ASUDan130

Hello I am arriving business class around 7ish PM on a Friday later this summer. I don't have GE. How busy is customs is at this time? I am a US Citizen. Would using the kiosks or going straight into line be the quickest way through out of customs?

ASUDan130

This is a good question and was wondering this as well?

bzcat

First, which terminal are you arriving? T2, TBIT, T4, T5, T6, or T7? You didn't specify so we can't really answer the first part of your question.

Second, I think you are asking a question about immigration, not customs. Once you clear immigration (either by kiosks or regular lines), you wait for your luggage by the apron and then exit customs like everyone else. There is no special lines for business class or otherwise.

Edit: I read in the other thread that you will arrive at TBIT...

Since you are arriving at TBIT, the immigration lines for foreign passport holders will be long. But US passport holders go to the kiosks and I've never spent more than 10 minutes in line since the kiosks were installed at TBIT. Once you clear immigration, the fun begins... You have to wait for your luggage to come out of the apron and LAX is notoriously slow for luggage. And there is no guarantee that they will unload the premium cabin bags first. It could take 10 minutes or it could take 90 minutes for your bags to come out. After you retrieve your bags, there are 3 separate exits for customs (or maybe 4 I don't remember exactly) and there are no special lines. Just pick the shortest.

ASUDan130

Sorry yes I am arriving TBIT. Thanks for the summary so it sounds like as a US citizen you recommend using the kiosks over just going into the line? Nothing anyone really can do about the luggage situation I guess.

TWA884

From my Facebook feed:

TWA884

And a close up from the US CBP Automated Passport Control thread in the Travel Safety/Security > Practical Travel Safety and Security Issues forum:

williamsmj

My mum is flying on in AA135 from LHR, due to arrive at TBIT around 5.20pm later this week. She will have a phone, but we can't count on it working, so I'd like to plan a meeting place.

Can anyone suggest somewhere that is easy to find, inside, after customs, and ideally without involving stairs/elevators, that she or I could wait at?

The official map is useless, as it only shows the departure level

Is Cantina Laredo OK for this? If so, can anyone tell me exactly where it is?

Failing that, if I ask her to meet me at the Coffee Bean in Arrivals, is there any chance she gets lost and ends up at the Coffee Bean in Departures?!

williamsmj

Sorry, another question! I am picking more people up later in the week, again, without phones! My dad is arriving on Thomas Cook TCX824, supposedly at Terminal 2. His flight is scheduled to land at 2.45pm.

Assuming his flight is on time, will he clear immigration/customs at T2? If he's late, do they regularly move flights at that terminal to, e.g. TBIT for immigration and customs/baggage claim?

If he does arrive at T2, can someone please confirm that the Starbucks on the arrival level in that terminal is a good spot to meet?

TWA884

Cantina Laredo is located at the south end of the TBIT arrival level (toward T4 - American Airlines). It has both bar and table seating.

T2 has its own Federal Inspection Services facility. I do not know its opening hours; however, several international carriers operate out of that terminal, so I doubt that many passengers are bused over to TBIT for immigration and customs processing.

ckx2

How bad is customs on Saturday afternoon? Last time I've had 90+ minute waiting time at customs - while APC was a breeze.

DELee

Flying back to LAX from LHR on UA935 with the family in a week. From what I can tell, the 787-9s from LHR arrive into the outer Terminal 7 gates (77 or so).

Responses to an older post in the United thread from 2014 indicate that folks have to walk and exit through Customs in Terminal 6.

That being said, now that more of the construction being done to Terminal 7 is complete, is going through Terminal 6 still the path for clearing Customs for LHR-LAX flights? Or can you now come back up through Terminal 7 security?

Thanks in advance!

David

HkCaGu

There is only one customs hall between T6 and T7 that exits out to T6.

DELee

Thanks! I need to tell my father-in-law where to find us when we clear customs.

David

DELee

As HkCaGu replied, we did confirm that our flight (UA935) from LHR arrived into T7 (Gate 74) and then we cleared our initial customs check at the bottom level of T7, walked over to T6 via tunnel, collected our checked luggage and then completed customs and saw daylight again at the exit doors on the lower level of T6. These doors are marked as International Arrivals and are basically even with the Theme Restaurant building.

Unfortunately, my father-in-law parked over near the end of T7 parking so we ended up having to hoof our way back to T7 anyway....

I'd also note that the moving walkway in the T7-to-T6 tunnel is currently out of service so the series of walks was reminiscent of the walk to/from the gates at LHR.

David

LupineChemist

I will be arriving to TBIT next Saturday. Not to get too much into our circumstances, but my wife and I need to see an agent. Is there a USC line that bypasses the kiosks?