End of Feb. 2012, we fly from LAX on AA, arriving JFK T8, at 5:10pm. We depart from T4, on LAN at 8pm. AA agent said once we take the AirTrain, when we arrive T4, we must go to the LAN check-in counter to get our LAN boarding passes and then go through security before going to the gate. Since we are on a single ticket, AA has baggage agreement with LAN (a partner), so our baggage will go straight through to Santiago. Is 2 hrs. 50 min. enough time to accomplish all this? If anyone know from experience that the above wrong information, please post. Thanks

Information is correct, and you have enough time.

Yes, plenty of time.

If your AA flight arrives at 5:10 you'll be at T4 by 5:40 or so, depending on where your seat is, how far you have to walk from the arrival gate and whether you have to wait 5min for an AirTrain.

It doesn't matter. The flight times will change exactly 7 times between now and next February.

Thank you for your opinions... they help a lot. We'll be in Business class so seats will be close to front of plane. Since our baggage will go straight through to Santiago (AA has a baggage agreement with partner LAN)... a friend said just by-pass LAN's check-in line and let them know we just need a boarding pass. Even if that doesn't work, and we have to wait awhile to get boarding pass, it looks like we'll be okay time-wise.

Last year I had to connect at LAX from FLL for a flight from LAX to BKK. Even though US Air transferred by luggage I still had to wait in line at Thai Air in order to receive the boarding pass. The people at the counter had to look at my passport, verify the luggage tags and then gave me my boarding pass.

However, with the time frame you have, you should not have any problems at all connecting to your flight

I don't really understand why you need to check in separately for the LAN flight. Both are Oneworld alliace members, so they have integrated reservations systems, and you should be able to get a boarding pass if you check your luggage through. You should ask for your full check-in at LAX, then all you have to do is go through security again. And you have loads of time.

Being in the same alliance doesn't mean automatically that one airline can issue BP for all the other alliance partners. I don't know if AA can do it for LAN, but one cannot assume they can.

rkkwan,

You are exactly right because I flew on US Air and they would not issue a boarding pass for Thai Airlines and they are in the same alliance. There is also the issue of the airline personnel wanting to see your passport and scanning into their system.

Can't always believe what your told but an American agent told me we had to go to the LAN check-in counter and get our LAN boarding passes. That said, I will definitely ask for boarding passes for both flights when we check-in at the AA counter at LAX

Oneworld has different kinds of members. For example, AA and BA always allow you to do a full check-in. But rkkwan is absolutely correct that LAN might not, but I still think it's worth asking at the check-in counter. At worst, they say no and save you 20 minutes. But you should still have time either way unless your plane is really late from LAX.

Okay, today I spoke to another AA agent who told me AA has a baggage and boarding pass agreement with LAN... so at LAX check-in, our luggage is booked straight through to SCL and at LAX, we will definitely get our boarding passes for LAN. Guess we'll only know the day of, when we check-in at LAX! Oh, on other thing - we'll be traveling in business, which should facilitate our journey... right?

At most, you spend an extra minute or two at the LAN's business class check-in line to pick up your BP.