JoanneH

Airline has booked onward flight appx 2hrs.10 min after arrival from Australia. Knowing how slow and bad customs are in LA according to friends who have recently come through, do you think we can make it? Flight arrives at appx. 6:30am so hopefully there is not a lot of back up.
Bags are being checked through. Thanks

rkkwan

International flights arriving that time are mostly from Australia and New Zealand at that time. Don't know which airline you're flying, but the good news is that the various airlines use separate immigration facilities at LAX:

DL - T5 - one flight from SYD
QF - T4 (from BNE, AKL) and TBIT (SYD, MEL)
UA - T6
NZ - T2 (much later)
VA - T3

So, there is really no reason to have long lines at immigration, other than those from your flight in front of you.

BTW, you always have to reclaim luggage and go through US customs. You then redeposit bags after getting through.

Gardyloo

<i>VA - T3</i>

Virgin Australia departs from T3 but arrives at TBIT.

To the OP - you said the "airline has booked onward flight appx 2hrs. 10 min after arrival..."

If it's on one ticket, you're "protected" in case of a misconnect; however the next available onward flight might not be for some time. Care to reveal the airlines and destinations?

northie

spent 3 hours in immigration in late January and was booked on the next leg of the Qantas flight -which we all missed but the good news is they will book you on another flight -if there is one the same day

JoanneH

Well we had booked SFO-Australia our usual way to go, then they decided to drop that run and gave us the choice of LAX or flying to Huston then back to Australia. Much as we hate LAX it made more sense than flying to Huston. We will be coming in to LAX from Melbourne then on to San Francisco. It all on one ticket actually we have 9 flights in Australia as well as we will be there for some time mainly in Perth, Broom, Port Headlands areas. Interesting about the baggage
Q said they would be checked through to SFO. More joy!

rkkwan

Luggage will be tagged to SFO, but you <b>still have to claim it at LAX<b>, and take it through US Customs. Trust me.

MissGreen

Joanne, I have tavelled from Australia to LAX with a forwarding flight, with Delta I think to SFO. Not quite sure on the carrier. I made it ok in 2 and a bit hours.

BudgetQueen

I have had extended time eaten up at LAX from Austrailia in customs and security. Just made my last connection, luggage didn't. Had 2 3/4 hours. Added problem was the distance that had to be transited between the two planes.

JoanneH

I trust you that is why I said more joy <G>. Well if they hold us up I guess they will just have to put us on the next plane I am sure there are several every hour going to SFO. Why they ever dropped SFO is beyond me easy quick immigration and customs, easy in and out coming and going, good parking etc. I wonder how many complaints and how much carping they will be getting?