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-   -   GUIDE: LAX / Los Angeles International Airport - MCT, Connection, etc. (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-airlines-aadvantage/1703113-guide-lax-los-angeles-international-airport-mct-connection-etc.html)

potus18 May 29, 2018 9:19 am

We were directed to TBIT for customs on AA72 this morning.

SeattleDavid May 29, 2018 9:30 am

What the OP describes is how it has been at LAX for about two years - immigration in T4 and customs too if no checked bags, but all checked bags come to TBIT with a long back alley walk in between.

JonNYC May 29, 2018 2:21 pm

new
 

Originally Posted by SeattleDavid (Post 29805256)
What the OP describes is how it has been at LAX for about two years - immigration in T4 and customs too if no checked bags, but all checked bags come to TBIT with a long back alley walk in between.

That changed effective today, checked baggage collection now possible:

Proudelitist May 29, 2018 3:29 pm


Originally Posted by MikeFly (Post 29804754)
Came in on 192 last night and cleared immigration/customs in T4. What a disaster! Yes, you have people constantly yelling what line you should go in. However, the lines themselves were bad. Line up to get to a GE Kiosk, line up to get to speak to an CBP officer who is also handling mobile passport and fingerprinting. If you have no luggage you get directed to yet another officer who in my case wanted to examine my briefcase for food. Then more yelling dumps you out on the street. I knew where I was being at LAX often but a lot of people coming out of that exit were confused. If you had luggage to collect you were sent over to TBIT to collect it. I really hope it is teeting pains and gets sorted out quickly. This makes the old disaster at TBIT look good!


I'll be on that flight in about a month. In J. Love to hear about it, because I have another flight to catch on a regional (AmEagle). I only have 4 hours between when 192 gets in and my connection lol.

MikeFly May 30, 2018 4:45 am


Originally Posted by Proudelitist (Post 29806614)
I'll be on that flight in about a month. In J. Love to hear about it, because I have another flight to catch on a regional (AmEagle). I only have 4 hours between when 192 gets in and my connection lol.

Our flight actually arrived 45 minutes early. Absent of a long TPAC delay and if you have GE I can't imagine you having a problem with a four hour connection. If you're traveling in F you probably will have time to enjoy Fine Dining in the Flagship lounge.

MikeFly May 30, 2018 4:48 am


Originally Posted by SeattleDavid (Post 29805256)
What the OP describes is how it has been at LAX for about two years - immigration in T4 and customs too if no checked bags, but all checked bags come to TBIT with a long back alley walk in between.

Admittedly, I don't clear at LAX after an AA flight very often. Hard for me to imagine the setup that afternoon had been there for two years. Officers had card tables with equipment on it and exposed wiring. Maybe with the intl. luggage/customs opening yesterday they rearranged the immigration part. If it really has been that way for two years; I wouldn't know what to say about such a poor layout and process.

JonNYC May 31, 2018 11:33 am


Originally Posted by MikeFly (Post 29808399)
...Hard for me to imagine the setup that afternoon had been there for two years...

As noted above, you are correct.

SeattleDavid May 31, 2018 2:18 pm


Originally Posted by MikeFly (Post 29808399)
Admittedly, I don't clear at LAX after an AA flight very often. Hard for me to imagine the setup that afternoon had been there for two years. Officers had card tables with equipment on it and exposed wiring. Maybe with the intl. luggage/customs opening yesterday they rearranged the immigration part. If it really has been that way for two years; I wouldn't know what to say about such a poor layout and process.

For two years it has been T4 for immigration and TBIT for Customs. What JonNYC has described as starting this week (as I understand his tweet) is a customs facility in T4 as well, but it doesn't sound like you went through that on your trip.

When I last came through LAX the T4 area was about as chaotic as you describe with GE kiosks at the end of a roped off cul-de-sac (creating substantial bottlenecks). I presume (now) that this was due to construction of some of the new facility that opened this week. Presumably the chaos you saw was so that they could do an overnight switch from the TBIT walk to customs in T4.

So, what you saw this week was not what has been there for two years, but the process was the same as the last two years. And hopefully no longer, as JonNYC has described - but which we have no reports of yet here.

mmxbreaks Jul 19, 2018 2:21 pm

I've got a 50min connection on a PDX-LAX-JFK(-LHR) route.

Theoretical gates would be 52G over to 46C, or similar (that's based on today's flights), and I believe the terminal walk should be, say, 15mins?

Ought to be ok assuming no delays? If there is, I'm banking on a LAX-LHR replacement being offered departing the same evening, so it's not the end of the world.

lds89 Jul 19, 2018 2:36 pm


Originally Posted by mmxbreaks (Post 29992101)
I've got a 50min connection on a PDX-LAX-JFK(-LHR) route.

Theoretical gates would be 52G over to 46C, or similar (that's based on today's flights), and I believe the terminal walk should be, say, 15mins?

Ought to be ok assuming no delays? If there is, I'm banking on a LAX-LHR replacement being offered departing the same evening, so it's not the end of the world.

No because 52G (and any 52 gate) is in the remote terminal requiring the bus from the eagle nest to T4.The bus alone takes about 10-15 min depending on aircraft movements and you may have to queue for a bit or wait at the remote terminal side and then walk to the gate once you get there. This is doable if everything goes perfectly but is really, really tight - there may be a queue at the bus stop, etc.

mmxbreaks Jul 20, 2018 1:09 am


Originally Posted by lds89 (Post 29992143)
No because 52G (and any 52 gate) is in the remote terminal requiring the bus from the eagle nest to T4.The bus alone takes about 10-15 min depending on aircraft movements and you may have to queue for a bit or wait at the remote terminal side and then walk to the gate once you get there. This is doable if everything goes perfectly but is really, really tight - there may be a queue at the bus stop, etc.

Excellent! I'll have to hope it lands at a different terminal that day, or AA will be rerouting us I suppose...

mmxbreaks Jul 20, 2018 1:20 am


Originally Posted by mmxbreaks (Post 29993652)
Excellent! I'll have to hope it lands at a different terminal that day, or AA will be rerouting us I suppose...

Although all the 17:35 flights historically seem to land at 52 gates... https://uk.flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL6032. Many have landed 10mins early of late, so luck may be on side.

Would AA consider direct transfer plane to plane? I'm the equivalent top tier status travelling in business/domestic F with hand luggage only. I doubt such an offer would be extended, but those frequent AAers might know better.

I'm semi surprised AA hasn't picked up the ticket and changed it from original TA booking (it did last time). But then 45mins is legal at LAX from what I can tell...

bzcat Jul 20, 2018 11:06 am

PDX-LAX is served exclusively by Compass Airline's E175 (American Eagle) so it will always gate at the remote terminal.

50 min is legal connection at LAX but it's really tight!

The bus transfer to T4 will take a minimum of 10 minutes if everything goes smooth - no wait for bus at remote terminal, no aircraft movements at T6, T5 and T4 alley.

Or it could take 30 minutes - wait for bus, stop for aircraft movement at each alley. And you miss the final boarding call and the gate agent gives away your seat to standby.

The only "direct transfer" option will be via the Five Star Service... but in the case of arrival at the remote terminal, it just means they put you in a van instead of the shuttle bus...

https://www.aa.com/i18n/plan-travel/...ivestarservice

I will try calling AA to see if you can reroute you on LAX-LHR that departs later instead of LAX-JFK-LHR.

dboston Aug 5, 2018 10:57 am

Would you accept this connection time?
 
Just saw that my BOS-LAX-PEK flight times got changed so my LAX layover is only 40 minutes. I know that is the MCT at LAX for domestic to international, and they do pad the BOS-LAX flight, and so i just can't decide if I should just stick with it or call the EXP line and try to change to me to the DFW routing (which has a longer layover). Would appreciate any advice :)

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George Aug 5, 2018 11:07 am

Based upon the possibility of being bused from the remote stands, call. Last time I flew into LAX from DFW it was an hour ordeal waiting for a stand then getting bused to T4.


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