Air New Zealand Air Points - Is 1.5 hrs enough time to clear customs in LAX?

I'm a US citizen returning from AUK on Apr 14 at ~10:40 am. Will have nothing to declare but will have checked luggage. Can I make a 12:30pm US Air flight in another terminal or do I bite the bullet for a redeye back to Charlotte?
Thanks!

We went through LAX yesterday with three pieces of checked luggage. We arrived at 1:30 p.m. and it was a zoo because a fully-loaded KLM 747 from Amsterdam landed at the same time, and baggage was REALLY messed up (about 45 minutes before our bags came out). I chatted with our flight attendant during the wait. He said NZ baggage is usually available by the time passengers get through immigration

Immigration & Customs were moving quickly. It took about an hour, total, to get out of the terminal, and another 20 minutes to walk to Terminal 7 and get through security.

I don't know about the earlier AKL-LAX flights, but the flight attendant did say operations usually went pretty smoothly. As always, your mileage may vary. If it were me, I'd take the chance with the 1.5 hour connection.

You should be able to get BP in AKL and bags checked through. Which leaves immigration, customs and security check, plus change of terminals at LAX. When I have had connections at LAX (or wanted to use the lounge in transit) it has generally taken 1 1-2 hours to 2 1-2 hours. However I am not a US citizen so should be quicker for you. I would aim to sit as far forward as possible, and if business class then on the lower deck (not upper deck) and go for it. Baggage at LAX is always chaos in my experience, so if can possibly manage carryons then I would do that.

It depends:


I arrived once from NRT on the SQ flight and had to stand in line at the immigration counters for about 2 hours!!Was very annoyed that LAX does not have fast track or special counter for F class pax that day :mad:
I was glad to have 4 hours transit before my conecting flight, many other pax in line with me had much tighter connections and many propably missed their flights

Some months later I arrived from AKL on NZ and was off the plane, through immigration, picked up luggage and through customs in less than 20 min!
Tried to standby for an earlier connecting flight but didn't work so had to spend 5 hours in the RCC.

Thanks all for your replies! A co-worker has a day room reserved at the LAX Marriott for us to share if I miss the 1230 flight.

LAX moved a few months ago to a legal minimum connect of 2 hours for International to Domestic inter-Terminal connections. Anything less and you run the risk of not being protected in the event of a missed flight.
My last few experiences through LAX would tend to agree with that 2 hour window. Taken close to or more than an hour to clear immigration/customs and with the lengthy waits most times in most terminals in LAX to clear security to get back into an airside area, I'd be hesitant to get a short connection.
The TSA site shows an average wait of 19 mins to clear security at T1 at LAX between 1100-1200 over the past month with a maximum time of 26 minutes recorded - must be all those Southwest pax that share T1 with US. You would only need to add a 15 minute delay to NZ getting to the gate onto one of those 20-25 minute waits to lose most of your buffer.

Did the same itinerary a few weeks ago (on a Sunday), no problem. Am a US cit. Through Immigration and Customs and Luggage transfer in maybe 30-40 minutes. Problem was the security line at Term #1 (USAIR and SWA share). As an elite was told I could by-pass the long line which stretched outside the terminal and could use the elevator to the right of the USAIR ticket counter. Bottom line--into the club in less than hour after arrival at LAX.

Thanks Steve-O! You fit my profile and give me hope!
Mark
Did the same itinerary a few weeks ago (on a Sunday), no problem. Am a US cit. Through Immigration and Customs and Luggage transfer in maybe 30-40 minutes. Problem was the security line at Term #1 (USAIR and SWA share). As an elite was told I could by-pass the long line which stretched outside the terminal and could use the elevator to the right of the USAIR ticket counter. Bottom line--into the club in less than hour after arrival at LAX.

Thanks Steve-O! You fit my profile and give me hope!
MarkThe key requirement is to be able to bypass the T1 security line! It is incredibly long most days and I always marvel at it when going through LAX (luckily I have never had to use T1). Hopefully elite on USAir is in your profile and the bypass is still active (it isn't always at other terminals, don't know if T1 works the same way).

Wanted to give a report on my experience with a 1.5 hour layover between LAX and CLT flights after returning from Auckland.
I started my homeward flights in Queenstown. Before I left for the Queenstown airport I was able to check-in online for my LAX-CLT USAir leg. Presented my USAir boarding pass for my LAX-CLT leg in Queenstown and was able to get my bag tagged with CLT as my final destination. Changed equipment in Auckland and arrived to the gate in LAX Terminal 2 at 12:40pm. I had an exit row seat at the front of the Pacific Class cabin and was able to be in the first 10 passengers off. We had ~25 people ahead of us in Immigration from a previous arrival and made it through in 8 minutes. My bag arrived on the luggage belt as I walked up and went though customs with 3 people in line ahead of me and to the checked bags area (5 minutes). Out the door and left turn to Terminal 1 at a brisk pace (4 minute walk). Terminal 1 TSA line was halfway to the front door. Look for a priority line and ask the USAir ticket agent. He looks at my boarding pass and points to the elevator...not sure what the conditions are for using the elevator but no one was monitoring it...I am Silver Preferred and had upgraded to first class on the LAX-CLT leg (2 minutes). Take the elevator upstairs and breeze through security (3 minutes). Walk to the USAir gate (3 minutes).

25 minutes! The travel spirits were smiling on me!
Thanks for all the advice. It really helped!

Congratulations, MarkF! I hope the rest of your trip went as smoothly.

A quick update on our transit thru LAX .The best yet...what a surprise.

What was really appreciated, was the assistance that NZ is giving with US based staff.Directing,checking forms,etc and even transferring us to US citizen custom lines to speed things along.
All done with good humour & grace.Out into Starbucks for a coffee and over to Term 7 to travel onto SAT(what a great city- well worth a visit) within 45 min.

Son travelled over last week to join us (NZ6 -upgraded 747)Very impressed with his economy class seat.Good leg room now without the footrests hitting the shins on 1.82m+ pax.Able to stretch out .
His experiance also good at Term 2-Thru in under an hr -also to term 6 to fly on to IAH.