Los Angeles - Transfer at LAX from Paris to Honolulu

I am flying into LAX from Paris arriving at terminal 2. I will leave LAX nearly 4 hours later from terminal 5 to Honolulu. I understand you clear immigration/customs at first port of entry which is in my case LAX, but what to do after? Do you have to exit the terminal and walk/take the shuttle to terminal 5 or is there any kind of airside transfer like in most European airports?

Also what is the queue situation for immigration control in T2? I have heard horror stories about LAX and immigration lol.

Do you have to exit the terminal and walk/take the shuttle to terminal 5 or is there any kind of airside transfer like in most European airports?

Also what is the queue situation for immigration control in T2? I have heard horror stories about LAX and immigration lol.

The terminals are arranged in a big "U" shape with T2 and T5 more or less directly opposite each other, so there's no way to get between them without exiting security. Go through the baggage claim exits and you'll see various bus stops; look for the "LAX Shuttle" sign. Bus A ("Airline Connections") is the one you want.

Never been through T2 immigration. I imagine it depends a lot on whether you've got a US or non-US passport, whether other planes are arriving at the same time (and if most of the passengers on them are US or non-US); however, a 4-hour layover should be plenty of time to clear immigration, change terminals, and go back through security in any case.

Yes, after immigrations and customs, you exit Terminal 2 and walk or take an LAX Shuttle bus to Terminal 5. There is no direct airside connection.

If your flight arrives at LAX at approximately 18:00 (assuming you are arriving on an AF flight, which uses T2), you might be part of the one thousand unlucky ones that will have a wait at immigrations. This time is the peak hour, when several international flights arrive at the same time and use T2 immigrations simultaneously. The wait may be an hour at the most. :eek:

Mods, you might want to modify the OPs title to "Transfer". Thanks.


[Edited, accordingly, Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator.]

You can walk from T2 to T5 in about 10 minutes.

Yes, after immigrations and customs, you exit Terminal 2 and walk or take an LAX Shuttle bus to Terminal 5. There is no direct airside connection.

If your flight arrives at LAX at approximately 18:00 (assuming you are arriving on an AF flight, which uses T2), you might be part of the one thousand unlucky ones that will have a wait at immigrations. This time is the peak hour, when several international flights arrive at the same time and use T2 immigrations simultaneously. The wait may be an hour at the most. :eek:

Actually my flight arrives at 1:15 PM. I don't hold a US passport so it may take abit of time and even longer if I am sent to secondary (no reason for that though but I suppose that depends on the mood of the inspector that day).

Mods, you might want to modify the OPs title to "Transfer". Thanks.

I tried to edit it but for some reason you can't edit titles in these forums.

And to everybody else. Thank you for all advice. At least I have enough time to reach my flight. :)

For further advice and discussion, let me move this to our Travel->Los Angeles forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

I fly through LAX all the time.

There is no way to predict the immigration queue. I fly in from LHR every year, on the exact same flight. Some times the queue is long and miserable. Sometimes it's short and easy. You won't know until you actually get there.

Having said that, I think that a four hour transfer is plenty of time. That will give you, at most, 2 hours in immigration (probably less) and then a good 2 hours to get over to T5.

If you feel like stretching your legs and getting a bit of exercise, walk. If not, take the shuttle.

As other have noted, there is no airside transfer. You will be out in the "open", enjoying our beautiful Southern California weather, then you will have to go through TSA security in T5. Even if you were transferrring in the very same terminal, you would still not have an airside transfer. Passengers arriving in T4 from international flights connecting in T4 still have to exit Customs landside, then re-enter through TSA security.

Unless your Paris flight is way late, I would not anticipate any troubles. If it is late, and if your Paris and Honolulu flights are on the same ticket, the airline will rebook you to a later flight. If the flight is way late and (worst case scenario) you have to spend the night in LA, there are plenty of nice hotels near the airport.

I think it's nicer to walk between terminals than take the bus. In nice weather, exit on the departures level (upstairs), go outside and walk to your right. If it's raining, exit on the arrivals level and go to the right, following the front sides of the terminal buildings. On either level, you'll need to walk approximately a half circle and it's likely to talk about 20 minutes at a stroll pace. You can keep the free luggage cart you pick up in the customs hall (use elevators) until you check in for your next flight and enter security in your new terminal. You could save some distance by cutting through the parking structure, but I find the path confusing and it's not easy to avoid steps with your wheeled luggage compared to the walk all being on the same level when you follow the semicircle and pass in front of the terminals on your way.

LAX has airline lounges but not a lot of interesting stores or restaurants. The traditional place to go for food during a long connection is In-n-Out (burgers), but getting there and back is complicated and far too risky in the time you'll have.

http://www.lawa.org/welcome_lax.aspx?id=256 LAX terminal map.

Yes, going through Immigration and Customs at your port of entry is SOP for the U.S. Assuming your bags were tagged for your ultimate destination, and there's an interline agreement betwen the airlines involved (there is in most cases, as long as you're not switching to an airline such as Southwest, which you obviously are not), and you have a boarding pass for your onward flight (get that when you check in for your Paris-LAX flight), you can hand your checked bags to a transit desk just beyond Customs in Terminal 2.

Then take your carry-on bags on the free inter-terminal shuttle bus (it goes counter-clockwise around the airport road). To walk, you'd either take the long walk along the same road (as I recall, eaiser to do at the downstairs, arrivals, level than upstairs at the arrivals level, with the latter involving going into and out of some terminal buildings), or make your way across several parking structures to Terminal 5 (as noted, that can be a little confusing, requiring crossing a couple of roads, and getting by without signs).

You will need to go through security again at that terminal. But as long as your bags have already been checked throug;h, and you have your boarding pass, you won't have to stand in line at the check-in counter at Terminal 5.

All in all, the process is not as bad as it may look. If you had enough time you could even stop for lunch at the Encounter restaurant in the spider-shaped building n the middle of LAX. I am actually very comfortable flying into, out of or transiting LAX, perhaps because I've done it so many times over many years.

Writing from Honolulu. Customs and immigration in LAX was painless. I just handed my luggage to a TSA offical after customs checkpoint in terminal 2. Didn't need to go with it to terminal 5 :). I took your advice and enjoyed the beautiful weather and walked to terminal 5 on the upper level. Wasn't complicated at all. I even bought an upgrade for $225, as I thought it was nice to get som service after traveling all the way from Norway.

Writing from Honolulu. Customs and immigration in LAX was painless. I just handed my luggage to a TSA offical after customs checkpoint in terminal 2. Didn't need to go with it to terminal 5 :). I took your advice and enjoyed the beautiful weather and walked to terminal 5 on the upper level. Wasn't complicated at all. I even bought an upgrade for $225, as I thought it was nice to get som service after traveling all the way from Norway.

^

Nice to see my home airport not consistently bashed at every corner. Perception is NOT always reality!

HP

^

Nice to see my home airport not consistently bashed at every corner. Perception is NOT always reality!

HP

Hehe. Well I guess it's only the 10% of travellers who have had a bad experince who care to bash. Another plus I escaped the nudity scanner in T5. They started sending passengers through it when I arrived at the TSA checkpoint there, but they discovered when the first passenger went in that it was out of order. :D
I will now enjoy 5 months studying here in Hawaii.

^

Nice to see my home airport not consistently bashed at every corner. Perception is NOT always reality!

HP

I like LAX, but I've used it for so many years that I'm comfortable with it (except for the crowds along the road outside the departure areas, including the cars that park in the areas reserved for shuttle busses, making it more difficult to get one of the shuttles). My "home" airport when I was growing up was BUR, and I still have a soft place in my heart for that airport (one of the few airports I've been to lately that still doesn't have jetways from the planes).