Virgin [checkin] moving to LAX T2 [May 2017 - Flight to depart TBIT]

[serfty]

Gold and Platinums would probably still get access when flying on NZ or SQ out of TBIT.

[-]No status based access unless in VA flight number.[/-]

 

[johnnyfive]

[-]No status based access unless in VA flight number.[/-]

Presently you do get access when flying NZ as a VA Gold or Plat but not SQ

International Lounge Access | Virgin Australia

 

[AviationNZ]

[-]No status based access unless in VA flight number.[/-]

It's impossible to book Air NZ to North America with a VA code, they simple don't codeshare on those services.

VA Gold/Platinum currently get access to the LAX Star lounge when travelling on NZ code NZ operated services, but who knows if this will change.

 

[deepblerg]

This is absolutely devastating news!

I loved the experience at TBIT in the *A F & J lounges. IMO it was the biggest advantage of VA's WP offering.

Although the article states "But Goswani promises that Delta’s all-new Sky Club lounge will eclipse the Star Alliance lounge with better food and complimentary alcoholic beverages from top-shelf bar menus.", I am, like most others, highly skeptical that this will be the case. DL's lounges range from woeful to ok. *A lounge is just at a completely different level and I can't see how DL can compete with that.

Sure it may be useful to connect from DL flights onto VA2/VA8 in the same terminal. But transiting between T5 and TBIT really wasn't that hard especially with the new airside walkway...

 

[serfty]

[-]No status based access unless in VA flight number.[/-]

Presently you do get access when flying NZ as a VA Gold or Plat but not SQ

International Lounge Access | Virgin Australia

It's impossible to book Air NZ to North America with a VA code, they simple don't codeshare on those services.

VA Gold/Platinum currently get access to the LAX Star lounge when travelling on NZ code NZ operated services, but who knows if this will change.

Well that's changed in the last year or two - for a period after VA moved from T3 to TBIT, VA did not allow status based access to the *A lounge unless on a VA flight number.

 

[grubbidok]

Joking aside, I'm essentially going to be killing time on the day I head back to SYD, so although 3pm check-in would be a tad too early for me, it's good to know that some fairly extensive lounge time is an option for late afternoon onwards

If the layover is long enough I often do a little side trip to In-N-Out Burger to kill some time. It's only a 15min walk from the terminal.

... with the loss of the *A lounge I might have to do it one short layovers too!

 

[Dannyism]

Wow I just discovered this... Devastating news..

 

[serfty]

I'd be surprised if they actually move May next year.

Going by other LAWA based renovation/construction projects (TBIT lounges, T4/TBIT connector) I'd be thinking some month in 2018!

Looks like I was wrong!

- it's going ahead in two weeks starting 13th May.

VA check-in will move to T2 while still having it's flights departing TBIT going forward.

Airline Moves:

• May 1: Qatar T2 → TBIT
• May 1: Thomas Cook T2 → TBIT
• May 13: Allegiant T3 → T5 (T6 Check-in)
• May 13: Boutique Air T3 → T6
• May 13: Delta T5/T6 → T2/T3
• May 13: Frontier T3 → T5 (T6 Check-in)
• May 13: Sun Country T2 → T5 (T6 Check-in)
• May 13: Virgin America T3 → T6
• May 13: Virgin Australia TBIT (T3 Check-in) → TBIT (T2 Check-in)
• May 13: Volaris T2 → TBIT (T2 Check-in)
• May 15: Avianca T2 → TBIT (T3 Check-in)
• May 15: InterJet T2 → TBIT (T3 Check-in)
• May 15: Spirit T3 → T5
• May 17: Air Canada T2 → T6
• May 17: Hawaiian T2 → T5
• May 17: JetBlue T3 → T5
• May 17: Southwest (international) T2 (T1 Check-in) → TBIT (T1 Check-in)
• June 4: XL France T2 → T6

Some links:

http://www.lawa.org/uploadedFiles/LAXisHappening/pdf/LAX_Move_Release-Delta.pdf

http://content.delta.com/content/ww...em-destination/delta_lax_chart002_desktop.jpg

http://content.delta.com/content/ww...nations/aem-destination/Lax-busroute-map2.jpg

 

[serfty]

Some recommended minimum timings:

 

[serfty]

Bus Route Map:

 

[MH_fan]

VA check-in staying at T3 would have been more convenient but now it's a bit more of a walk from T2.

 

[serfty]

VA check-in staying at T3 would have been more convenient but now it's a bit more of a walk from T2.

I suppose you can always go airside at T2 and catch the bus to TBIT.

Having stated that, the bus stop at the north end of TBIT is a long way from the central areas.

 

[cssaus]

I suppose you can always go airside at T2 and catch the bus to TBIT.

Have said that, the bus stop at the north end of TBIT is a long way from the central areas.

Below is a response I got from VA regarding the changes to airside transfers at TBIT:

"From 13 May, transfer buses will operate from both Terminals 2 and 3 connecting you to your Virgin Australia flights in TBIT. Simply provide your boarding pass at the Bus Gates located at Gate 35 (T3) and Gate 22 (T2)"

 

[cssaus]

Here's a link posted on VA's blog regarding the upcoming changes at LAX:

LAX Transformed | Virgin Australia Blog

 

[serfty]

Delta have provided some more detailed information: Delta’s relocation to LAX Terminals 2 and 3 begins evening of Friday, May 12 | Delta News Hub

 

[RooFlyer]

Was there last night and snapped these, while thinking that I was glad I'm flying out then, and not in a few days.








And meanwhile, over at Terminal 6, several aviation behemoths settle in to their new digs:

 

[deepblerg]

Flew out of LAX on VA2 a couple nights ago and was surprised to find the departure was actually from a secondary mini-terminal on the western side of LAX near the QF hangar.

I've flown VA2 quite a bit out of LAX and have always departed from a proper gate at TBIT so hoping this experience is perhaps temporary while the LAX move is happening???

Gate was 138 and is a decent walk from the EY/EK lounges. After following the signs to gate 138 you enter into what looks to be a budget terminal which is actually a shed connected to the northern end of TBIT. Kinda reminded me of the Budget Terminal at SIN...




After scanning boarding pass you go through the doors and straight onto waiting buses...



Which then shuttle you over to this other smaller terminal (if you can call it that) that has an aerobridge for you to actually board the plane.



None of this experience was particularly unpleasant but I was surprised to experience this given every other time has been a normal departure from a gate at TBIT itself.

 

[Jurahn]

Flew out of LAX on VA2 a couple nights ago and was surprised to find the departure was actually from a secondary mini-terminal on the western side of LAX near the QF hangar.

I've flown VA2 quite a bit out of LAX and have always departed from a proper gate at TBIT so hoping this experience is perhaps temporary while the LAX move is happening???

Gate was 138 and is a decent walk from the EY/EK lounges. After following the signs to gate 138 you enter into what looks to be a budget terminal which is actually a shed connected to the northern end of TBIT. Kinda reminded me of the Budget Terminal at SIN...

After scanning boarding pass you go through the doors and straight onto waiting buses...

Which then shuttle you over to this other smaller terminal (if you can call it that) that has an aerobridge for you to actually board the plane.

None of this experience was particularly unpleasant but I was surprised to experience this given every other time has been a normal departure from a gate at TBIT itself.

This was exactly the same experience I had when I flew VA2 in December 2014, when the major renovations were still going on at TBIT - I'm pretty sure it's the same gate as well. Like you, I was very surprised when I turned up at the gate - and as you said, it's a fair walk to get there. Thankfully I was flying J, so we were the first ones bussed across to the plane, but even then we stood in the aerobridge for ages before boarding.

I came back on VA2 a few weeks ago, and that was a departure from a normal TBIT gate, so I'd have to assume (hope!) that use of this gate is only temporary.

 

[serfty]

That's the bus stop that's been around since they began using the new parts of TBIT.

The T4/TBIT shuttle used to use it as well before the connector was opened - once it took me 45 minutes from gate 44 to TBIT.

For boarding from those 'gates' they take you to gate's mini ramp buildings at the west end of the aerodrome. There actually several of these small buildingss - they have been around for at least 15 years. First time I used them was at 2pm of a rather late QF93 in 2006. Back then I was bussed to T4 for CBP.

 

[Jurahn]

I remember back in 2014, there was one woman on the bus who was working herself up into hysterics about (a) sitting facing backwards in the bus as it made her feel sick (er, well, stand up and turn to face the front, like I was doing for the same reason) and (b) how "claustrophobic" it was on the bus (um, you're about to go on a 14 hour flight????). Don't know whether she was a nervous flyer and was just getting upset because we were close to boarding, but thankfully the bus journey was relatively short as she was working her way towards a full-blown panic attack. She was a Y passenger, so I have no idea whether she actually boarded in the flight in the end.