JeffS

And very common at FRA which the poster claims to have experienced.

1KPath

While not very common, it does happen at LAX...I know as I have experienced it at least a dozen times or so over the years. A "maintenance arrival" usually happens when there are delays with aircraft departing T6 , 7 and 8...especially if the arriving aircraft is a widebody requiring a specialized gate. My last maintenance arrival was on a very delayed LHR-LAX 777...we arrived after 10pm (sched arrival was ~2pm)...it took nearly two hours to offload all of the passengers and their hand luggage and to be bused to TBIT for immigration and customs and baggage claim...it was after midnight before I got to my car!

The worst part was the elderly woman who fell on the jet-stairs which required paramedics to be called...not the best way to arrive at LAX!

hmy1

Being bussed to TBIT when arriving on an international flight after T7 immigration closes was customary. Parking at a remote stand and being bussed to T7 on a domestic flight was new for me.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

My guess is you were probably on a plane that was going to be parked for the night anyway, combined with a late arriving or departing plane that was occupying the originally scheduled gate. It is pretty rare because it is also a huge hassle for UA.

NickP 1K

On my last four rebooks at LAX I've never ONCE spoke to an LAX agent, always called 1K desk and had them reissue. If you are local and DON'T need a hotel voucher or meal vouchers it's the quickest thing to do. Having the United app for iPhone or Android and refreshing always yields the rebook to show up right away.

To the OP: Around the first time this thread came about I had the family going OGG-LAX and we left OGG on time to arrive 30 mins early into LAX to actually deplane ONE hour after scheduled arrival time due to 'no gates' Same deal; late evening, empty aircraft parked and a not a single movement of those aircraft to allow for inbound aircraft. I get they want to position aircraft for the next day but NOT allowing inbound aircraft to deplane for laziness on moving aircraft LATE to setup for the next day is NUTS.

To make it worse once we did get a gate it was another 10 mins for an agent.

The PMUA crew was NOT happy about this and standard message was "please complain to customer relations, they need to hear it direct from all of the passengers"

Phil Level

Maybe there was a SNAFU on 6/14. I was on 841, JFK-LAX and we landed just about on time, maybe 5 mins late, and sat a good while when the pilot announced "There is another aircraft at our gate". So we waited until that bird pushed back.

On the outbound, 6/10 LAX-JFK red-eye we were delayed b/c the aircraft hadn't been moved from UA's hanger to the gate.

thomasj

Three times in the last month I have arrived at LAX between 9pm and 10pm...and it's been a cluster. All three times we had to wait 20 - 40 minutes for a gate. Twice the gate was "occupied waiting to push" and once there was a mechanical of the plane at our gate.

It's a cluster at LAX at this time of evening. Flying in tonight at 10pm....so I'm prepared to wait. But if it's a long wait, the next flight from SFO-LAX at this time of night will be on Southwest.

haddon90

the last two times i have arrived at LAX we had to be "towed" into gate 61...which really made no sense to me.

Boraxo

Respectfully disagree. You must not travel international much. Counter service at the international terminal is uniformly atrocious, even more so for very early a.m. flights. Nor have they done much work with TeamSFO/airport management to clean up the mess that serves as a TSA checkpoint. Even IAD does better which is really a pathetic statement.

UA could take some pressure off SFO by utilizing OAK across the bay. WN is making a killing right now on the unrestricted fares.

thomasj

Sitting here at 1210am.....plane at our gate. Long story, buy a cluster getting from sfo to lax tonight. United is dead to me folks.