Originally Posted by
EK029
Hey
I am flying into LAX TBIT on BA279 from London Heathrow, arriving at 1255hrs local time.
Is this peak time for arrivals? I have a connecting domestic flight that is scheduled to depart out of Terminal 4 two hours later...
Will I make it? And are the passport control lines horrendous at that time of the day? Non US/Canadian passport holder.
Mid day is fairly busy at TBIT with several wide body arrivals from Europe and north Asia.
The general rule of thumb for doing international to domestic transfer at LAX is 2.5 hours minimum if you are in the same terminal or another terminal on the same side of the horseshoe (e.g. TBIT to T4, T2 to T1). 3 hours if it involves change or terminal on the other side of the horseshoe (e.g. T2 to T6, TBIT to T1).
You'll need about 60 to 90 minutes to complete the immigration and custom process at TBIT. And probably another 20~30 minutes to check in at T4 and clear security.
I would say 2 hours is cutting it close but you can probably make it if you have BA/One World status and just carry on bags. T4 is a very short walk from TBIT once you exit the custom area to curb side (about 50 meters to the right). Security line at T4 should be moderate but it would help a lot if you have One World status to get you to the front of the line.
Is your connecting flight on the same ticket/PRN as your LHR-LAX flight? And where to? If it is on the same ticket, most likely AA will hold your departure flight for a few minutes until you show up. But I would investigate if there is a later flight on AA to your final destination.