pcharles

Thanks for the sound advice, I will plan to follow the suggestions and head from T5 to TBIT, get through security, finalize duty free and to the club. Any preference on clubs between *A or ST KAL?
Thanks again!

jpmoore40

I've been through this thread but can't find an exact answer to my question, so sorry if this is repeated. We have a short stopover of 6 hours at LAX en route from New Zealand to the UK with Air New Zealand. We will obviously not be going through immigration but want somewhere to relax and if possible take a shower to refresh. We are only travelling Premium Economy, so want to know if there are any lounges we can access from terminal 2 and pay for entry. We will be with my 10 year old son (not sure if there are age restrictions on any of the lounges). I've tried contacting Air New Zealand to see if we can use the Koru lounge but no response yet and from the website looks like you need to be a member. Can we get into the Admirals Club for instance, and would we need to prebook? Never been to LAX so not sure how easy it is to move between terminals without going through immigration.

Thanks very much for any information you can provide.

bzcat

You won't be granted entrance to other terminals so your only choice are the lounges in T2, once you go back in security; or the TBIT Relax lounge, which is on the land side (before security). But either case, I don't think there are any showers in both.

http://www.relaxloungelax.com/

Also, you may want to check again about immigration. All travelers transiting via US airports need to clear immigration.

VickiSoCal

Not going thru immigration is not an option, you get off the plane and you go thru immigration and customs before you have access to any area of the terminal.

jpmoore40

Thanks for the info - didn't realise we had to go through immigration if we're not actually entering the country! How long will all that take roughly?

I heard back from air new zealand who said we can go into the Koru lounge for $55pp. Seems OK if we're going to get a decent amount of time in there, but if we spend a couple of hours in immigration may not be worth it.

Thanks again

bzcat

NZ1 arrives around 7:40 PM, about 30 minuts after VS and AF flights from London and Paris. Which means you will be at the back of the line for immigration and customs behind about 600 people. There will also be several smaller TACA and Aero Mexico flights arriving at around the same time. I'd plan for 2 hours in immigration and customs.

jpmoore40

It would actually be landing at 10:15am (NZ6 I think?) then taking off again for london at 4pm.

Excuse my ignorance but it seems a bit odd that we have to go through immigration and customs when we would not actually be entering the country - we would be staying airside the entire time. There's a later flight from Auckland (which we're not as the price difference is quite high) that would land at 2pm and the take off again at 4pm - how would we have the time to go through all that in between?

Thanks again.

bzcat

It is a stupid US law that you have to clear immigration and customs
Our airports are old and they were not designed with international transit sterile areas. And post 9/11 when we went mad with security theater show, some bureaucrat decided because the law does not require airports that handle international traffic to have sterile transit area, everyone must clear customs so your luggage can be re-screened for dangerous shampoo and pointy objects. Never mind that you just came off an international flight and had your bags screened already.

VickiSoCal

Right, but in US airports there is no control on exiting "airside" only on entering airside. You just walk right out. So if they let you into the airside area, where the shops and lounges are, you'd be free to ener the US of A with no controls at all.

OWInsider

http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_...e_admittance#M

If I'm MPCD, does oneworld Lounge at LAX (QF/CX/BA) recognize me as OW Emerald (1 guest) or MPC Diamond (2 guests)?

QF has nixed FFPL anytime access in Feb of this year.
BA nixed Gold anytime access in June of this year.

AM I ENTITLED to use the oneworld lounge on any airline and bring 2 guests to oneworld Lounge with my MP Diamond Card?

bzcat

If you are flying with CX, you won't be able to enter any other terminal besides TBIT so you can't use the AA lounge in T4. QF and BA do not run their own lounge at LAX, they use either the AA lounge at T4 or the OW shared lounge in TBIT, which is also the one CX uses. You will be recognized as OW Emerald (plus 1) at the OW lounge. However, you can try to talk to the CX counter agent when you check in into giving you an extra pass based on your MPC status.

It is my experience that the OW lounge at TBIT will not ask any questions if you show up with 3 passes for 3 passengers. They only check for admittance privileged if you are flying coach and trying to gain entrance by status (i.e. you go up there without a pass). If you have a pass, they will just waive you through. So the key here is to get an invite at the CX check in counter, rather than trying to get in at the OW lounge with your CX MPC status.

armagebedar

I have a few questions for this knowledgable group. I'll be arriving at LAX from a TK flight in PY and continuing on to SFO in UA F with a ~3.5 hour connection. I will be arriving at TBIT and most likely departing from T7. I am a non-UA/US *G. My questions are:

1) I will not be able to access the *A lounge in TBIT since I'm funneled straight to immigration; however, would I be able to enter T2 to use the NZ lounge? (I've heard being able to get past TSA with a non-T2 BP is more a function of luck than anything else...)
2) If I can only enter T7 (and the terminals connected to it), what are my options for having a shower before my next flight? My connection is too short for me to travel too far from the airport.
3) If I am plain out of luck in getting a shower at LAX, would I be able to get one in SFO (UA F to UA F connection)? I've heard the SQ SKL is strict about letting in domestic UA passengers, but would my non-US *G status and F BP weigh in my favor?

Thanks in advance!

armagebedar

No one has any experience with my kind of situation? Oh well -- I guess I'll just have to try my luck as I am soon departing for LAX...

bzcat

I don't know anything about SFO but you won't be able to use the NZ Loung in T2.

Churnman

I'll be flying into LAX on AA on July 3 then going to the International Terminal, but have a good 4 1/2 hours that I'd like to stretch out/lie down somewhere before a long flight. What are the lounges like or is there even a decent hotel (that doesn't smell like smoke in the rooms) that is connected that I could get to quickly if it's worth the time?

If there's a particular lounge that's good then I'll look into getting whatever cc offer that may have a one day free access to the club lounge. Also, any ideas on easy ways to get a one day pass would be appreciated.