I posted this question on the airlines forum and received some good advice, just wanting to know if anyone has managed to clear immigration and customs at Terminal 4 (Qantas flight) LAX and then catch a SW airlines flight Terminal 1 within a two hour time frame. Carry on luggage only.

you got VERY comprehensive responses on your other thread. Do you hope to get different unfo here???

Yes, maybe some experiences from people who have made it through within the tight time-frame.

oops - that should be "info"

But the folks who answered over on the other thread travel frequently through LAX. I agree w/ them. I have not made this exact connection - but have transferred international to/from WN (Southwest) a few times. It is a VERY tight connection . . . .

I live in the LA area so am never making connections at LAX but my brother-in-law travels all over the world and has frequently come in to LAX from overseas and has had to make a connection at another terminal and he says don't try to do it in 2 hours or less. It can work out but very often that is just too tight for him. He plans at least 3 hours. He also usually only has carry-on. Hope this helps.

Thanks for that, looks like it would be a smart move to change the flight to a later time, the only reason I was hesitating was the late arrival in Ohio but better to get there later than not at all. Going standby on the earlier flight if my daughter gets through immigration and security on time makes sense.

Thanks everyone.

I've made the 2 hour connection at LAX only last week, arriving on an international flight into Tom Bradley, went thru immigration, collected luggage, passed luggage over to TSA for next flight and walked over to another terminal for the domestic flight. It was a comfortable connection in both directions.

But if you have to recheck in for SW, 2 hour connection will not be enough. I had been thru checked.

My family and I flew in from SYD/LAX on QF and connected to WN (Southwest). I had given us a 5 hour connection in LAX for our flight to Sacramento. We were through customs and immigaration in about 30 mins. WN would NOT let us stand by for earlier flights. We watched two flights to SMF leave with empty seats. You just never know if the plane will be late arriving in LAX or if you will get hung up in customs and immigaration.

Odin
How do you thru check, I thought SW airlines didn't do this with other airlines. Any hints you can give appreciated.

Southwest Airlines does NOT "thru" check (have an interline baggage agreement) with Qantas. You have to claim your luggage from Qantas and haul it to Terminal 1 to recheck in with Southweat Airlines.

Odin didn't say his/her connecting flight was on SWA. BarbAnn is correct.

If we change to the later flight my daughter won't get to her hotel until around midnight, I guess hotels are manned 24 hours and don't have a problem with such a late check-in. I have e-mailed them but haven't received a reply yet. She is booked into the Wingate Inn Polaris Ohio.

Yes the hotel desk wil be staffed at that hour. As long as you advise them about the late check in, she will be fine.

But a whole other option - instead of arriving in a strange city after midnight -- she can priceline a hotel at LAX and take the first flight out the next morning.

My experience has been that Southwest would only let us take an earlier flight if we paid the difference between our fare and full fare, so don't count on standing by.

If one paid full fare in the first place - they can go standby on an earlier flight w/ no additional charge. But if it is a discounted ticket - then she'd have to pay the difference.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I was basing it on the assumption that the original ticket is a discounted fare and should have said "don't count on standing by without paying full fare". Just wanted to make sure that the OP realizes that Southwest doesn't offer free standby on discounted fares (at least not as an official policy).

Staying in LAX is not an option, DD needs to be in Columbus for music lessons Monday morning.

The original flight is a discounted ticket but will have to pay a higher price for the next flight. She will be prepared to pay the difference if she does happen to go stand-by.