Rejuvenated

You'd be connecting from T2-T4, meaning you will be bypassing the exterior of the TBIT. Provided AC can check your luggages all the way to QF and your flight is punctual, should be OK. Why not book AA on YYZ-LAX instead where one does not need to switch terminal during the transit?

number_6

BIG problem booking AC on this route, with a separate ticket. As of June 1 2006, AC refuses to accept baggage on separate tickets, see http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...eller/checkin/

This is a totally unacceptable policy that a few airlines have adopted (others restrict it to within their alliance). AA will check baggage through YYZ-Australia, as well as requring no change in terminal, and flies non-stop YYZ-LAX just like AC. If stuck with the AC ticket, odds are your sister will miss the QF flight; as it is an award ticket, and she is a no-show (late for initial flight), QF will accomodate her on the next QF flight with award inventory available -- not the next flight with an available seat. Likely to be stuck in LAX for a week, on average. The problem is that AC will deliver baggage only as far as LAX, and baggage pickup at T2 is very slow, typically over an hour. So, she will not make the check-in time for QF (which closes at noon, 60 min before departure). If she must fly AC, it will have to be on an earlier flight (even if that means an overnight at LAX). Sorry to be so pessimistic, but I have considerable experience at LAX and you simply cannot make a 2 hour connection from AC to QF with no interlining done by AC. With interlining it is easy. So, good thing you asked, time to redo those plans.

oldpenny16

I have gone through LAX enough to agree with Number 6 as above. I agree that arriving the night before and having a night's rest in a near airport hotel would be a good plan. That is what I do now. I hate running through airports.

obscure2k

Welcome to FT, clauds
Please continue to follow this thread on the LAX Forum
Obscure2k
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clauds

Any chance that Air Canada would prioritise her baggage because she has a connection to make? Is there any way that she could check in for the Qantas flight ahead of time (online or do they have a counter at the Toronto airport)? (Trying to think of anything that might make this work).

There are no AA flights (or any other) that arrive earlier that morning. The AC flight was scheduled at 7:45 when I booked the connecting reward flight, but it was changed to 8:45, and I was hoping that it would still leave enough time.

I'm not keen on asking my sister to stay overnight in LA, she is already very nervous of travelling on her own.

number_6

They call that "carry-on". Any checked baggage tends to take over 1/2 hour at LAX and often over an hour to arrive. Your primary problem is that it is on separate tickets, and QF no longer flies to YYZ so no way to check-in there, AC won't co-operate with QF (they will with UA, so one solution is to fly UA LAX-SYD I suppose), and as a separate ticket you must meet the LAX-origination check-in time cutoff. Which is recommended at 2 hours and has a 1 hour cutoff. If this were a single ticket, or if AC did interline the baggage (as it used to do), then it would be easily done, but as it stands I'd say chances are 50-50 of making it out of LAX that day; and don't count on being accomodated the next day, it could be many days before QF has another seat free. Given this risk the overnight stay in LA would seem to be calming rather than causing nervousness. QF checkin policy is at http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying...t/checkinTimes

clauds

Thanks Number_6. It looks like I will be able to change the reward flight - do you think 3.5 hours is long enough to make the connection?

I can change the AC flight to one that arrives at 20:25, and the QF flight to 23:55.

Or would you recommend playing it super-safe and changing to an earlier AC flight which would leave almost 7.5 hours? (I am also trying to make sure that she doesn't get stuck wandering around LAX for too long, if possible, especially as before having to board her first ever long-haul flight...)

number_6

The day flight (1 pm departure) is generally considered to be much more pleasant as a travel experience than any of the overnight flights; the midnight departure is of course at 3 am Toronto time, and QF serves dinner after takeoff, so it will be noisy for the next 3 hours. What class is she flying on QF?

3.5 hours is plenty for the connection, no problem with that unless AC fails to arrive on time (you could look up the flight ontime stats to assess that risk). QF has a nice lounge in T4 (shared with AA), if she is traveling in J or F. The downside of timing for the midnight flight is that this is the last QF departure (they have 6+ per day to Australia); I always try for one of the earlier flights to allow for rerouting (but that would be academic if she has no OW status).

AA does have a flight that will get you into LAX at 12:05 which might be a legal connection to QF8. If you fly AA you can get the QF boarding pass issued at YYZ as well as having the bags checked through to Sydney so you don't have to claim them in LAX. Ask AA if AA2079/AA1487 is a legal connection to QF8.

yk

My mom and I are flying separately to LAX next week. I'm flying AA which arrives in T4. My mom is flying CO into T6.

My flight gets in 15 minutes before hers. It'll be easier for me to go to T6 to meet her.

Here are my Questions:

#1. Can I walk airside from T4 to T6?
#2. If #1 is NO, can I walk landside from T4 to T6, or should I take the shuttle between T4 to T6. I won't have much luggage with me.

sinthetiq

I don't believe you'll be able to walk from T4 to T6 airside. There is a shuttle, but the walk is quite short if you're not carrying much. So I would recommend just going outside and following the sidewalk to T6.

seat 50J

Unless things have changed recently, the tunnel between the terminals on that side of the airport is closed.

The walk from terminal 4 to 6 is much faster than taking the shuttle bus. The distance is far less than from one end of the concourse to the other end of the same concourse in Atlanta or the distance from one end of Terminal A or C at DFW to the other end of the same DFW terminal.

CPMaverick

There is a shuttle that would take you-in a roundabout way- from T4 to T6 airside.

You'd have to take the American Eagle shuttle (at Gate 44). When you arrive, you can take another shuttle back to T6.

Not sure if they'll let you do this without a American Eagle boarding pass but hey, if you are in T4 anyway, might be worth asking.

OskiBear

Landside, it's totally walkable - not much of a distance at all.

If you aren't checking bags, i'd recommend walking upstairs on the departures level versus downstairs on the arrivals level. Personally I like the openness of it much better than the dark, dank lower level with its trapped vehicle exhaust and cigarette smoke.

In either event, don't worry about the distance!

yk

Thanks a bunch. I will be walking then.

TheEyeTie

Hi fellow FT'ers

I tried a search but didn't come up with a definitive answer. I'll be flying PSP-LAX in a week time and landing at about 1pm and have a connecting BA flight to LHR at 15.35. I am aware that UA fly into T7 and BA departs from TBIT: I'm on two separate tickets, do you think I have sufficient time in between the flights?

Many thanks for your expertise!