW. Flights are not on the one ticket.

I've received notification from AA that my flight has been rescheduled to a 0930 departure to DFW and a longer layover in DFW.

Whilst I breached my own rules in not having flights on the one ticket, I was prepared to accept a 280 minute window in LAX. 180 minutes is tighter than I would've booked.

My fallback had I missed my original AA flight was to buy a walk up on a SouthWest flight that afternoon which would get me there that day.

Will three hours be enough? Or should I expect to be on the SouthWest flight? Any other suggestions?

If your VA flight SYD/LAX is on time you should be fine. When you arrive at the TBIT after clearing customs with your bag exit the terminal, turn right and T4 is right next door. You'll need to check in again from scratch with AA plus pay the baggage fee (unless OWE or OWS) before proceeding through TSA to your gate.

Although there are checkin counters after clearing customs at TBIT, I have never seen any staff behind them around 0630 however other AFF people have also that was possibly later in the day.

Don't forgot to pre-allocate your AA seat now because if you leave it until you checkin expect to get a middle seat.

Even if you were to miss your AA flight due to the late inbound flight, before buying a new ticket on Southwest I'd still go and see AA & tell them your inbound flight was late. Maybe leave your VA1 bag tags on as 'proof' so they know you're not just a laterunner spinning a yarn.
 
For schedule changes on AA of greater than 90 minutes the "world is your oyster".

You can get AA to rebook you on any suitable flight in the cabin booked - up to B fare bucket availability for economy purchases.

Schedule Change - Rule 240/80 - Schedule Irregularity

TRAVEL AGENTS MAY REISSUE FOR THE FOLLOWING:REBOOKING/TICKETING PROCEDURES
American Airlines has a Schedule Change - AA Flights
Customer does not accept new itinerary as updated by AA schedule change and requests an alternate time of travel on same day as ticketed:
Travel Agents may rebook new Itinerary for Customer
Customers that are traveling to/from a co-terminal location may be changed to an alternate co-terminal airport, if requested, for American Airlines segments only. Refer to Domestic Co-Terminals
If the customer has chosen an alternate co-terminal airport, they may use that airport for their continuing or return journey. This change must be made at the time of original ticket reissue.
NOTE: If the AA flight delay is within 30 minutes prior to or after the original departure the Travel Agents may not reaccommodate to an alternate flight time or alternate date of travel unless the schedule change results in a "misconnect".
Travel Agents may rebook new Itinerary:
If the Schedule Change is:

31 minutes to 90 minutes
Or the flight changes from a non-stop to a connecting flight



  • May book AA flights for the same travel dates, origination/destination, inventory, fare, and fare basis as originally ticketed.
  • For AA flights, may add an alternate connecting point to the destination on the original ticket.
    • For example: JFK PLS may add JFK MIA PLS or if ticketed as DFWBNALGA may rebook as DFWORDLGA
  • May select an alternate flight on AA* (AA Codeshare):
    • AA*/oneworld®allowed alternate inventory same cabin up to and including B inventory, excludes W inventory for premium economy on AA*.
    • AA*/non-oneworld maintaining same inventory,
91 minutes and greater
Or the flight changes from a non-stop to a connecting flight

  • For AA flights, if original inventory is not available may book an AA flight next lowest available inventory, same cabin, up to and including B inventory.
    • For example: JFK PLS may add JFK MIA PLS or if ticketed as DFWBNALGA may rebook as DFWORDLGA
  • If no AA flights are available may select an alternate flight on AA* (AA codeshare)
    • AA*/oneworldallowed alternate inventory same cabin up to and including B inventory, excludes W inventory for premium economy on AA*.
    • AA*/non-oneworld maintaining same inventory,
If unable to book for the same day due to the flight time or schedule change is not acceptable:

  • May change to a day prior/after the original ticketed travel date maintaining same inventory, origination/destination, fare and fare basis as originally ticketed.
    • May change their continuing or return travel dates on AA segments only maintaining same inventory to maintain the original length of stay prior to the reaccommodation
 
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It will likely come down to how busy CBP is when the VA flight arrives.

AA would have protected you, even on different tickets, if you were arriving on a QF flight.
 
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LAX now has automatic kiosks for Visa waiver passengers.

in the past you get into queue in order to front up to Immigration officer who does the passport scanning, photo, and fingerprint and who then has to sus you out as to whether you look bona fide.

Now there are automatic kiosks which asks you questions in your own language, takes your photo and fingerprint and scans your passport. It prints out a ticket which you take to a immigration officer who then only has to sus you out.

Effectively it uses your queuing time to do all the mundane stuff.

this has made the time in immigration hall a lot faster and queues a lot shorter.

So when I arrived via QF 11 ontime with a 3 hour connection with american eagle (which means after getting landside, going thru security in T4 thrn catching a bus from gate 44 to American Eagle remote terminal. From getting off QF11 to arriving at gate 44F was 1 hr 30 minutes. This included waiting about 15 minutes for skibag which always arrive late due to oversize nature.

Time in immigration queue = 15 minutes
Time in baggage collection area and including quarantine check (which they never do) 25 minutes (5 min to get luggage and 15 minutes to wait for skibag)
Time getting to T4 and going thru security 40 minutes

My take on this is that you will need a minimum of 1 hr 30 minutes to get to your boarding gates in T4 if you have boarding passes and baggage tags done in australia.

You will need to check in your bags in T4. Will take 10-30 minutes depending on queues at that time

So in my opinion if you gave yourself minimum 2 hours you should be OK. This will allow for a 1 hour delay for your VA flight.

Any more and you will be screwed.

My suggestion is this:

Now that AA has changed your flight , i believe you can change the flight to a later time or cancel without penalty. See post before mine.

Or go with the reschedule

Do your AA checkin online and print boarding passes at home before you leave. Then all you need to do is print baggage tags in T4 and do a bag drop.

Have someone in Australia monitor your VA flight departure. If departure is delayed for more than one hour have this person ring AA and reschedule your flight to a later one (but should only be done when your flight in airborne. You will most have to pay heaps more to change flight. But at least its done while you are in the air. They can email you and there is (slow) free wifi in LAX. Or sort it out yourself when you get to LAX.

The other thing is that you can ask Cabin crew to see if you can get an express pass when you arrive in LAX. Qantas does this for its passengers if the connection is 2 hours or less.

There is NO chance VA will tag bags thru on AA.
 
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Note that there have been reports that you can check-in for AA flights (including depositing bags) at special counters at the TBIT bag-drop area, even if not already checked in.

I have not tried this as I haven't checked a bag in over three years.
 
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