WillTravel

I would definitely get a hotel room. Even if you get only a few hours sleep, you can also watch TV, have a shower, read a book in comfort, change your clothes, etc. I would also use Priceline or Hotwire, and do some research to avoid being stuck with a lousy hotel.

FainaAgain

Just give her money for shopping or internet, she'll be fine

Find out of the airline she's flying has a lounge where she can rest more comfortably.

smartcookie

You can easily get a 3-4 star hotel on Priceline for $50-75 if you choose LAX area when you bid. It's very easy and they all have free shuttles from the airport. If she wants to catch a few hours of sleep, it is worth it.

gail

Whatever she does, make sure she either has a reliable travel alam clock with her or has an alarm feature on her cell phone with a loud enough ring to wake her - wherever she falls asleep.

suze

If my Mom was paying, I'd get a hotel room nearby with shuttle service, so I could go there, take a shower, watch TV, have a quick nap.

If I was paying, I'd sit in the terminal.

WillTravel

Another option - get a Starwood credit card with no fees, but which provides a bunch of points just for signing up. Then you will have enough Starwood points to book an airport hotel, most likely.

smartcookie

Getting a credit card just to save $50 once is really not that great of an idea. Each one can decrease your credit score.

WillTravel

smartcookie, that's something to consider, but from what I've read, it's not that clear-cut. I'm not certain what the situation would be for krpp75.

liz3kids

Alot of airports have spas now, maybe she could spend a few hours there. Massage, pedicure, etc. Very relaxing for a long trip ahead.

Frances

I have just turned up this thread on trying to research minimum connection times at LAX for my daughter who is coming from Maui.
I have just rung AA because they have booked my daughter on flights with 45 mins connection in LAX but they insist that as both flights use terminal 4 and they are "marriage segments" that the flight will wait.
Watch this space!
In the meantime I was wondering what happened to krpp75's daughter?

mrwunrfl

Been a long time since I made a connection at LAX but 45 minutes is plenty of time to make a connection in the same terminal. The terminals are not that big.

Interesting that you said that "AA booked" your daughter with a 45 minute connection. You might have put it that your daughter booked the flight with a 45 minute connection.

Frances

No not so. My daughter booked a flight from London to Maui and this is what she was sold.
When you are travelling that far and the intention is to get there without a stopover(in other words you provide your departure point and destination) then consolidators will route you whichever way the cheapest fare takes her. On her return she routes from OGG to LAX to ORD to LHR.

suze

You can still check the connection times and transfer airports before accepting the ticket from the consolidator, can't you?