Logistics with travelling from LA to Chicago

[eudalek]

Hi all,

I am arriving at LAX at 7:05 am from Sydney via a one-way Qantas flight. I will then catch a separate flight to Chicago.

Noting that I would have to pass TSA protocol, collect luggage, migrate from international to domestic terminal, what time would be most appropriate to catch a flight to Chi?

Any flight past 11am? 12pm? How long does the above conservatively take? I would just need to set a realistic buffer for myself. I don't want to be running around like a headless chicken catching a flight at 9am or 10am when the process may take 3-4 hours.

Best,

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I think 11am is ok, especially if this is separate tickets.

Depending where you sit on the plane, and whether automatic gates are available (sometimes they’re not being used), you should allow an hour or for immigration and customs, 15 mins transfer terminals, 30 minutes to checkin for your next flight and clear security. Be at your next gate 39 mins prior to departure. That’s around two and a half hours for a comfortable transfer. Then allow a delay on your inbound flight of an hour… 3.5 hours.

So four hours should be fine, If you don’t have confidence on the arrival time for your inbound flight, allow a little more time.

 

[blackcat20]

We usually allow four hours.

 

[RooFlyer]

I agree with the above. One tool you may like to look at is US CBP 'wait times' for the terminal and time you'll be arriving. A very quick look for your arrival time for recent weeks shows 30-90 mins at TBIT immigration would cover most.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) - CBP Airport Wait Times (AWT)

CBP Airport Wait Times

awt.cbp.gov

 

[Scr77]

Are these two flights booked on the same ticket?

 

[justinbrett]

If you can book with QF points that would be ideal as you could get your bags checked through from Australia.

Otherwise I'd try and get a flexible fare with AA