Arrival at Los Angeles Airport

Hi. Just wondered how experienced people are with Los Angeles airport! We are travelling Upper Class LHR-LAX. We are taking no checked luggage..only hand luggage. Our connection time is 1hr. We have to get from terminal 2 to terminal 3. Presuming we will be first off the flight and presuming our flight is on time...what are our chances?! I appreciate it depends on how busy the immigration lines are but does anyone know if it a generally teeth pulling airport?! Thanks!

Is this a separate ticket?

T2 & T3 are right next door but an hour is very, very tight. There's no airside connection so you'll need to clear immigration & customs then walk next door and clear security.

If both flights are on the same PNR you'll be rebooked if you miss your connection. If they're separate bookings you're taking a massive risk.

Hi. It's on a separate ticket! Spirit Air to Las Vegas. Have also booked a cancellable ticket with a two hour connection with Southwest if we fail to make it!

Hi

We were on the VS007 in May which was scheduled to land half an hour after a Qatar flight from Doha. Hubby had a new passport & ESTA which meant he couldn't use the auto machines. Even though we were in UC and were one of the first from our flight into the immigration hall it was a heaving mass with no interpreters to assist with the Qatar passengers. Even the crew & GE line was at a standstill.

We stood in the queue for an hour before we were pulled out to use the machines which generated an "X" for hubby so we still had to see an official. Then of course there is another queue for customs, so it probably took us a good hour & a half in not nearly two hours to get through.

This was a similar experience to our arrival on VS023 in April 2015, which landed after an Air China flight - again few desks open & no interpreters and a good hour & a half to get through both stages.

If the flights is on time, and there are no delays in docking (LAX apparently insist that all incoming arrivals are towed to gates which led to a delay on our 2015 flight), and if you have a passport & ESTA that you've used before then hopefully you can use the machines and get through relatively quickly, but I think that the Spirit connection is far too tight and I'd be doubtful if you would make the original booked South West flight, especially as you'll have to change terminals and although travelling hand luggage will probably still have to check in.

If your VS flight is early AND you arrive to find an empty immigration hall, you've got a decent chance. Make sure you do OLCI and print your Spirit boarding pass before you leave the UK as airport check in closes 45 mins before departure.

But if VS are late and/or another international flight's just beaten you to it, forget it.

I flew in on the 23 last September, we were bang on time into LAX, and were behind a flight from Mexico.

Local time was about 19:00 when we landed if I recall correctly - I didnt get to my hotel - the Hilton AT LAX till nearly 2200. There was two guys on for the non-American passport lines.

Not sure if they have installed the machines now? But it was pretty horrific - and I was the 6th person off the plane!

We were on the VS007 in July and landed into a virtually empty immigration hall yet spent nearly 60 minutes getting through immigration. This was mainly because there were only four guys on duty. Once we were through the line for the customs also took an age.

We are coming in on the 23. Will have passports used before in the us and estas used before so fingers crossed we can use the machines! Thought we may be a little enthusiastic thinking we could get the spirit flight. But now a little nervous about our other option!!! Oh well.. not til February so will have to have a few sleepless nights before then!!!

[Nottingham Nick]

Not wishing to add to the bad news, but we did this a couple of weeks ago and it was pretty bad.

First of all when we arrived in the Immigration Hall they directed all non-US to the slow moving queues and would only allow US citizens to use the auto machines.

After a good while stood in the queue, and after all the US folk had gone, they started to move some non-US people from the back of the queue over to use the machines.

If I were the OP I would explain to one of the many officials, who seem to be standing around watching the queue, that you have a tight connection. If you ask nicely, maybe they will let you use the auto machines.

As others have said, being first off the plane will be of no help at all if you are behind a plane or two of non-English speakers, in the queue before you.

Nick

We were on the 23 a couple of years ago first off, second in the immigration queue. there were only two customs agents on non US. Then one went on a break and the other needed help with something and went off . We waited there half an hour to be seen, nightmare

Unless its changed, VS has to be towed into the gate at LAX. Last two times I was there(2015) it took over 20 minutes for the tow AFTER we arrived at the gate. So if you are REALLY early you have a chance, otherwise???

Over the last week, VS7 has landed on average 35 minutes early and hasn't been late once. The VS23 has landed on average 15 minutes early but was late once.

Of course past performance has absolutely no bearing on the future. But based on that, if you'd been on the VS7 over the last week you might have had a chance. Less so with the VS23.

Having said that, one stumbling block - as others have mentioned - is that the QR flight from Doha is due to land at T2 25 mins before the VS7. It, too, is often early so it's pot luck whether its passengers will have cleared immigration before the VS7 arrives. T2 is not big and there may only be 2, 3 or maybe 4 non-US immigration desks open.

Thanks guys! Love a challenge! We have several back up plans so not the end of the world as nothing we can do about what we are faced with when we land! Who knows what will happen! Will certainly not let it ruin our flight out from Heathrow! thanks for all your comments and feedback

Personally, I'd never book a connection time of less than 3.5 hours at LAX. This was from the early BA flight, where were close on a 3.5 hours one. Indeed, I'd do an overnight, and it is the reason why I'd consider GE nowadays...