jal57

Help needed. I am traveling from Australia to Orlando. Our flight lands at LAX at 6.45am at International and we have to transfer to Term. 7 for our connecting flight leaving at 8.45am. As I would think we have to go through customs, etc. do we have enough time and what is the quickest way between terminals

happytrailstoyou

LAX is a mess, but perhaps you will find help here: http://www.lawa.org/welcomeLAX.aspx

jal57

Thanks happytrailstoyou. I have looked there but its hard to estimate the distances between terminals. I can see Term. 4 to 8 are in a straight line. We are in our 50's and reasonably fit. Do you think it would be quicker to get our luggage and run or wait for a shuttle due to our short time span. We are traveling in late October.

happytrailstoyou

I'm sure you will be better off waiting for whatever transportation is provided by the airport, and I would assume that your flight is booked as it is because two hours is sufficient to make the connection.

Others are likely to pop up with more specific information.

flyme2themoon

you have plenty of time to get to Terminal 7 from Tom Bradley Intl Terminal. At normal pace, it should take you no more than 10 minutes on foot to get to Term 7. you should be ok. one thing you might want to check with your airline : are you clearing customs at LAX or at ORD? Flying in from an international flight, if you're clearing customs in ORD, your baggage should be checked all the way through to your final destination. If you are clearing customs at LAX, that means you have to claim your luggage and re-check them in for your flight to ORD. Sometimes, lines at the LAX Customs and Immigration can be very long but they move fast as there are always many customs officers processing arrivals. Might take you around 30 minutes to get past customs and immigration on a busy day.

Gardyloo

Two hours for a TBIT arrival > domestic connection is probably THE minimum connecting time. Personally I would be extremely nervous.

If the flights are both all on one ticket you should be "protected" for a later flight (on United one presumes.) If it's on two separate tickets I'd strongly recommend you change the LAX-MCO flight to a later departure.

Now you might make it if you're first off the incoming flight, if you're near the front of the passport control queue, if your bags are among those first off the conveyor, you don't get stopped by customs, and if you can get to the bag re-check counter pronto. Then you'll need to hustle "landside" (i.e. out in the world) down to T7 and go through security before you can go to the gate. At 7:45 AM T7 can be a zoo, so again, it's possible but probably not comfortable - no, make that definitely not comfortable.

jal57

Thanks to all. I will check with Qantas and hopefully as we are on the same ticketing it will be ok otherwise we better hope for the best.

mrwunrfl

I would want to check-in and get boarding passes for the United flight to MCO before leaving Oz.

Diamantina

You will probably be issued all your boarding passes at one time, that is, when you check-in at the counter in Australia. So you won't need to line up at the LAX Qantas counter again to get a boarding pass for Orlando.
Yes, you will have to go through customs at LAX, but then, as soon as you pass through customs, you'll be able to put your luggage on a special check-in, conveyer belt for transferring passengers. If you actually arrive on time, you should be able to make your connection. Besides, flights are often delayed at LAX.
Flying eastward, from Australia to California, for example, flights tend to arrive on time, if not earlier. At least, this has been my experience. However, even when arriving early at LAX, the plane I'm on has had to sit on the runway until a gate becomes free. It is busy. congested airport.

Diamantina

Still, if you can, for your own peace of mind, try to move your connecting flight up an hour or so.
I would agree with others who suggest that you just walk over to the domestic terminal. Unless you have problems walking, this shouldn't take too long. Though if the free shuttle bus is there when you exit the terminal, might as well jump on it. Just make sure it is the right one or you could end up at the parking lot, or bus terminal, or car rental agencies.

Melnq8

I've done this a few times - IMO it's faster to walk than to locate and wait around for a shuttle. It took us about 15 minutes to walk from the International Terminal to Terminal 7. You'll probably be desperate for fresh air after your long flight anyway. Not that LA air is fresh...

dbdurand

"Not that LA air is fresh..."

It's usually pretty good at the airport, because of the typical prevailing westerly breeze off the ocean.

Placename

flyme2tothemoon- Why are you discussing O'Hare in Chicago (ORD)? OP did not say they were transiting through Chicago. Orlando International Airport's code is MCO, not ORD.

OP will clear customs and immigration in their first port of US entry. If they are flying direct from OZ to LAX, then you will clear customs/immigration at LAX.

If their flight stopped in Honolulu, they would clear customs and immigration there, even if you were only in-transit.

flyme2themoon

placename, the incorrect airport abbreviation seemed to have upset you too much. granted that i posted the incorrect code for orlando, i think the OP would know that the referrence is to Orlando. there's no need need to get too worked up on this, life's too short. relax.

wishing you happiness in life,

flyme

mlgb

It's not the time it takes to actually clear customs (that moves pretty quickly) or the time to walk between terminals. It's waiting for a gate to open so you can deplane, waiting for your luggage, and going through security screening on the domestic leg. Unless you are lucky and everything goes well, I think your connection is too tight. If you can add an hour that would help, if they will just put you on the next flight if you miss the connection, go for it. You can ask to be moved up in the customs queue if it's possible, do the same thing when you're in line at domestic for the security screening.

mlgb

Shuttle A is the one you want. If it's there it's faster than walking. But it's really easier to walk, the shuttles don't come all that often and they're usually pretty full.