Last edit by: TWA884
2018 - 2022 LAX Connections and Transfers Thread
Connecting passengers who are arriving at LAX on international flights will also find useful information in the following thread:
FAQ:
Does LAX have Automated Passport Control available for tourist visa holders?
Yes.
Does the US have international transfer desks?
No.
How can I obtain a boarding pass at Tom Bradley International Terminal?
- The first way is the most obvious: check in online via your phone.
- The second way is to use the automated kiosk. There are several located airside throughout TBIT and in the T4 - TBIT connector.
- The third way is to show up at the gate or the check-in counters and get a paper boarding pass (this is not suggested for those with time constraints)
Do you have to go through security when going from one terminal to another?
Terminals 4 through 8 and Tom Bradley International Terminal are connected airside. There are Delta Air Lines shuttle buses connecting T2, T3 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal. To go to or from T1, you will need to exit and re-enter security. Please consult this link for more information.
How long will security take at Tom Bradley International Terminal?
Plan on at least 30 minutes.
"Published" Minimum Connect Time (MCT) international to domestic at LAX is 2 hours. Numerous LAX regulars advise that 3 hours is much safer. Wait times for incoming immigration and customs services are very inconsistent. While the vast majority of international flights arrive at the newly remodeled Tom Bradley Terminal, some airlines use older customs facilities in Terminal 2, 4 and 6. View recent postings in this thread for more information.
________________________________________
2019 INFO
Los Angeles International Airport website.
How to enter LAX/Parking Map.
LAX Terminal Maps.
Inter-Terminal Connections.
How Do I Connect from Terminal B through Terminal 8? Follow the Yellow Dots.
Only terminals 4 through 8 and Tom Bradley International Terminal are connected airside (through tunnels between terminals 4, 5 and 6, above ground hallways between terminals 6, 7 and 8, and an above-ground connector between terminal 4 and TBIT). There are occasional airside shuttles elsewhere, but are subject to change (e.g. AA to American eagle and Delta's shuttles between their gates in T2, T3, and TBIT). Airport policy allows you to access any LAX terminal, even if your flight departs from another, with a same day boarding pass for a flight departing from LAX.
Tom Bradley International Terminal serves most, but not all, foreign airlines.
In most instances, international arrivals require processing USDHS-CBP (immigration, recovering baggage and processing customs); if you are going on in your travels, there is a baggage recheck counter as you exit customs. This can be fairly rapid if you have Global Entry or are arriving at a slack period, but it can take 60-90 minutes if you are arriving during a busy arrivals period.
After clearing customs and immigration, you must exit to landside and proceed to your next terminal. It is now possible to connect from TBIT to T4, T5, T6, T7 and T8 through the secured airside area - link to map above - after clearing TSA security on the arrival level of TBIT at the exit from the Federal Inspections Services facility. Alternatively, you may take the free shuttle busses, which only proceed anti / counter clockwise direction (In Order: 1-2-3-TBIT-4-5-6-7-8), or you can walk. At ground level you will be sheltered by the overhead departures-serving roadway, but be exposed to vehicle fumes and cigarette smoke; on the departures level, you will be exposed to the weather. It should take no more than 5 minutes to walk from one adjacent terminal to another, but it can take significantly longer to walk between distant terminals - as long as 15 - 20 minutes.The prior threads on this topic, 2012 - "Consolidated Questions About Connecting at LAX" thread, 2013 Consolidated LAX Connecting / Connection / Connections thread, 2014 Consolidated LAX Connecting / Connection / Connections thread, 2015 Consolidated LAX Connecting / Connection / Connections thread, 2016 LAX Connecting / Connection / Connections thread and 2017 LAX Connecting / Connection / Connections thread contain relevant information, however, to keep them from getting too long they have been archived and the 2018 - 2019 updates are in this thread.
2018 -2022 LAX Connecting / Connection / Connections thread
#92
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PacNW (SEA)
Programs: AS, IHG and post-loyal
Posts: 523
I didn't think about this before booking my flight () - hoping my connection works.
MEX-LAX to LAX-SEA on a Wednesday evening
Alaska Airlines (AS)
Arrive LAX 5:05 T7
Depart LAX 6:50 T6
I have Global Entry. No bags. Close but good enough? Or should I book later flight now? I'm ok to take a 75% chance of making it, but if it's long odds I'd rather take the delay now vs. possibly last flight of the night standby (or last row middle seat when doing that standby).
MEX-LAX to LAX-SEA on a Wednesday evening
Alaska Airlines (AS)
Arrive LAX 5:05 T7
Depart LAX 6:50 T6
I have Global Entry. No bags. Close but good enough? Or should I book later flight now? I'm ok to take a 75% chance of making it, but if it's long odds I'd rather take the delay now vs. possibly last flight of the night standby (or last row middle seat when doing that standby).
#93
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: oneword Emerald
Posts: 20,639
I didn't think about this before booking my flight () - hoping my connection works.
MEX-LAX to LAX-SEA on a Wednesday evening
Alaska Airlines (AS)
Arrive LAX 5:05 T7
Depart LAX 6:50 T6
I have Global Entry. No bags. Close but good enough? Or should I book later flight now? I'm ok to take a 75% chance of making it, but if it's long odds I'd rather take the delay now vs. possibly last flight of the night standby (or last row middle seat when doing that standby).
MEX-LAX to LAX-SEA on a Wednesday evening
Alaska Airlines (AS)
Arrive LAX 5:05 T7
Depart LAX 6:50 T6
I have Global Entry. No bags. Close but good enough? Or should I book later flight now? I'm ok to take a 75% chance of making it, but if it's long odds I'd rather take the delay now vs. possibly last flight of the night standby (or last row middle seat when doing that standby).
#95
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Boston
Programs: BOS - UA 2P, SPG Plat
Posts: 172
Terminal 5 to Terminal 2 Priority Pass dinner to Terminal 1?
hi I’m traveling tomorrow with 2 young kids and arriving American terminal 5 with a 3 hour layover before Sw flight in terminal 1.
Would it it be possible/ have enough time to get into terminal 2 for dinner at the priority pass restaurant barneys beanery ? We have tsa precheck
any suggestions on best route and if we can do this reasonably? Thanks!!
Would it it be possible/ have enough time to get into terminal 2 for dinner at the priority pass restaurant barneys beanery ? We have tsa precheck
any suggestions on best route and if we can do this reasonably? Thanks!!
#96
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Washington, DC, Chapel Hill, NC (RDU)
Programs: DL Plat (won't hit DM again) 2MM (2.5), HH Gold, PC Gold, Hyatt Plat
Posts: 5,626
hi I’m traveling tomorrow with 2 young kids and arriving American terminal 5 with a 3 hour layover before Sw flight in terminal 1.
Would it it be possible/ have enough time to get into terminal 2 for dinner at the priority pass restaurant barneys beanery ? We have tsa precheck
any suggestions on best route and if we can do this reasonably? Thanks!!
Would it it be possible/ have enough time to get into terminal 2 for dinner at the priority pass restaurant barneys beanery ? We have tsa precheck
any suggestions on best route and if we can do this reasonably? Thanks!!
will you have checked bags to reclaim and recheck?
If not, I think you could walk airside from T5 to TBIT, then take the DL bus from the north end of TBIT to T2.
Probably faster to exit T5 and walk straight across through the parking building to T2, but then you have multiple security checks.
The $28 credit is nice, but may not be worth the hassle in 3 hours.
Its been years since I’ve flown SW but I recall T1 being very painful.
#97
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Boston
Programs: BOS - UA 2P, SPG Plat
Posts: 172
Kids are 7 and 9 but small for their age and will be doing all the walking. No checkin luggage and only a few carryons in backpacks and a couple booster seats in a shoulder bag
Considering walking it through the garages instead of the bus but wondering if it is too long a walk for the kids
thanks!!!
Considering walking it through the garages instead of the bus but wondering if it is too long a walk for the kids
thanks!!!
Last edited by mindgame; Jun 10, 2018 at 10:27 am
#98
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Long Beach, CA
Programs: AA PLTPRO, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,559
Kids are 7 and 9 but small for their age and will be doing all the walking. No checkin luggage and only a few carryons in backpacks and a couple booster seats in a shoulder bag
Considering walking it through the garages instead of the bus but wondering if it is too long a walk for the kids
thanks!!!
Considering walking it through the garages instead of the bus but wondering if it is too long a walk for the kids
thanks!!!
#99
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Plat, DL, AS, UA, IHG Plat
Posts: 2,407
T5 to T2 is probably faster and easier by exiting the terminal and walking across the lower level which has crosswalk and sidewalk.
You can attempt the T5-T4-TBIT-then bus to T2 thing but it will take about 40 minutes to do that. Exiting T5 and walk to T2 will take no more than 10 minutes. If precheck line is short, you can be at barneys beanery in less than 20 minutes.
But I have to say... that's a lot of trouble for a PP meal credit. Why not just take the kids to the Alaska lounge in T6? They have that pancake machine which will keep the kids occupied for a while.
You can attempt the T5-T4-TBIT-then bus to T2 thing but it will take about 40 minutes to do that. Exiting T5 and walk to T2 will take no more than 10 minutes. If precheck line is short, you can be at barneys beanery in less than 20 minutes.
But I have to say... that's a lot of trouble for a PP meal credit. Why not just take the kids to the Alaska lounge in T6? They have that pancake machine which will keep the kids occupied for a while.
#101
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Southern California
Programs: AA EXPlat, 2.4MM; HHonors Diamond
Posts: 580
#102
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 2
Arriving at LAX on Quantas from Brisbane on 7/22 @ 06:00.
American Airlines flight (same reservation) departs LAX to MIA @ 08:00.
Seats on inbound flight from Brisbane are at back of of plane.
Have Global Entry/Pre-Check.
Is two hours enough time exit aircraft, clear customs, and make connecting flight? Without checked bags? With checked bags?
If attempted and failed, with both tickets on the same reservation (Quantas + American Airlines), am I, or airline, responsible to pay for a later flight?
American Airlines flight (same reservation) departs LAX to MIA @ 08:00.
Seats on inbound flight from Brisbane are at back of of plane.
Have Global Entry/Pre-Check.
Is two hours enough time exit aircraft, clear customs, and make connecting flight? Without checked bags? With checked bags?
If attempted and failed, with both tickets on the same reservation (Quantas + American Airlines), am I, or airline, responsible to pay for a later flight?
#103
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: oneword Emerald
Posts: 20,639
With checked bags?
If attempted and failed, with both tickets on the same reservation (Quantas + American Airlines), am I, or airline, responsible to pay for a later flight?
In addition, oneworld airlines, including AA and Qantas, offer Express Connections service at LAX. If your connection is under the minimum time, you will receive an orange Express Connections ticket sleeve which will speed your processing through immigration, customs and TSA security checkpoints in order to help you make your original connecting flight.
#104
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 2
Thank you.
If we check luggage in Brisbane/Quantas, does it have to be retrieved at LAX and re-checked for the domestic portion of flight, or will it automatically be put straight through to Miami?
Regarding Express Connections service: Is this something that has to be applied for, or does it automatically go into effect based on passenger circumstances?
If we check luggage in Brisbane/Quantas, does it have to be retrieved at LAX and re-checked for the domestic portion of flight, or will it automatically be put straight through to Miami?
Regarding Express Connections service: Is this something that has to be applied for, or does it automatically go into effect based on passenger circumstances?
#105
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: FB Ultimate, Accor Diamond, HH Diamond, BW Diamond,Avis President, Hertz President Club
Posts: 137
CDG-LAX-SFO Connecting from TBIT to Terminal 2/3
Hi all,
I will be flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle on 11 November to SFO via LAX.
Air France flight arrives at TBIT. Can someone of you help me with my connection? I have 2H10 connecting time between the AF flight and the Delta one to SFO.
Is there any way to go from TBIT to Terminals 2/3 under the restricted area, or do i have in any case to go landside and go to the Terminals 2/3 and pass again the security control?
Thanks a lot for your help.
Cheers,
Alex
I will be flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle on 11 November to SFO via LAX.
Air France flight arrives at TBIT. Can someone of you help me with my connection? I have 2H10 connecting time between the AF flight and the Delta one to SFO.
Is there any way to go from TBIT to Terminals 2/3 under the restricted area, or do i have in any case to go landside and go to the Terminals 2/3 and pass again the security control?
Thanks a lot for your help.
Cheers,
Alex
Last edited by AlexBelt; Jun 17, 2018 at 12:59 pm Reason: typo mistake