MCT at LAX

Old Jun 14, 2016, 1:28 pm
  #1  
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Arrow MCT at LAX

I have the below itinerary with Delta.

EWR (5:00pm EDT) > DTW (7:01pm EDT)
DTW (8:10pm EDT) > LAX (10:10pm PDT)
LAX (10:45pm PDT) > SYD (6:50am AEST)

The plan at LAX will probably start boarding before I arrive and it is likely my luggage will not make it.

1. What type of terminal transfer, shuttles will I be looking at?

2. Do you think I can get my flight changed to something less risky?

Thank you!
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Old Jun 14, 2016, 5:45 pm
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As this seems to involve a DL ticket, we'll move this over to the Delta forum for the experts there to chime in. Thanks. JY1024, AAdvantage co-moderator
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Old Jun 14, 2016, 6:03 pm
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The MCT at LAX is surprisingly short at 35 minutes, because all DL operations are contained in a single terminal (T5):

DL-DL DI .35

The only exceptions are connections to partner flights departing from other terminals (which would only apply to you if you were flying Virgin Australia on the LAX-SYD segment) or to incoming flights on partners (e.g. if you were arriving on WestJet or Alaska).

So you are exactly at the minimum. You'll be fine if everything is on time, and honestly for a flight to Sydney they would probably hold it if the inbound from DTW is only a minute or two late anyway. But you could still call and ask if there are alternative, safer routes; if you booked this itinerary at these exact times, they likely won't change anything, but if a schedule change has occurred since booking it's likely they'll offer to move you to something earlier.
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Old Jun 14, 2016, 6:09 pm
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Originally Posted by scottybweyy
The plan at LAX will probably start boarding before I arrive and it is likely my luggage will not make it.
You and the luggage will make it.
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Old Jun 14, 2016, 6:24 pm
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Agree with the above posts.

For some clarity, you will probably arrive and depart from the same terminal (T5). A very short walk. If you arrive in T6, it is an extra 5 minutes walk (airside).

If you are nervous, just wait for your schedule to change by a minute or so (happens often), then call and ask. Even if DL is not obligated to help you, they might put you on a JFK-LAX flight if it is in their best interest.
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Old Jun 14, 2016, 7:06 pm
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That DTW-LAX flight is timed to connect to SYD-LAX. It is very, very unlikely to be rescheduled and fall below MCT.

Maybe the OP is scarred from years of UA's non-performance out of EWR but he should plan to fly DL as ticketed.
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Old Jun 14, 2016, 7:10 pm
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For me I like to take the MCT and then double it just to be safe. I don't mind a 60-90 minute layover vs a 30-35 minutes in case the inbound flight is delayed.

For instance I will be flying from SJC-LAX and then LAX-PEK-BKK on Air China as they have no interline agreement I have allowed 4 hours(with enough time to check in) on the outbound and 5 hours on the inbound as they are separate tickets.

For our SJC-SEA-YVR trip when I booked the ticket for the 3:00 PM flight arriving at 7:08 there was a misconnect in SEA so I was able to book on the 6:55 AM flight arriving in YVR at 12:08(which was my original choice but costed more) and I knew that these Delta Connection flights change times.

It was a win-win I was able to get an early flight into SEA with a 90 minute MCT on the outbound and an almost 3 hours on the return with time to go to the lounge.

I have seen far too many people run to make their next flight and to me it seems like they may or may not be aware of the MCT. In fact I think the 35 MCT at LAX even if its in the same terminal is too little due to the runway construction and ground delays. I would much rather have a 75 minute MCT time than a 35 MCT time.

Just my 2 cents. Feel free to contradict me but I always look up the MCT times when I book any ticket especially or domestic-international and international-domestic . I always factor in 90 minutes for customs+10 minute walk to Terminal 5 at LAX +30 minutes to check in+60 minute TSA line with enough time to go to the lounge.

On the outbound I will be one of the first at the Air China counter when they open. I figure a 5 minute walk to the baggage claim 15 minutes to claim bags and a 10 minute walk to the TBIT 30 minutes for checkin and 60 minutes or so for TSA. I always give a bit more time than I need especially with the long security lines.
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Old Jun 14, 2016, 7:25 pm
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Originally Posted by scottybweyy
I have the below itinerary with Delta.

EWR (5:00pm EDT) > DTW (7:01pm EDT)
DTW (8:10pm EDT) > LAX (10:10pm PDT)
LAX (10:45pm PDT) > SYD (6:50am AEST)

The plan at LAX will probably start boarding before I arrive and it is likely my luggage will not make it.

1. What type of terminal transfer, shuttles will I be looking at?

2. Do you think I can get my flight changed to something less risky?

Thank you!
Please take a closer look at your LAX - SYD flight.
If it is operated by Delta then you are good.

But if operated by Virgin Australia then you are in trouble. IIRC Virgin Australia flies from Terminal 3 and there is no convenient way of getting from Terminal 5 to terminal 3.
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Old Jun 14, 2016, 10:52 pm
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If it is DL operated, you should be fine. Just make sure it is not operated by Virgin Australia. In that case, you will miss your connection. (The 10:45 flight should be DL operated, but double check to make sure)
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Old Jun 15, 2016, 1:52 am
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The SYD flight is the one DL flight that I find most likely to be held if there's any delay for inbounds. It's the only DL flight to that part of the world, plus with the curfew at SYD they can't risk coming in early. Get a favorable wind/light load and they sometimes have to delay just to ensure it doesn't get in too early.
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Old Jun 15, 2016, 2:16 am
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Originally Posted by danielonn
For me I like to take the MCT and then double it just to be safe. I don't mind a 60-90 minute layover vs a 30-35 minutes in case the inbound flight is delayed.

For instance I will be flying from SJC-LAX and then LAX-PEK-BKK on Air China as they have no interline agreement I have allowed 4 hours(with enough time to check in) on the outbound and 5 hours on the inbound as they are separate tickets.

For our SJC-SEA-YVR trip when I booked the ticket for the 3:00 PM flight arriving at 7:08 there was a misconnect in SEA so I was able to book on the 6:55 AM flight arriving in YVR at 12:08(which was my original choice but costed more) and I knew that these Delta Connection flights change times.

It was a win-win I was able to get an early flight into SEA with a 90 minute MCT on the outbound and an almost 3 hours on the return with time to go to the lounge.

I have seen far too many people run to make their next flight and to me it seems like they may or may not be aware of the MCT. In fact I think the 35 MCT at LAX even if its in the same terminal is too little due to the runway construction and ground delays. I would much rather have a 75 minute MCT time than a 35 MCT time.

Just my 2 cents. Feel free to contradict me but I always look up the MCT times when I book any ticket especially or domestic-international and international-domestic . I always factor in 90 minutes for customs+10 minute walk to Terminal 5 at LAX +30 minutes to check in+60 minute TSA line with enough time to go to the lounge.

On the outbound I will be one of the first at the Air China counter when they open. I figure a 5 minute walk to the baggage claim 15 minutes to claim bags and a 10 minute walk to the TBIT 30 minutes for checkin and 60 minutes or so for TSA. I always give a bit more time than I need especially with the long security lines.
The situation is very different when airlines don't interline and you have separate tickets.
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Old Jun 15, 2016, 6:28 am
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Originally Posted by BenA
So you are exactly at the minimum. You'll be fine if everything is on time, and honestly for a flight to Sydney they would probably hold it if the inbound from DTW is only a minute or two late anyway.
Originally Posted by flyerCO
The SYD flight is the one DL flight that I find most likely to be held if there's any delay for inbounds. It's the only DL flight to that part of the world, plus with the curfew at SYD they can't risk coming in early. Get a favorable wind/light load and they sometimes have to delay just to ensure it doesn't get in too early.
+1, as noted in the duplicate thread on the same topic (and I've had them hold LAX-SYD much longer than a few minutes for connecting passengers; more than an hour once). However, it appears that the OP cares about the MCT more as an excuse to get an el cheapo EWR-DTW-LAX-SYD itinerary changed to ATL-LAX-SYD for no extra cost, not out of actual worry about the connection in LAX.

My experience is that this is one of the safest 35 minute connections in the system. Unlike most flights, there's very little cost to DL if they hold the LAX-SYD flight, and considerable cost if they don't. Nearly all of the beyond SYD connections will be to cities within Australia and New Zealand for which there are many options, so reaccommodations for any missed connections aren't likely to be expensive at all. Because the plane is turning around and flying back to LAX with enough time on the ground to asborb some arrival delay, they're not risking operations further along much. And the crew will be in SYD for a day anyway, so they don't have to be anywhere else.

Meanwhile, the cost to DL of reaccommodating customers in LAX who miss the LAX-SYD (due to a late-arriving DTW-LAX flight which likely has tens of passengers connecting to SYD) is considerably higher, especially if the next day's flight is reasonably full.

All these factors are presumably why my experience is that they hold the LAX-SYD flight for connecting passengers more than most other flights. Of course, there's no guarantee if the DTW-LAX flight is even slightly delayed; if you're not comfortable with a 35 minute connection, you shouldn't have booked it, but it's very unlikely there's anything that DL will be willing to do about it four days before your trip. Personally, I do prefer a longer connection primarily for a pre-flight shower, which is the single biggest difference to me in terms of comfort for 14 hours in coach.
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Old Jun 15, 2016, 6:55 am
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OP - How big a deal is it to you if you misconnect and arrive a day late? If your arrival in SYD is time-sensitive, don't do this as the risks of a misconnect are, of course greater the shorter the connection time with no reroute.

Will DL grant you a more favorable reroute on the domestic hops? Not likely unless it is clear that there are enroute issues and even then. You purchased the indirect routing for a reason presumably.
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Old Jun 15, 2016, 7:51 am
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I don't know the timetable, but, if you misconnect on LAX/SYD, will they rebook you on Virgin?
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Old Jun 15, 2016, 7:56 am
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IIRC the VA flights tend to leave slightly later from LAX, but given the need to go landside and change terminals, it would generally be tough to be rebooked onto VA for the same day.

Also IIRC there were reports earlier of people being booked on the direct flight ATL-LAX-SYD and missing the second portion of it. So I'm not convinced that DL necessarily holds the LAX-SYD flight.
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