david55

Just took the AS GDL-LAX flight the day before yesterday. After customs we were directed to leave the terminal and go next door to the domestic terminal to catch our flight to SEA where we had to go through security again. The lines were long and the plane was late leaving waiting for other connecting passengers to get through the security. Did I really have to leave the "secured" area to get to the other terminal? Seems pretty chaotic and inconvenient.....

BTW...The red-eye LAX-GDL flight is brutal... never again. I spoke to the bleary-eyed FA's who said they hated this flight. One even told me she though it was dangerous since the FA's were less "attentive" being so tired......

SEA_Tigger

Yup.

When I last flew the evening LAX-SEA flight, the 739 had to be towed from the Bradley International Terminal to whichever Terminal AS uses to depart.

And when I arrive in LAX from an international destination, even when we disembark in Terminal 6(?) and go through C&I, we have to take an elevator upstairs and get in the security line for Terminals 7 & 8 to catch our domestic flight.

And UA is just as bad at doing tight connections. I had like an hour between the arrival of my LHR-LAX flight to the departure of my LAX-SEA flight. Even in the First Class line (with a TSA agent who was an absolute idiot and took five minutes - literally, I timed him - to clear each passenger) I barely made it before they started boarding.

sxf24

All AS departures are from Terminal 3, which does not have a secure connection to the Bradley Terminal (where all AS international arrivals are).

Customs and Immigration are only available at Terminals 2, 5, 6 and Bradley in LAX.

BearX220

They have to tow the airplanes over too. Most ex-Mexico AS metal inbound to LAX continues up to PDX, SEA or YVR. But they must park at TBIT first for diembarkation, then get a tow over to T3 to board the continuation. As a lot of this goes on in the late afternoon/early evening when TBIT is really hopping and there's a lot of heavies pushing back, it's no wonder AS/T3 is such a scheduling mess... and if the northbound loads are light, why, what a coincidence -- random cancellations due to "mechanicals" start popping up.

rjque

I think you always have to re-clear security after an international arrival, even if you arrive and depart from the same terminal. The reason is that you pass through a non-sterile area at customs where you are required to pick up checked luggage for customs clearance. You can carry firearms and other prohibited items in checked luggage so I can see why the TSA would want to re-screen after you've been in contact with that luggage.

sllevin

Exactly. A prime example is Minneapolis -- you go right from the gate into Immigration and Customs, and then back into a security checkpoint that puts you into the terminal proper (even though it's all one physical building).

Steve