maltasr

Just checked the flightstats.com board and it's showing AA #182 from Shanghai (inaugural flight) coming into LAX Terminal 4 (American Airlines) at Gate 43X. I know this terminal fairly well but can't recall their being any 43X at AA. Could this be a Custom's Gate at Tom Bradley International or...? I'm booked on this flight May 26 and would like to know where we'll be departing and arriving at LAX. It looks like it's gate 69 at PVG or do those gate assignments float? Also, anyone know if there's a partner club at PVG that is accessible to Elite passengers? Thank you and have a great day!

PassatDoc

http://www.aa.com/i18n/aboutUs/where...rminal_LAX.jsp

Most likely 43X is either the international gate(s) at Terminal 4, or a "bus gate" where you park on tarmac and are bused to Term 4. AA has its own immigration/customs facility in 4, though hours in the past have been limited, the facility used to close after the second LHR flight arrived, e.g. about 5 pm. This was in an era when they had no long hauls to Asia, only LHR plus some flights to Mexico and Central America. Because of overcrowding at Tom Bradley Terminal, LA has some rather elaborate bus gates, which are "semi-permanent" structures with what appear to be jetways and stairs or ramps to the tarmac level, at which point pax board buses----a semi permanent set up and a bit nicer than just stairs to the tarmac.

PS a high school friend is an AA FA and worked the inaugural flight to PVG. She sent me an e-mail from PVG yesterday, but I wasn't aware that she worked the inaugural flight until I saw your thread (I wasn't paying attention to the start date). She lays over today and I believe works tomorrow's return flight. I was not able to ask her about any special ceremonies because when i replied to her I thought the route had opened a few weeks ago.

JY1024

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html


(Searched for keyword terms { "PVG" lounges} )

gemac

AA's PVG-ORD flight has been out of PVG gate 69 for some time. It is the closest gate( about a 2 minute walk) to the CX lounge, the lounge in T2 that you have access to.

Kanis91

43X is inbetween Gate 43 and 45 in T4. Looking at Bing Maps in Bird View it seems that it is used for larger aircraft. But with the angle it seems both Gate 43 and 45 cannot be used if 43X has an aircraft. The jetway for Gate 43 looks like it can be used for 43X. So I would assume that you would just use the Gate 43 ticket counter and jetway.

masonp123

Shortly, AA 1520 LAX-MIA is departing from 43X on a 777. There is no signage for 43X in the terminal, so I asked a GA at 43 and she said 43 and 43X are the same. Looks like only one jetway. Odd that they would confuse folks with the 'x' instead of just leaving it off the displays, BP's, announcements, etc.

FWAAA

The 43X designation should be reserved for internal use; publicly, it should be called 43. The 43X is relevant to pilots, ground crew and AA's operations personnel who schedule gate occupancy, but if you're inside the terminal, it's just gate 43.

freeupgrade

Its at Gate 43...

all kidding aside, I have never understood why AA posts this as 43X sometimes.

FlyMeToTheLooneyBin

Or maybe they should just add a sign that says 43X right next to 43.

masonp123

Exactly! I'm gonna cut out a big red cardboard "X" and tape it up next to the 43 on my way back thru MIA.

makfan

You are right. If you happen to look at the ground when taxiing or pushing back from gate 43, you should see two yellow directional paths, and one will be marked 43X. These two paths guide the aircraft into the gate at a different angles. I am pretty sure that a 777 can't safely be parked on 43 due to its wingspan. They are designated differently so the pilots and ground crew don't pull in to the wrong spot, but passengers should only be told 43.

There are actually lots of airports that have this kind of different markings. JFK has a few gates like that from my experience.

AA does use remote gates (especially now with the fuel line project closing two gates), usually something like 210/212. I left from 212 today (47B, bused to 212). We were a 738, and there was an MD80 at the adjacent spot, so two flights were remote parked around 4:30-5 today.

SanAngeles

43X is also shared with Hogwarts Express.

FriendlySkies

Departing from 43X on today's LAX-MIA service. Thought it might be a remote stand, which would be a tighter conx for me (only 35 mins), but it looks like we'll be ok..

Penguinmoon

I just flew LAX-MIA 777 last week, and it left from 43X. I was wondering the same thing. Yes, it was just gate 43.....

AlwaysAisle

43X is internal use for ground operation purpose. Gates has a yellow line indicating the position for aircraft to park at the gate. At Gate 43 of LAX depending on aircraft parking position is slightly different. It has being few years since I relocated out of Los Angeles, but if I remember correctly, at Gate 43 there are two or three different yellow lines depending on aircraft. Each yellow line is marked “43A”, “43B”, “43X”. etc. Gate 41 at LAX has two yellow lines and it is marked in similar way.