We are traveling ORD-LAX-SYD on American/Qantas on Oct 17 (hopefully!). With an 8hr layover in LAX, would it be best not to check our bags through? I'm a bit concerned the long layover ups the chances of our checked bags going AWOL if we do check them through. On the other hand I'm not looking forward to going outside security to recheck our bags. What do you folks think...am I being too cautious?

First, leaving the bags checked will have little effect of it being lost or not. Bags usually are lost during short connections or if there's irregular operation changes; not because of the long layovers.

Second, how are you going to spend your 8 hours? Just staying at the airport?

Few other points -

1. If you claim your bags, you may not be able to recheck with QF until much later, so you're stuck with them if you decide to go someplace else.

2. The free airside shuttle between T4 and TBIT for QF passengers only run between 4pm to midnight. If you're arriving at T4 earlier, you either have to stay inside T4 for a long time, or have to go outside and reclear security anyways.

Anyways, to me, there's no upside for claiming bags but some downsides.

Yes, you're being too cautious. Check your bags through to SYD and forget about it.

Thanks for the votes to check the bags through to SYD, and for the info re: logistics at LAX. We arrive at 14:30 and depart at 22:30. Not the most convenient layover, but it did save us $500 each in airfare. We are thinking of using a day pass at the Admirals Club for the layover.

Ugh...as I age I'm becoming more and more of an worrywart!

Eight hours at the LAX AC? Oy.

My recommendation - catch a rental car shuttle outside T4 and use the $$ that you'd spend on the day pass for a car rental. Pop down Sepulveda to Manhattan Beach Blvd. (10 min.) and then turn west down MBB to the MB pier. Park the car, walk out the pier, stop and have a sundowner at one of the umpteen bars/coffee houses/ restaurants near the beach. Then walk some more along the Strand - the beachfront pedestrian path, and decide which bank you'd like to knock over to afford one of these houses.

Then have a meal around sunset or later, maybe another walk or whatever, then take the car back and return to the airport for the flight.

Consuming copious oxygen and other nutrients before the long, long flight will do you good, and you'll have watched the sun setting over the Pacific - next time you see it it will be rising over the Pacific instead.

Meant to add, you could also do this using taxis - probably about the same final cost, but no parking charges and quicker. (Have some restaurant phone for the cab when you want to return to LAX.)

LOL Gardyloo! "Oy"...I agree. But it is what it is. We have spent numerous hours in security lines at LAX, so would rather stay airside and spend those hours relaxing. Once we almost missed a flight because even after 2.5hrs of waiting in line, they wouldn't let go to the front of the security line. Maybe security screening has improved at LAX?