LAX transit - CX884 to LA601

[northrd]

Me again!
OK, I am starting to see some horror reports about LAX transit. Im coming in on CX884 at 1120 and departing on LA601 at 1330 - OneWorld RTW Business Class for both. Now the questions

1. Is transit really as bad as some punters have reported?
2. Is there a reasonable lounge to use to freshen-up? Will there be time to freshen-up??
3. Any tips for a smooth transfer?

Cheers
Ciaran

 

[Heleigh]

Hi

As a J class pax you are entitled to Business lounge (If you are WP you can use 1st lounge) access below is a link to the OW lounge site

oneworld - Search for a oneworld Lounge

Never used Thomas Bradley terminal for departure so can't say what the shower facilities are like.

Yes immigration can be bad but only if a few flights arrive same time.

Have a great trip.

Helen

 

[northrd]

Helen
Thanks for the link.
Any tips from the community about "transit" at LAX?

Cheers
Ciaran

 

[serfty]

You really won't have much time to use any lounge; even though transiting you still need to go through US immigration, collect your luggage and pass through customs.

You then redeposit your luggage.

Once that is done, look carefully for the signs for TBIT transit where you go though security again (without going landside and up to departures security - unless you wish for a cigarette :shock

All up that can take from 30 minutes to more than an hour - and that's normal.

You will have access to the oneworld Business lounge (unless you are emerald, then the first lounge) (Use the lift/elevator).

It can be up to a 10 minutes walk to your gate from the lounge.

 

[Sprucegoose]

You really won't have much time to use any lounge; even though transiting you still need to go through US immigration, collect your luggage and pass through customs.

You then redeposit your luggage.

Once that is done, look carefully for the signs for TBIT transit where you go though security again (without going landside and up to departures security - unless you wish for a cigarette :shock

All up that can take from 30 minutes to more than an hour - and that's normal.

You will have access to the oneworld Business lounge (unless you are emerald, then the first lounge) (Use the lift/elevator).

It can be up to a 10 minutes walk to your gate from the lounge.

Serfty, would the OP be able to utilize a priority security lanetravelling J?

I know at JFK it was quicker for us than at Mel!

 

[serfty]

Serfty, would the OP be able to utilize a priority security lanetravelling J?

I know at JFK it was quicker for us than at Mel!

The special Transit PAX security line should be quicker.

There is a priority lane for TBIT on the departure level, although this may not be that useful due to it apparently also being used for Crew/Special Assistance PAX (& Companions): [http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/16084326-post3.html]

...
Arrival at the Tom Bradley International Terminal was not quite so appealing. ... I had to get through security.

I am not one who is rabidly anti-TSA. I understand what they do and why they do it and for the most part I am reasonably patient with their procedures, however inane they may seem at times. Today however was just ridiculous.

The idea behind Priority Lanes at security checkpoints is to speed those folks traveling in First or Business Class or elite level flyers through the security checkpoint. This is accomplished primarily by getting them up to the metal detectors and X-ray machines faster. Call me spoiled if you like, but as an elite level flyer who’s averaged over 175,000 miles flown per year over the past ten years, this is one perk that’s well earned and well appreciated. Here at FlyerTalk I suspect there are a substantial number of equally “spoiled” flyers who would agree with me.

The Priority Lane ID checkpoint at TBIT was being manned by one lady who was checking the IDs of not just the First and Business Class passengers in the Priority Lane but also anyone and everyone from the Special Needs lane, which included people in wheelchairs, people with walkers, a man with a cane, any and all families with children and all flight crews. Since families (obviously) and disabled people rarely travel alone, that lane was never empty. What would happen is the TSA lady would check the boarding pass and passport of one person from the Priority Lane, then check the boarding passes and passports of the family of four in the Special Needs Lane. Then it was back to the Priority Lane for just one person or a couple traveling together, then back to another family or someone in a wheelchair with their accompanying family members or an entire crew worth of Flight Attendants! Then back to one single person in the Priority Lane. I watched a guy in a red jacket who’d entered the regular lane for Economy Class flyers about five minutes after I’d already been in the Priority Lane. That line was starting to get somewhat long by the time he’d arrived. He was cleared and through security eleven minutes before I finally got to the ID checkpoint. I know – I timed it.

As ever there were more than a few blue shirted TSA folks just standing around. I have never consistently seen more uniformed employees apparently just standing around than at any TSA checkpoint. You’d like to think that any one of them likely could have stepped in and helped out. Unfortunately it would seem that initiative is frowned upon for lower level government workers and barring a direct order from a supervisor – assumedly one who’d been astute enough to keep an eye on the proceedings at his or her checkpoint - they were powerless to do anything but just stand around. Stuff like this is why you could not pay me any amount of money to work for the TSA. There’s just too much mindlessness going on – be it in planning or in execution. I can’t imagine how anyone with half a brain could work there longer than a month. ...

 

[northrd]

Thanks for your posts. It looks like I'm just going to have to suck it up, hope for the best and just, well, experience it for myself.
At least it sounds organised compared to Delhi airport (new one up yet?). I "transitted" through there from Istanbul to kathmandu in 2009. Oh ... my ... gosh! On entering the customs hall we were ushers towards the stalls. We told this usher that we are in transit. No matter, we were told, go there. Ok. Present to customs lady and we told her the same. Puzzled she pointed back to the hall and told us to sit on the metal seats and await someone to escort us through to the transit area. 1 hour later (maybe longer) I ask a random person when someone is coming for us. Another puzzled look. Just sit on the metal seats ... eventually a well-dressed man presented and asked us why we were still on the seats. This is now WELL over 2 hours of sitting, waiting and watching. No points for guessing, right? He took us up stairs and hooked up with a machine-gun toting solder. Now we were ready for "transit".
With escort in hand we presented to a door guarded by another solder. We were simply asked for our names (no proof needed), had those names appended to a list of other names and released into the departure area. Done.
We had to come back through the same on our way back through to Tokyo. We dreaded it. But we did learcn one thing: look for a person with a walkie-talkie. They, we were told, are in command. On our return we did that. In fact we stood next to one such person and followed her around the hall. 10 minutes of this got us through the magic door.

So based on this, LA looks like a doddle.

Thanks for all your help