Los Angeles - Transfer LAX - Help

On Wednesday, this year's summer vacation is over and I am heading to Oslo.

My flight out of USA is LX LAX - ZRH at 19:30.

I will be in Las Vegas until Wednesday and the original plan is to drive to LAX sometime between 10 and 12 am to be at the airport at 5 pm.

I am now looking at the chance to fly LAS - LAX instead, and deliver the rental car here in Las Vegas in stead.

The question is how much time should I calculate at LAX? Is it safe to US106 LAS - LAX (3:45 p.m. to 4:51 p.m.)?

My top priority is obviously minimum travel time, but I'm more keen on a longer road trip than having to sit 5 hours in transfer at LAX.

Please follow this thread in the LAX Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

On Wednesday, this year's summer vacation is over and I am heading to Oslo.

My flight out of USA is LX LAX - ZRH at 19:30.

I will be in Las Vegas until Wednesday and the original plan is to drive to LAX sometime between 10 and 12 am to be at the airport at 5 pm.

I am now looking at the chance to fly LAS - LAX instead, and deliver the rental car here in Las Vegas in stead.

The question is how much time should I calculate at LAX? Is it safe to US106 LAS - LAX (3:45 p.m. to 4:51 p.m.)?

My top priority is obviously minimum travel time, but I'm more keen on a longer road trip than having to sit 5 hours in transfer at LAX.

I apologize, I'm a little confused with your questions.

Regarding flying US106 LAS-LAX: I think it's too risky. If the flight was delayed and prevented ample enough time to check into your LX flight you'd be SOL.

Could you take an earlier flight out of LAS?

I'd personally be comfortable with a 3 or 3.5 hour duration between the expected arrival time of a separately booked LAS-LAX flight and the departure time of my international segment out of TBIT. Perhaps others here wouldn't be as cautious...

Try to get in earlier if you can. I have never had a smooth connection through LAX. Their transportation between terminals is really slow.

If you arrive on US, that will put you in T1. You will then have to collect your luggage, go outside and pick up a ground shuttle (bus, there isn't any modern train/shuttle). You will pass, T2 and T3 before arriving at the Intl terminal.

I don't have any experience there, so, can't provide any help with that.

Prepare for the worst case situation and give yourself tons of time.

Problems can happen on the road as well. Last Friday, we had a fire shut down I-15 for several hours.

An earlier flight would be ideal, but if not, 2 hours is usually enough time. Are you a risk-taker? ;)

I'll tell you what I would do. I live in North Los Angeles County and know, well, the road to Las Vegas and know LAX.

I would drive in from Las Vegas on Tuesday and spend a nice day in Southern California. Then, Wednesday evening, return the rental car and get the flight to Europe.

Why do I say this:

Your proposed LAS-LAX ticket is not connected to your international flight. Thus, if anything happens to the LAS-LAX flight, you will be messed up on the international flight. I understand you don't want to sit around LAX for hours, but you don't want to cut it close, either.

Last weekend, there was a big fire which closed down the I-15 freeway in the Cajon Pass. Traffic was backed up for hours. I read that it took one guy three hours to go 20 miles. Thus, if you drive in on Wednesday morning, you are still taking the small risk of something like that.

Right now, as I write, there is a small brush fire near my house in eastern Santa Clarita. That should not affect you coming in from Las Vegas to LAX, but it goes to show that in this weather and dry conditions, a fire can pop up anywhere. I drove through that very area where the fire is at 11:30 this morning and saw nothing. Now, it's 3:30 and the sky is full of smoke and helicopters.

I am a cautious person. I don't like the idea of missing an international flight by 5 minutes, nor do I like the idea of sitting in Airport World for five unnecessary hours. Thus, I would break up the trip. Drive to LAX Tuesday, get an airport hotel, do a little sightseeing, then be ready and on-time for your international flight. You might even return the rental car Tuesday afternoon, lounge around the hotel pool the next day and take the hotel shuttle to the airport.

Please follow this thread in the LAX Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

LAX Forum??? Is there a separate forum for airports? I've been looking around and haven't found it.

Thanks for the help.

Airports are covered in the appropriate geographic forum. Your thread is where it needs to be :)

cblaisd
Senior Moderator

Airports are covered in the appropriate geographic forum. Your thread is where it needs to be :)

cblaisd
Senior Moderator

Not me complaining;)

Thank you folks for all the answers. I've also got advice from another forum where people seems to be a little more optimistic about US106 to LAX.

Soon time to decide...

I think US106 should be all right if it arrives on time. Check its on-time record, and if it is good, then you should be fine, assuming you move fast and there are no problems. But it will be close.

2.5 hour is cutting it close but ok time to try to connect to an international flight at LAX.

Personally, I would try to get on an early morning flight to LAX, and then spend a couple of hours by the beach.

2.5 hour is cutting it close but ok time to try to connect to an international flight at LAX.

Personally, I would try to get on an early morning flight to LAX, and then spend a couple of hours by the beach.


2.5 hours is PLENTY of time to make a Terminal 1 to TBIT transfer. It's at BEST, a 10 minute walk on the upper deck to TBIT.

The man is LEAVING the U.S., not entering through immigration and customs.

If we plan on everything going wrong with all flights, where do you begin? 3 hours early? 4 hours early? 5 hours early?. What if ALL flights get canceled at LAS ?

I'm just being a realist.

HP

2.5 hours is PLENTY of time to make a Terminal 1 to TBIT transfer. It's at BEST, a 10 minute walk on the upper deck to TBIT.

The man is LEAVING the U.S., not entering through immigration and customs.

If we plan on everything going wrong with all flights, where do you begin? 3 hours early? 4 hours early? 5 hours early?. What if ALL flights get canceled at LAS ?

I'm just being a realist.

HP

LAX Terminal map: http://www.google.com.br/imgres?imgurl=http://www.visitingdc.com/images/lax-terminal-map.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.visitingdc.com/airports/lax-airport-terminal-map.asp&h=611&w=790&sz=99&tbnid=nwtdyx8al51LRM:&tbnh=84&tbnw=109&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dlax%2Bterminal%2Bmap%26tbm%3Disch%26t bo%3Du&zoom=1&q=lax+terminal+map&docid=WHNdF_qryGc2qM&hl=pt-BR&sa=X&ei=B7lnTrLqC6jr0gGux8zNCw&ved=0CDsQ9QEwAw&dur=84

I don't think shooting for more than 2 1/2 hours between two flights, especially with separately purchased tickets and one of the flights being international, is being alarmist. I also think 10 minutes would be a very quick walk from T1 to TBIT. Remember, with two separately-purchased tickets, you technically have to exit your flight, go to the baggage claim area, get your bags and take those to TBIT to check in. Walking with bags in 10 minutes? Take the shuttle. When you check in at LAS, you may well be able to have your bags tagged to your final destination, if you show the agent both itineraries. You may want to phone the US Airways to confirm this will be done. Then, at least, your bags would be transferred automatically. But even if your bags are checked through, you may still have to get in line at TBIT to show your passport and get your boarding pass. And check-in may close at least an hour before the flight. You don't say what other options you found flying from LAS to LAX. Is the flight you cite appreciably cheaper or just more convenient?

My recollection is that it's quicker to walk between terminals on the lower, arrival, area than the upper, but I could be wrong there.

I'm just being a realist.



So are we... I think 3 hours is about right for transferring at LAX to international flight with change of terminal. You have to assume the OP has to pick up his bags, which could take up to 1 hour extra wait time. And you have to account for cutoff time for luggage on international outbound flight.

2.5 hours is ok if there is no delay and everything goes smoothly.

I guess it's just me.

I have flown in an out of Terminal 1 for years, and especially between Las-Lax. I would expect no more then 15 minutes to wait for bags there.

As for walking, it is without a DOUBT, faster to walk up on the second deck, if wanting to transfer from Terminal 1 to TBIT.

On a side not, even if you are having to pick up your checked bags, during the busy hours, always have your personal ride meet you on the upper deck. Much less chaotic.

HP

I guess it's just me.

I have flown in an out of Terminal 1 for years, and especially between Las-Lax. I would expect no more then 15 minutes to wait for bags there.

As for walking, it is without a DOUBT, faster to walk up on the second deck, if wanting to transfer from Terminal 1 to TBIT.

On a side not, even if you are having to pick up your checked bags, during the busy hours, always have your personal ride meet you on the upper deck. Much less chaotic.

HP

3 weeks ago it was close to 45 minutes after our flight arrived before we got our bags from a US Airways flight. That was probably exceptionally long. Obvously varies day by day, flight by flight. Where you're flying from would not seem to have any effect on the amount of time to get your bags. "Personal ride"??? OP mentioned one? Just taking the shuttle from the lower level, where they'll already be to get their bags, does seem an option.

OP wants to avoid having to spend 5 hours between flights, which is understandable, but I don't see the logic in urging them to go for a shorter connection time, when it could impact an internatinal flight (if they miss it, they are s.o.l.).

I think Southwest has several flights a day between LAS and LAX. OP would definitely have to retrieve their bags, since Southwest doesn't have interline agreements for the transfer of bags with most airlines, but it might be an option to look at.

"Personal ride"??? OP mentioned one?

It was a side note; it had nothing to do with the OP's question. I always pick arriving passengers without checked luggage on the upper level.

On a side not[e], even if you are having to pick up your checked bags, during the busy hours, always have your personal ride meet you on the upper deck. Much less chaotic.

Normally 2.5 hrs transfer time would be plenty, T1 to TBIT is a short walk. The big issue for the OP is that the 2 flights are not on the same PNR, so if their inbound into LAX was delayed long enough that they would miss the long haul flight back to Europe as others have said they could be SOL. LX would be under no obligation to rebook them free of charge on to the next available flight, unless their LX ticket permitted so.

Personally if my onward long haul was not a fully flexable ticket or on the same PNR as my inbound i would book a flight leaving LAS Wednesday am. You could be super safe and fly the night before and overnight at LAX.

U.S and Swiss are both Star, so they may well get any luggage tagged to final destination all the way from LAS.

If on same PNR 2.5hrs US dom to international would be plenty of time at LAX. 2 separate bookings with 2 different airlines including terminal change and possible baggage reclaim, i personally would like a little more of a comfort zone than 2.5hrs.