Sydney to NY via LA with Virgin

[clare1]

Hoping someone can give me some advise. I have booked Syd to LA business class using velocity points. The flight arrives at around 7.20am. I want to connect with a Virgin America flight to NY leaving at 10.40am which I will book separately not using points. Have tried to ask both Velocity and V Australia if i can purchase to LA to NY ticket and check in my baggage so it can go straight to the V America flight but keep getting different answers. Any ideas if this can be done. If not, do you think I will have enough time to get the connecting flight. It is the connecting flight used by passengers who have booked a Syd - NY ticket with V Australia.

 

[Maca44]

You should have ample time to connect to your NY flight, and although I have not flown internationally with Virgin I think when you check in they should be able to check your luggage all the way, but you have to collect your bags in LAX, clear customs and then deliver them to the bag drop.

 

[stuartfaz]

As long as you leave enough time, it shouldn't be an issue. I flew YVR-LAX with United and they checked through with VA.

 

[notzac]

I believe the technically correct answer is that you will not be protected on to your VX flight as it is a separate reservation. You *might* be able to get the check in agent to tag your bag through to JFK, however you won't be able to get your VX boarding pass from VA .. so having bags tagged through isn't going to make a huge difference.

All that said, 3 hours is a comfortable amount of time to connect at LAX -- so I wouldn't be too stressed about it. Once you have everything booked, I'd be making a point of calling VX and advising them of your connecting flight details (probably won't make a massive difference, but it can't hurt)

 

[flyingsyd]

Can't you print out your own boarding pass for Virgin America via online checkin?

 

[Bolthead]

You have plenty of time....... the better half and myself had separate bookings on V Australia and Virgin America to Fort Lauderdale (back in 2010) and we had to collect our bags and then recheck them. ( back in those days there were no code share to Fort Lauderdale - not when we booked it anyway) If my memory services me right just follow the signs and you will have a no problems however I think we had to check in at a different terminal to the one we landed at.

 

[niemann]

Hoping someone can give me some advise. I have booked The flight arrives at around 7.20am. I want to connect with a Virgin America flight to NY leaving at 10.40am which I will book separately not using points.

Strictly speaking, no they are under no obligation to through-connect you (two completely different tickets). Your best hope is for the airport to simply tag it through (they can override the bag tag at checkin), but if your bag doesn't make it at LA, you're one your own because you have two separate tickets. Note: while 0720 to 1040 should in theory be reasonable, LAX immigration etc. can delay you easily longer than that.

 

[ftm]

That should be ample time to connect. Even if VA are able to tag your bag through to NY, you will still need to collect it and recheck in LAX.

Enjoy the VA/VX experience - quite different to the QF/AA alternative!

FTM