Brisbane to Miami via Los Angeles

[CrowsFeet]

On Saturday, I'm doing Brisbane to Miami via LA (2hr 15min wait).

Am I right in saying that my bags will go to LA, and then I'll need to go through passport control in LA, hunt my bags, and then find a check-in desk to get onto the LAX to Miami flight? Or will the bags go direct?

And if it's a worst-case scenario - (need to go through passport control at LAX Terminal B, find bags, carry them to Terminal 0 (On eTicket), check in and get the bags taken away for the Miami flight), will 2hr 15min be OK? I'm assuming LAX isn't the smallest airport known to man.

Any advice or assistance would be great!

 

[Isolar]

Yes, you will need to go through immigration, pick up bags and go through customs on arrival at LAX.

Which airline are you booked on from LAX to MIA? Do you have oneworld status? Answers to those questions would then influence what I would advise you to do.

Generally, if your booking to MIA is all on the one ticket then there would be a bag tag all the way through and you could drop the bags off at the transfer desk after exiting customs.

However, I've always found that particular transfer point to be a zoo. If continuing on with AA to MIA you can often get through quicker by going to their terminal and do a re-check-in. Even faster if you have oneworld status.

 

[CrowsFeet]

Thanks for that!
I've booked through Qantas, and am on a QF flight from Brisbane to LA, and then a QL flight, operated by American Airlines, from LAX to Miami. I'm not sure what a OneWorld status is, so I'm going to guess - nope.

So it sounds like maybe I collect my bag, walk through customs, and then make my way to the terminal my next flight goes from? And find a check in desk there and do the usual check-in? Or would that really just be a bag drop-off, as I'd get checked all the way to Miami, when I check-in in Brisbane?

 

[justinbrett]

Your bag will already be tagged to MIA in BNE and it’s just a case of giving your bag back once you clear customs in LAX. It’s not a case of check in.

I’d stick with that area as opposed to T4 as suggested above as they will look after you and if your connection is tight will give you a passes for priority through security and will rebook your connection if required.

T4 is right next to TBIT so not a long walk.

 

[Isolar]

Without oneworld status and as it seems like you haven't done this transfer before, it is probably best to try the transfer desk just after customs. Check the how much time you have before your next flight departs, keep in mind that you have to go through security again (and this can be quite a long process at LAX) and AA are very strict about shutting the aircraft doors at 10 minutes before departure. If it looks tight then try to talk to an AA agent about getting you on another flight.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

The process entering the US (regardless of where you are heading including international to international connections is as follows):

1. Clear immigration, you'll see a lane for Americans/Canadians/Global Entry members and one for everyone else
2. After clearing immigration, you'll be dumped into the baggage claim area, pick up your bags from the bag carousel
3. Clear the customs checkpoint at exit of baggage claim (usually takes 0 seconds to clear)
4. Find the airline transfer desk (i.e. American in your case) just outside the checkpoint to re-check your bags through to your final destination in the US
5. Clear TSA security

Since you are making an international arrival into LAX, you will be arriving at Terminal B, Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). Once you exit security you have two options:

• Re-clear security at TBIT, after which you can walk air-side from TBIT to Terminal 4/5 which will take anywhere from 5-15 minutes depending on how briskly you can walk
• Catch a shuttle bus from TBIT to Terminal 4/5 and clear security there.

A good guide to inter-terminal connections can be found here. It's important you check the departures monitor at LAX to determine which terminal and gate your flight will be taking off from. In addition, not all security checkpoints are created equal in the US. Some can process passengers faster than others and so sometimes it may be advantageous to clear security in one terminal (where volume is low) and connect airside to your terminal. To give you a specific example: Terminal 1 at EWR can take over an hour to clear (and that's with TSA pre-check), and oftentimes it would be advantageous to clear security at Terminal C, then take the United inter-terminal bus back to Terminal 1.

One thing I thought I'd add is depending on your citizenship, you may be required to complete an ESTA before travelling to the US along with the usual COVID related requirements (i.e. getting your international COVID certificate from Medicare and taking a RAT prior to departure).

2 hours is a little tight for connections, but I wouldn't sweat it. If you do miss your connecting flight, the AA will put you on the next available flight. After all they wouldn't sell you a ticket with such a tight connection if they didn't think it was possible.

-RooFlyer88

 

[justinbrett]

The process entering the US (regardless of where you are heading including international to international connections is as follows):

1. Clear immigration, you'll see a lane for Americans/Canadians/Global Entry members and one for everyone else
2. After clearing immigration, you'll be dumped into the baggage claim area, pick up your bags from the bag carousel
3. Clear the customs checkpoint at exit of baggage claim (usually takes 0 seconds to clear)
4. Find the airline transfer desk (i.e. American in your case) just outside the checkpoint to re-check your bags through to your final destination in the US
5. Clear TSA security

Since you are making an international arrival into LAX, you will be arriving at Terminal B, Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). Once you exit security you have two options:

• Re-clear security at TBIT, after which you can walk air-side from TBIT to Terminal 4/5 which will take anywhere from 5-15 minutes depending on how briskly you can walk
• Catch a shuttle bus from TBIT to Terminal 4/5 and clear security there.

A good guide to inter-terminal connections can be found here. It's important you check the departures monitor at LAX to determine which terminal and gate your flight will be taking off from. In addition, not all security checkpoints are created equal in the US. Some can process passengers faster than others and so sometimes it may be advantageous to clear security in one terminal (where volume is low) and connect airside to your terminal. To give you a specific example: Terminal 1 at EWR can take over an hour to clear (and that's with TSA pre-check), and oftentimes it would be advantageous to clear security at Terminal C, then take the United inter-terminal bus back to Terminal 1.

One thing I thought I'd add is depending on your citizenship, you may be required to complete an ESTA before travelling to the US along with the usual COVID related requirements (i.e. getting your international COVID certificate from Medicare and taking a RAT prior to departure).

2 hours is a little tight for connections, but I wouldn't sweat it. If you do miss your connecting flight, the AA will put you on the next available flight. After all they wouldn't sell you a ticket with such a tight connection if they didn't think it was possible.

-RooFlyer88

I don’t know about a shuttle but from TBIT to T4 landside. Just walk, It’s about 250m.