Tom Bradley lounge question?

[dede]

OK, quick question - flying to LAX on QF 093 this Sunday then on to JFK on QF107. First time there as a WP so what should I be doing to maximise the experience?

Is there only the one lounge to use at LAX?

AFF tags will be prominently displayed at all times (if that helps)!

 

[simongr]

There is an F and J lounge in TBIT. By all reports it is ok but don't expect anything even close to a SYD/MEL lounge. I am flying out from TBIT tomorrow so will post some experiences from a slightly tired and jaded simongr tomorrow...

 

[Princess Fiona]

I was there in April tried both F and J lounge . Small cramped usual finger foods slowest Wi-Fi in the world. I wouldn't rush back. Mind you the terminal shops looked worse.

 

[markis10]

If you are a WP or SG then the One World lounge finder will answer this question for any airport in the world that has a one world lounge:

oneworld - Search for a oneworld Lounge

In this case you have three lounges available if the third party JAL lounge says OK, the F & J QF/BA/CX lounges and also the JAL lounge on level 4, experience has shown the hours may not be accurate though:


British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas Joint Lounges (First and Business Class)

Location details: Tom Bradley International Terminal, Departure Level 5

Opening hours: Daily 06:30-02:30

Notes: Access to First Class Lounges is restricted to Emerald members or those travelling in First Class


International Lounge

Location details: Tom Bradley International Terminal, Departure Level 4

Opening hours: Daily 06:00 to last departure

Operated by a third party on behalf of: Japan Airlines

* At peak periods, access to certain lounges may be restricted due to capacity constraints. Access is available on the day of departure when the next onward flight is with a oneworld member airline. Access may not apply at a limited number of third party lounges.

 

[MBR]

OK, quick question - flying to LAX on QF 093 this Sunday then on to JFK on QF107. First time there as a WP so what should I be doing to maximise the experience?

Is there only the one lounge to use at LAX?

AFF tags will be prominently displayed at all times (if that helps)!

Unfortunately, maximising the experience on a QF 93/107 connection through LAX at that time will probably consist of admiring the architecture of the arrivals hall while you stand in line for waaaayy too long, followed by a brief (but enjoyable) elevator ride upstairs, another architectural experience waiting in the security line, then a sprint for the gate where the QF107 will be on final call.

If by some miracle you have a few minutes to spare, run (don't walk, run) to the elevators after security, go up to the lounge and grab a shower. The lounge is nothing special, but boy does a shower feel good after the long haul up from Oz.

The lounge is shared by QF/BA/CX and is the nicest of the lounges (IMHO) at LAX. But that's not saying a whole lot.

Enjoy the experience!

Mark

 

[TonyHancock]

Is it me or does TBIT just get worse?

The whole experience is terrible. The transfer bus from T4 is infrequent and the terminal itself is just awful. Virtually no shopping and nowhere near enough seating. It is like a large US shopping mall.....but without the shops. Soulless.

The F lounge is small, does not have enough seats, has poor quality food, and the wifi might as well be dial up. :evil:

DFW looks good though!

 

[harvyk]

Is it me or does TBIT just get worse?

Outside the lounges TBIT is a wasteland as far as I'm concerned.

The J-Lounge isn't too bad. They had half decent food (which was more than suitable for dinner considering I had spent 5 hours on a dom AA flight where all I had was a can of coke)

 

[moa999]

Is it me or does TBIT just get worse?

The whole experience is terrible. The transfer bus from T4 is infrequent and the terminal itself is just awful. Virtually no shopping and nowhere near enough seating. It is like a large US shopping mall.....but without the shops. Soulless.

The F lounge is small, does not have enough seats, has poor quality food, and the wifi might as well be dial up. :evil:

DFW looks good though!

Transfer Bus is every half hour. Just gives an excuse to go to the T4 FL for better food, or if you can't be bothered waiting it is actually only about a 100m walk between T4 and TBIT (CX doesn't provide a bus transfer).

Agree on the WiFi, I have a stack of AA TMobile cards that I use instead of the QF WIFI, then again QFs Australian Domestic WIFI is also pathetic.

F Lounge is nothing special but then its not a home lounge.

Agree on the lack of shops in TBIT.

 

[TonyHancock]

Transfer Bus is every half hour. Just gives an excuse to go to the T4 FL for better food, or if you can't be bothered waiting it is actually only about a 100m walk between T4 and TBIT (CX doesn't provide a bus transfer).

The Qantas bus was "caught in traffic" on Friday night!!

Agree on the walk, but that does mean you have to go back through security. Always a joy in the US.

 

[gumpy]

I don't mind the lounge at TBIT. It's fine, it's just that we're really spoilt by SYD MEL Flounge and T5 Galleries Flounge...

Edit: reading some of these comments does jog my memory on the fact that the internet was outrageously slow...

I think I put it all to the back of my mind because I had gotten my upgrade into F

 

[Princess Fiona]

IMHO it's the pits, long, narrow and with the aforementioned dial up speeds for wi-fi. Showers are nothing special and shared with the J Lounge. QF and BA really need to lift their game in TBIT.
Should add I agree with you Gumpy we are spoiled by FLounges and galleries but this lounge is also significantly behind SIN /BKK etc in terms of comfort levels as per simongr's away lounge thread ( sorry on iPhone and difficult to insert link)

 

[serfty]

FWIW, I took the Shuttle T4 to TBIT early last month.

Due to the construction of the West "wing" of TBIT, the shuttle is currently travelling over 2 miles as it travels West (nearly half way to the coast), then North, then East to a new (Temporary, I hope) bus facility inside the Northern end of TBIT near gate 123. From there it's a 5 minute walk to the O/W lounge.

This whole process can take ½ an hour, so the upper level walk is probably a better option at the moment!

As for the lounge; WiFi was simply atrocious. When I asked for assistance, a desk agent came round discretely connected my Netbook to the Skyteam Wifi fromthe floor below; it was not much chop either.

 

[TonyHancock]

This whole process can take ½ an hour, so the upper level walk is probably a better option at the moment!

Perhaps not! Warning: LAX TBIT security mess! - FlyerTalk Forums

I suspect it is six of one and half a dozen of the other. Regardless, TBIT is an unpleasant place to fly from.

 

[serfty]

IMHO it's the pits, long, narrow and with the aforementioned dial up speeds for wi-fi. Showers are nothing special and shared with the J Lounge. QF and BA really need to lift their game in TBIT.
...

The sad thing is this lounge has only been open ~2½ years.:-|

Perhaps not! Warning: LAX TBIT security mess! - FlyerTalk Forums

I suspect it is six of one and half a dozen of the other. Regardless, TBIT is an unpleasant place to fly from.

I saw that, other have posted that the OP's sample of one may have been an exception.

FWIW, I have never used TBIT security - always managed to avoid it as I feel T4 F/L is so much better.

I had the T4 to TBIT bus transfer down pat - it's a 150 second walk for me from T4 FL to the G44 bus stop; 2-5 minute wait and a 10 minute bus trip and 2 minutes up the lift to the lounge. But the last time took ~¾ hour all up.

Hopefully when the new construction is complete (in late in 2013) there will be better lounge options there. In any case we should be able to walk with the:

• Secured corridors between Terminal 3, TBIT and Terminal 4 so connecting passenger can conveniently go from one terminal to the next

 

[Ewing]

Hopefully when the new construction is complete (in late in 2013) there will be better lounge options there. In any case we should be able to walk with the:

I haven't read the document, but if that's the case I guess we can expect the T4 FL to become much more crowded

I thoroughly enjoyed being the only person in the lounge for a substantial portion of the time I was in there last (of course it meant I couldn't blame the diminishing wine bottles on someone else though)

And of course the internet access works very well, and the AAngels at the FL desk are more than happy to provide a T-mobile voucher on request.

 

[TonyHancock]

The sad thing is this lounge has only been open ~2½ years.:-|

I remember the old lounges.....absolutely dreadful.

With the whole Bin Laden reprisal issue close to the minds of the security services I struggle to see security being reduced at TBIT.

Having said that I boarded my flight in LAX having passed through MCO and DFW, and the only security check was at MCO.