LOS ANGELES transit
Several flights and a couple of days later I arrived in Los Angeles for my next trans-pacific flight. This transit was a little unusual, so please forgive my indulgence in posting about the transit before getting on with a report on the flight.
We arrived a few minutes late thanks to a late pushback in London. This was blamed on delay in getting clearance from USA - certainly all passengers were on board and cargo doors closed before our scheduled departure time. But I digress. As we taxied in to the terminal in addition to the normal spiel about waiting to be towed into the gate we were advised a passenger was abusive and LAPD were waiting to escort her off - we would need to remain seated until they had done so, which should only take a couple of minutes. Yeah right.
Sure enough at the point where the tug hooks up to the aircraft we are met with an escort of fire and police trucks, lights flashing. As the passenger in question had apparently been restrained I have no idea what good these trucks thought they were doing.
Anyway we pulled into the gate and sat and waited. And waited some more. An announcement was made that our passports would be checked on the airbridge - so please have them ready and open. We waited some more. Finally, 30 minutes after reaching the gate we were allowed to deplane.
Immigration was a zoo. It took another 30 minutes to clear immigration. This time the delay was not lack of officers but rather they seemed to spend an eternity with some visitors. While I waited in the queue one poor guy spent the whole 30 minutes (plus time before I arrived and after I left) being questioned. At most countries, such in depth questioning by immigration normally takes place in a separate room or area away from the front line desks. A family was sent back for an irregularity with their paperwork, and another was asked to complete green visa waiver forms despite having correctly filled a white form to match their visa.
I wondered if I would be questioned about transitting USA between 2 longhaul flights for the third time in a little over a week, but nothing was said and I was processed very quickly.
Another wait at customs. Again they seemed to be taking a long time with checking everyone's papers and even looking through some passports. Why?
By now it was 90 minutes since we reached the gate, and some 2 hours after my scheduled arrival. I was glad the connection was long enough to cope. I headed over to T4 and checked in for my next flights.