Air New Zealand Air Points - NZ001 LHR-AKL: what happens in LAX?

Travelling on NZ001 from London to Auckland. There is a two-hour stopover in LAX. What happens here? Do you and your luggage have to go through screening / immigration / security? If so, is 2-hours enough time?

Checked luggage stays in the hold - one of the very few exceptions to US screening rules.

All pax must deplane with all hand luggage and proceed to a special holding pen. There they clear immigration (so if not eligible for visa waiver you need a US visa), but no extra security.

The holding pen is airside and segregated into premium and non-premium. Both are spartan. There is a bathroom, but no showers. Sparse food and drink. Premium side also has a couple of newspapers and magazine. Allowing for the time spent clearing immigration and reboarding expect to spend max 1 hour in the holding pen.

If in business class you have the option of going through main immigration & customs (if landside) then through security to visit the very nice NZ lounge. *G travelling in economy are not supposed to do this. Every time I have gone to the lounge, I've had less than 10 minutes to enjoy it. Immigration, customs and security take 90+ minutes at that time of day :( It isn't unusual for their to be 800 pax in the immigration queue for example.

The whole system sucks and is a major reason why NZ launched LHR-AKL via HKG.

As per Kiwi Flyer, the holding pen sucks, you get bad coffe, a free soda machine, they have a couple of TV's, payphones, and some not very comfortable chairs. This alone is now one of the reasons I am going via Asia when the price is similar.

I have been on a trip with Kiwi flyer, and other times connected to UA PS flights to NYC, and can confirm the cues can be long to get out at LAX. The holding pen sucks but at least you won't miss your flight. I will be dealing with this again, except I am connecting NZ AKL-LAX to UA LAX-LHR, which IIRC involves a terminal transfer as well as clearing customs and immigration, should be fun! :rolleyes:

tht

It's quite like the HNL stop that QF, NZ and AC/CP one-stop flights endure on the way to NAmerica. Though at least it's not at midnight!

I have been through T2 immigrations several dozen times over the past 5 years on NZ/VS/KL/AF. Always in J/F. Never, not once, have I waited more than 1 minute to pass. In fact, I am usally at home on the Westside with 40 minutes of wheels down. I never check luggage.

Let me guess - you are a US resident and thus do not need to queue in the aliens line?

It wouldn't have mattered. Never seen a line on either side. Dozens of flights.

Then either you are very lucky or I am very unlucky. I've also taken dozens of flights arriving at LAX T2 over the past few years and always horrid queues at immigration and often also at customs. Still, you've reminded me to not assume my experiences is the same that every pax will have.

The problem is the Immigration line, but at the same time it isn't. Immigration sucks there, I am a US Citizen, I fly NZ001 LHR-LAX quite often, it is the Air France and Mexicana that always ALWAYS seem to deplane before NZ1.

I stood behind 20 French Passport holders in the US Citizen line. Bollocks, I asked them nicely to move and they said they didn't know what I was saying.

Then the 3 officers they have walk away for a break.

LHR isn't great on high load times, but come on.

Ranking of International Arrivals ease and speed:

BKK (New, took 20 seconds)
SFO
AKL
SIN
FRA
PER
HYD
BKK (Old)
DEL
YVR
SYD
LHR (Love the people who have no idea what is going on)
LAX (Craptastic)
MEL (3 hours once)
LIS (Rat Race for non EU)

Always pays to check. Just walk down to the hall and see if one of the offending Jumbo's has arrived early. From my experience there is a KLM / Air France flight and one other (assume Mexicana based on previous thread). If you beat these flights then it is clear sailing and you can be through in minutes. If you're late and the hall is packed just walk back up stairs and join the now very long queue to go to the holding pen. Waiting in the queue is probably more fun than sitting in the pen anyway.

In terms of experience I have only gone back once out of my last 8 flights through and of the other 7 have had had time to get to the Lounge and have a shower / read the Herald before being called to board.:D

The many times I've gone through LAX between AKL and LHR (less frequently since HKG started) I've never faced queues at the immigration hall when transiting. Almost always I am only waiting 5 minutes or less. Mind you, I make sure i'm early off (always J class anyway) and it seems to work - the only problem I've ever had is when travelling on a split upgrade with a boarding pass that doesn't have J for the following sector on it, as it means being in the slow queue for security upstairs. The NZ LAX lounge is so much better that it is worth the effort.

However I have wondered if ever I saw the queue, and gave up whether that would cause a security nightmare at LAX - it seems hard to back out and revert to the transit facility.

The only problem I recently had was a custom's goon enquiring where my luggage was - I told him it was checked through and is on the plane, he persisted in saying that doesn't happen and I had to pick it up and recheck it in. I insisted that I had done the flight many times and that was never the case and he should ask Air NZ if he wants clarification - he let me go!

Does transiting in SFO (when changing international airlines) face the same hell? I have wondered that when UA finally upgrades its J product that a backup option if NZ is pricey through HKG is to fly NZ to SFO and UA or VS to LHR.

Int->int transit anywhere in USA is like this. At least NZ<->NZ at LAX is all in the same terminal (same applies in SFO for NZ<->Int). Some airports have change of terminal involved also which makes it even worse.

The holding pen at LAX T2 is however fairly unique.

I should point out my experiences are as one of the first (if not the first) pax to reach alien queue at immigration. I'm usually in business class (downstairs for flights to USA for a quick getaway) and I do walk very fast (and know my way around).

It's quite like the HNL stop that QF, NZ and AC/CP one-stop flights endure on the way to NAmerica. Though at least it's not at midnight!

HNL is one of the few US airports that had limited intl transit airside prior to the US eliminating it (i.e. arrive from Australia and switch to a plane going to Canada). I believe MIA also had a limited airside transit facility between Iberia and AA for S. America to Europe traffic.

Many years ago I took one of the QF "milkrun" flights that did SYD-CNS-HNL-LAX on a 747-combi. During the layover, we were kept in a sterile airside transit area. I seem to recall some pax joining the flight that had come in from one of the S. Pacific islands in addition to pax who were doing the HNL-LAX segment only (HNL stopover pax).

If this flight were operating today, everyone would be forced to clear immigrations and customs at HNL. Instead, we continued on and cleared US Customs upon arrival at LAX. Our arrival and departure in HNL was in the afternoon as it was daylight and it was my first time at HNL. I recall the views (Pearl Harbour, Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head, etc) being impressive as I had never been to Hawaii before. I now visit the islands on a regular basis ;)

We arrived LAX around midnight, cleared US Customs & Immigrations there; I still remember that journey quite well .. connected onto a DL redeye to ATL, an L1011.

We arrived into LAX on NZ1 4th October, it took us at least 30mins to clear immigration, we travelled in J too so were off the plane fairly quickly. We appeared to be behind an Air France flight and we appeared to get in just before a BA flight thankfully.

As for the flight itself, good food, friendly service but a little slow at times and the cabin temp was far too high. Overall we were pleased with flight especially as it was a miles & cash redemption :) Was a little surprised to be offered sparking wine instead of champers pre take off though.. We'll definitely be flying bus prem again though :)

If you are a frequent traveller to the US, one of the options to a quicker move through Immigration at both LAX and SFO is to get an APEC card. Although the US is not a party to the APEC card itself, it now recognises the existence of the card and allows cardholders to use the crew lanes at both SFO and LAX. I have used my card at both airports in the last 3 months and have got through much quicker than those in the other lanes.

What is an APEC card? Can a US citizen get one? Can a UK citizen get one?

APEC Card (http://www.businessmobility.org/)

You have to be a citizen (or passport holder) of a participating economy, which the UK and US are not.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the equivalent procedure of the NZ38/39 flghts from / to LHR via HKG?
Any need to go through immigration or just 'take your cabin luggage and go stretch your legs and return on time' (as it used to be with flights to / from South Africa in Nairobi with the old equipment)?

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the equivalent procedure of the NZ38/39 flghts from / to LHR via HKG?
Any need to go through immigration or just 'take your cabin luggage and go stretch your legs and return on time' (as it used to be with flights to / from South Africa in Nairobi with the old equipment)?

Exactly. You can walk around, make some duty free shopping etc etc. No need to pass immigration. But even if you would like to go through immigration, it usually wouldn't take more than 5 - 10 Minutes.

HKIA is one of the best airports i know and very well organized.

At HKG you don't even need to take your carry-on off any more (as long as stored in the overhead bins).

Travelling on NZ001 from London to Auckland. There is a two-hour stopover in LAX. What happens here? Do you and your luggage have to go through screening / immigration / security? If so, is 2-hours enough time?

Experience yesterday:

From leaving NZ2 to getting to the RCC, I managed it in 45 minutes flat. Got lucky with immigration, just as I joined the big cue, another station opened up, so we formed a new cue, I was about 15 back, but then a second agent arrived and we flew threw. The premium security at UA’s T6/7 was empty hence the super speedy connection.

tht

Update, did this again on 8/11/07, it took me about 1.5h this time. however it was all AF PAX in the immigration cue, my NZ flight seemed about 50% full, and most PAX went to holding pen.

Kind of makes sense that the ticket was only $399, if they are going to be empty, any revenue helps....

tht

I transited on NZ1 in economy in September. As I was sitting at the back of the plane, I was at the very end of the queue to pass immigration and into the holding pen. It took about 45 mins to get off the plane, queue and into the pen, where there's free soda and crisps. No matter what's said about the US immigration staff, just follow the instructions and it's done in about 10 seconds!!

Excuse the bad photography, but this gives a good impression of life in the pen:
http://www.craigley.com/pen.jpg

Ian

I transited on NZ1 in economy in September. As I was sitting at the back of the plane, I was at the very end of the queue to pass immigration and into the holding pen. It took about 45 mins to get off the plane, queue and into the pen, where there's free soda and crisps. No matter what's said about the US immigration staff, just follow the instructions and it's done in about 10 seconds!!

Excuse the bad photography, but this gives a good impression of life in the pen:
http://www.craigley.com/pen.jpg

Ian

One advantage of using the holding pen is that the immigration agents are usually much quicker, once you reach the desk. After all no point asking where you are going (only one place it can be) and questions about why, how long, and who meeting in USA.