pwacher

Sadly I was unable to get a direct flight from SYD-SFO and had to go via LAX. I had high hopes with the opening of the airside tunnel between TBIT and T4, but alas, it has renewed my distaste of LAX.

Transferring from an intl flight from TBIT to T4, it's technically not airside at all. After going through immigration and customs, you drop your bag off, then you are essentially in the 'public' area of the terminal. You have to then join a nice big line to go through security again to get into the connector to T4.

The line was about 200+ people long, only one DHS agent checking tickets/ID's and only 1 scanner running, a real sh*tshow.

Had I set my expectations too high for this connector? I assume it's more suited for the T4 to TBIT flow?

As there was very few people in TBIT at 6:45am, i'm thinking it might have been faster just to exit TBIT and go back through TBIT security again (rather than connector security), then go to the connector.

The only positive part of the LAX experience was being able to shower and get breakfast at the Q F Lounge ^

deeruck

No, it's in no way intended to provide an airside connection from international arrivals. The connector helps a ton for airside connections, and for a time that security screening point that leads into the connector was quick, but perhaps not any more.

You could have used the T4 security, though that takes you away from the TBIT lounges.

Himeno

For a TBIT-T4 connection, there are 3 checkpoints you could use. The connector, main TBIT and walking over to T4.
If the arrival level connector checkpoint was busy, I'd go upstairs to the TBIT departures checkpoint. It helps that the QF F lounge is right next to the TBIT end of the connector.

serfty

FWIW, I was though in five minutes last Saturday moring approx.6:15am.

Last night after checking in at 6:15pm, I went upstairs at TBIT and saw about two hundred people queued up.

U-turned and went downstairs to be 2nd of three going through andwas airside by 6:25pm.

Kumulani

Yes, you were expecting too much of the connector. US law requires that all international arriving passengers reclear security before entering the airside part of the terminal. This is mainly because you've had access to your checked baggage, and thus could have picked up items that were not allowed in a carry-on. There is nothing the connector can realistically do about this. Also, like most countries, the US doesn't "trust" security screenings done in other countries, just like how if you're making an international to international connection in Australia, you have to reclear security as well.

The main point of the connector is to allow people coming from domestic flights into terminals 4, 5, 6, and 7 an easy way to walk to TBIT without reclearing security. Going the other way, nothing is forcing you to use the connector checkpoint, you can go upstairs and use the main TBIT one, or walk to terminal 4, 5, 6, or 7 and use whichever checkpoint has the shortest line.

JDiver

There are two ways to access security in TBIT.

The easiest and fastest is to access the airside connector security queue.

As you exit TBIT by the exit to Your far right, there is an access door to the connector and it's own security queue. Nobody knows about this point, so it's usually quite speedy, in my experience, and has the added benefit of allowing easy access to the one world Business and Qantas First Lounges in TBIT if you have time to use them prior to your AA T-4, T-5, T-5 satellite for Eagle or even TBIT (AA has four gates at TBIT).

This will be particularly useful to know once QR moves to TBIT (May, iirc).

Extensive thread with Wikipost, photos, video, schematics in the AA forum:

LAX AA T-4 - TBIT secure airside connector open 25 Feb 2016

See Microwave's post #232 for photos and detailed information.