Practical Travel Safety Issues - LAX Bradley Terminal advice--tomorrow!!

Thanks to flyer talk, I am able to take my 2 boys (8 and 3) to Germany tomorrow to see their dad who is working there. Your mileage redemption advice did the trick!!
I read in today's LA Times travel section, a letter to the editor concerning confusion at the Bradley terminal. I have used LAX for years, but never Bradley. The author cites no signs, confusing lines--it made it seem as if your bags are xrayed BEFORE you go to the ticket counter...or that you must eturn to the ticket counter after checking in.
I was hoping someone could shed some light for me as I am more than a little nervous about making it through everything with my 2 children--one helpful, one not :). If I can be prepared, it will help.
Thanks again to flyertalkers who have made our family's dream a reality!

I suggest finding a skycap. He'll get you through the check-in process easily. Be prepared to tip generously. Good luck.

It's definitely a tab confusing, but I think you will be able to navigate it all right. I think a lot of what people face is managing expectations. Once you know a place is not well sign-posted, it puts you in a new frame of mind, which can help a lot! Otherwise, people end up wandering around thinking that they're doing something wrong.

Bradley terminal is the only terminal I've ever flown out of at LAX. I didn't find it confusing at all, and the people who work at the airport have always been very helpful.

The only thing you need to remember is that you do need to get your bags X-rayed before you go to the ticket counters, and you can't touch your bags anymore after you get them X-rayed (you don't need to X-ray your carry-on luggage).

The X-ray machines are to the left and right, right when you walk into the terminal. The line might be long--several times I've been there, it's been out the door. You wait near where your bags come out of the X-ray machine, and you let the attendants know which bags are yours. They put all your bags in a dolly, and they roll it out and walk you to the ticket counter. You can't roll them to the ticket counter yourself. Remember, you are not allowed to touch your bags after they go through the X-ray machine, so make sure you have everything you need for the flight in your carry-on luggage.

Just get there a few hours before your flight, and you should be fine. I try to arrive 4 hours prior to international flights, just because the LA traffic and the lines at Bradley can sometimes be unexpectedly long.

Try to bring your own food, because all the food I've ever had at LAX has been expensive and disgusting!!

Hope this helps!

Get your bags x-rayed first before you check in...

Regarding the X-ray machines, they aren't "assigned" to any row of ticket counters. If you see one far off with a shorter line, by all means use it!

Once they X-ray it, they'll truck it off to the counter of your choosing, even if it's across the hall.

Flyer talk guys and gals:
Thank you for the advice, now I get it! Quite the opposite of "check in first, then xray"...Thank you for answering so quickly, and for your reassurances. Either with a skycap or without, I now understand the procedures. Thank you all so much--we are off to LAX! :)

May be too late for the OP, but I believe much of the advice in this thread is wrong.

The screening process for baggage seems to be (and I stress "seems to be" since I'm not really sure) airline dependent.

Some airlines (e.g., Asiana) require luggage x-ray before going to the ticket counter. After you have your bags screened, the screener takes your bags for you to the ticket counter (without you touching them).

Other airlines (e.g., Lufthansa) ask you to check in first. After check-in, you then bring your bags back to the screeners (near the front doors). The screeners then take your bags, and process them, without you getting them back. You are asked to wait until your bags go thru the machine, however.

I may be wrong about this, but this has been my experience (have flown both OZ and LH within the past few weeks).

May be too late for the OP, but I believe much of the advice in this thread is wrong.

The screening process for baggage seems to be (and I stress "seems to be" since I'm not really sure) airline dependent.

I may be wrong about this, but this has been my experience (have flown both OZ and LH within the past few weeks).

Well, I will qualify my statements my saying that my recent TBIT experience has been with OZ and BR... so many apologies if I overgeneralized what actually occurs :o