LAX lounge options for 3

[noddy]

Hello - I am Q Platinum. I'll be transiting thru LAX with a 4 hour layover with my wife and adult daughter who have no Q status. Looks like I can only sign one of them into the business lounge and there's no point giving my daughter a guest pass because Qantas won't allow them at Tom Bradley for some reason.

Is there any way that I haven't thought of that would get all 3 of us into the Business or regular Q Club lounge or any other lounge?

As a plan B possibility, we are all flying United Business into LAX from Cancun - does this get us into United's LAX lounge before boarding the Qantas flights to Sydney? Thanks!

 

[defurax]

If you are Qantas Platinum flying Qantas you can access the QF First lounge with 1 guest.
You could guest one in QF business lounge or AA lounge and the other one in QF First.

 

[HarryTheFlyer]

Hello - I am Q Platinum. I'll be transiting thru LAX with a 4 hour layover with my wife and adult daughter who have no Q status. Looks like I can only sign one of them into the business lounge and there's no point giving my daughter a guest pass because Qantas won't allow them at Tom Bradley for some reason.

Is there any way that I haven't thought of that would get all 3 of us into the Business or regular Q Club lounge or any other lounge?

As a plan B possibility, we are all flying United Business into LAX from Cancun - does this get us into United's LAX lounge before boarding the Qantas flights to Sydney? Thanks!

If your daughter is happy to chill out by herself, you could guest her into the AA Flagship First lounge in Terminal 4 and then meet her at the gate before boarding. Quite a good lounge IMO - Good Champagne and spirits collection, and relatively quiet. Great views of the AA gates and planes. Food is okay, but not the best.

T4 and TBIT are linked airside via underground walkways. Takes about 8 minutes to walk between them.

I'm not sure if the QF F and J lounges are linked with their boarding pass entry scanners in any way, but you could try to get you and your wife into the F lounge and then once you're in and the front desk staff know your face, just say you're 'popping out for a bit' and try to get your daughter into the J lounge just around the corner.

Mr Harry and I did a LAX lounge hop a few months ago and we had no issue going into any of the oneworld lounges, so your options are pretty broad. The Alaska lounge is a nice place to sit and try all the craft beers they have on tap too.

 

[noddy]

If your daughter is happy to chill out by herself, you could guest her into the AA Flagship First lounge in Terminal 4 and then meet her at the gate before boarding. Quite a good lounge IMO - Good Champagne and spirits collection, and relatively quiet. Great views of the AA gates and planes. Food is okay, but not the best.

T4 and TBIT are linked airside via underground walkways. Takes about 8 minutes to walk between them.

I'm not sure if the QF F and J lounges are linked with their boarding pass entry scanners in any way, but you could try to get you and your wife into the F lounge and then once you're in and the front desk staff know your face, just say you're 'popping out for a bit' and try to get your daughter into the J lounge just around the corner.

Mr Harry and I did a LAX lounge hop a few months ago and we had no issue going into any of the oneworld lounges, so your options are pretty broad. The Alaska lounge is a nice place to sit and try all the craft beers they have on tap too.

Thanks very much HarryTheFlyer - very helpful suggestions!

 

[dandandan]

If your daughter is happy to chill out by herself, you could guest her into the AA Flagship First lounge in Terminal 4 and then meet her at the gate before boarding. Quite a good lounge IMO - Good Champagne and spirits collection, and relatively quiet. Great views of the AA gates and planes. Food is okay, but not the best.

T4 and TBIT are linked airside via underground walkways. Takes about 8 minutes to walk between them.

I'm not sure if the QF F and J lounges are linked with their boarding pass entry scanners in any way, but you could try to get you and your wife into the F lounge and then once you're in and the front desk staff know your face, just say you're 'popping out for a bit' and try to get your daughter into the J lounge just around the corner.

Mr Harry and I did a LAX lounge hop a few months ago and we had no issue going into any of the oneworld lounges, so your options are pretty broad. The Alaska lounge is a nice place to sit and try all the craft beers they have on tap too.

That is a clever suggestion!

I also have a question someone may be able to help me with, in regard to lounge access at LAX however think I may have found the answer on the oneworld website over AA's website, which seems to confuse.

I am QF Platinum, travelling as 2 adult and 2 children, SYD-LAX in J on QF metal then LAX-SFO in First on AA metal. (I got caught up in the SFO schedule change with QF). I was wondering about lounge access with AA at LAX, a T4 departure I would assume. AA seems to say domestic First doesn't get lounge access, only Flagship First domestic/transcontinental. Oneworld however says: First and Business class customers connecting from a oneworld international long haul flight to a oneworld domestic flight same day (vice-versa), can access the lounge. Based on the oneworld information, I assume all 4 of us would get access to the AA Flagship lounge? if the 3hr47min connection goes smoothly!

AA reference points:

Flagship Lounge − Travel information − American Airlines

www.aa.com

First – Travel information – American Airlines

www.aa.com

Oneworld reference point:

Airport Lounges: oneworld Lounges & Airport Lounge Access

Enjoy airport lounge access at nearly 700 airport lounges worldwide through your oneworld Priority tier. Exceptions may apply.

www.oneworld.com

• First and Business Class customers connecting on the same day of travel, or before 6am the following day, can access the lounge when travelling between an international long haul (a oneworld international long haul flight is defined as an international flight marketed and operated by any oneworld carrier with a scheduled flight time longer than 5 hours) and an international short haul or domestic flight (and vice-versa).
• Lounge access will be determined on the international long haul ticketed flight (either First of Business Class) regardless of the ticketed class of travel on the international short haul or domestic flight.
• You must be prepared to show your boarding pass or itinerary showing travel in First or Business class on the international long haul flight, in order to access the lounge before your international short haul or domestic flight.

 

[RichardMEL]

Yes, if your flight is a connection from QF->AA then the oneworld international rules apply (forget about AA F) and you should be admitted per the QF international J flights. Note if you have enough time in theory you can also use QF J / F at TBIT via the connector (but remembering the walk is 10 or so minute to/from T4 and of course AA could depart from T5 also). Those are also options.

also to answer the question related to UA above - no, there is no arrivals lounge access .. (and since onward flight is not UA or Star Alliance, there's no access of course based on flying QF oneards).

(I hope this is a single booking? If not hopefully you have factored in a LOT of time for the connection.. just in case)

 

[dandandan]

Yes, if your flight is a connection from QF->AA then the oneworld international rules apply (forget about AA F) and you should be admitted per the QF international J flights. Note if you have enough time in theory you can also use QF J / F at TBIT via the connector (but remembering the walk is 10 or so minute to/from T4 and of course AA could depart from T5 also). Those are also options.

also to answer the question related to UA above - no, there is no arrivals lounge access .. (and since onward flight is not UA or Star Alliance, there's no access of course based on flying QF oneards).

(I hope this is a single booking? If not hopefully you have factored in a LOT of time for the connection.. just in case)

Thanks very much for the response. My connection is just under 4 hours, arriving into LA at 4.40pm, so hopefully enough time however may or may not make the lounge (or connecting flight) if a long customs wait. Looks like we can all access (2 adult, 2 kids) the QF F at TBIT which will be nice if time permits.

 

[HarryTheFlyer]

Thanks very much for the response. My connection is just under 4 hours, arriving into LA at 4.40pm, so hopefully enough time however may or may not make the lounge (or connecting flight) if a long customs wait. Looks like we can all access (2 adult, 2 kids) the QF F at TBIT which will be nice if time permits.

When are you going @dandandan ?
I'm on QF17 on Monday so I'll let you know how long the customs line is for the afternoon arrival. I've done QF11 a few times recently and the early morning arrival means Customs is a breeze.
I'll have just under 3 hours to connect in LAX before an AA flight, and I'm certainly not worried about that connection time.

 

[dandandan]

When are you going @dandandan ?
I'm on QF17 on Monday so I'll let you know how long the customs line is for the afternoon arrival. I've done QF11 a few times recently and the early morning arrival means Customs is a breeze.
I'll have just under 3 hours to connect in LAX before an AA flight, and I'm certainly not worried about that connection time.

Thanks @HarryTheFlyer, on the 26/12, have a great flight and trip.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

UA and QF are not partners so no lounge access betwedn the 2.
AA and QF might be s yes, but I will let more knowledgeable answer that side.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

As a plan B possibility, we are all flying United Business into LAX from Cancun - does this get us into United's LAX lounge before boarding the Qantas flights to Sydney? Thanks!

Flights from Mexico to the US provide arrival access to the United Club however there are no guest privileges (I believe the current cost to guest in a passenger is $59). The lounge itself is located in Terminal 7 which is a decent hike from TBIT airside (about 30 minutes). Also keep in mind that since you are arriving from abroad you will need to clear US immigration, collect your bags, clear customs, clear security, etc. Typically that takes me about 30 minutes to do but I am Canadian with NEXUS meaning I don't speak to border officers and instead a kiosk scans my face and lets me in. The LA United Club is okay. It's modern, there's a decent amount of food and an outdoor terrace which is nice.

There are several OneWorld lounges at LAX the Qantas LA Lounge, the Qantas BusinessFirst Lounge, the AA Flagship lounge at Terminal 4 (5 minute walk from TBIT airside). If you have the AmEx Platinum card there's also the excellent Centurion lounge at TBIT. I cannot see how one would not be able to go to one of these lounges, guest in one relative stay for an hour then proceed to leave (without their guest), go to another lounge with the other family member and guest them in there.

-RooFlyer88

 

[RichardMEL]

Well I stand corrected on the UA club. Did not actually know they allowed arrivals access. Interesting.

However I'd rate QF lounges at TBIT as far superior to the United Club in T7. Yes it's big and has some nice views and bits and pieces, not a patch on QF J let alone F. I'd also want to be in TBIT for a QF departure (since the airside walk from T7 -> TBIT takes 20-25 minutes - sometime I've timed a few tims At least there IS the airside walk!)

 

[kangarooflyer88]

However I'd rate QF lounges at TBIT as far superior to the United Club in T7. Yes it's big and has some nice views and bits and pieces, not a patch on QF J let alone F. I'd also want to be in TBIT for a QF departure (since the airside walk from T7 -> TBIT takes 20-25 minutes - sometime I've timed a few tims At least there IS the airside walk!)

I'd agree with you that if possible choosing a lounge out of TBIT is preferable. I don't know what the OP's credit card situation is but if they have the AmEx Platinum card, they can admit themselves and two guests into the Centurion lounge at TBIT. Now I haven't been to the QF lounge at LAX yet but the Centurion lounge wasn't too bad, decent food options and quite a bit of space compared to the cramped lounge at SFO.

Thinking strictly in terms of QF lounges, they can admit themselves and one guest into a QF/OneWorld lounge holding a Platinum status. I reckon if they have a guest pass laying around or if someone on AFF has one they are willing to give away (i.e. expiring soon and they won't use) this could address the problem. Keep in mind too that there are a number of ways to pick up said guest passes including as a benefit to certain Qantas co-branded credit cards. And of course if a fellow AFF member with QF status will be in LAX when they are travelling they could also guest said family member in there too.

-RooFlyer88

 

[HarryTheFlyer]

Thanks @HarryTheFlyer, on the 26/12, have a great flight and trip.

Hey @dandandan!
It was a middle of the road flight. Crew were great. The CSM was a little odd and rushed every interaction, but everything else was as expected.

We landed into LAX about 50 mins early at 3:50pm, and we’re at the gate about 10 mins later. - This definitely helped for whatever happened at T4 security…. See below.
Got to the customs line at 4:14pm. It was long. But the comments from the people around me that it was moving fairly smoothly.
I got through customs to the baggage carousel at 5:10pm. So budget at least an hour. The CBP staff didn’t seem like they were in any sort of rush to process people.

Will your bags be checked through? That’ll save you a bit of time if you don’t need to collect bags and then trudge to T4 to recheck your bags.

I didn’t have an interline checked bags for my connection so I had to collect bags, walk to T4 and check in for my ongoing flight. My undoing was the TSA at T4 which took AGES! The priority line X-ray machine which you don’t need to take out any electronic devices from your bags decided to stop doing its thing and held the whole line up. I reckon we stood there for about 25 mins while they didn’t try to figure out the problem.

Eventually got through and dashed to the QF F lounge via the bridge for a shower and a steak and a few glasses of Mumm. Said hi to a friend that I ran into at the lounge and then left to head over to the AA flagship lounge at T4. Two more glasses of bubbly and my flight to Vegas boarded early - just about to push back now.

My conclusions - 3 hours is plenty if the customs line is long and you don’t have any delays when you have to re-screen TSA.
Consider clearing TSA at T4 if the lines are massive at TBIT.

 

[dandandan]

Hey @dandandan!
It was a middle of the road flight. Crew were great. The CSM was a little odd and rushed every interaction, but everything else was as expected.

We landed into LAX about 50 mins early at 3:50pm, and we’re at the gate about 10 mins later. - This definitely helped for whatever happened at T4 security…. See below.
Got to the customs line at 4:14pm. It was long. But the comments from the people around me that it was moving fairly smoothly.
I got through customs to the baggage carousel at 5:10pm. So budget at least an hour. The CBP staff didn’t seem like they were in any sort of rush to process people.

Will your bags be checked through? That’ll save you a bit of time if you don’t need to collect bags and then trudge to T4 to recheck your bags.

I didn’t have an interline checked bags for my connection so I had to collect bags, walk to T4 and check in for my ongoing flight. My undoing was the TSA at T4 which took AGES! The priority line X-ray machine which you don’t need to take out any electronic devices from your bags decided to stop doing its thing and held the whole line up. I reckon we stood there for about 25 mins while they didn’t try to figure out the problem.

Eventually got through and dashed to the QF F lounge via the bridge for a shower and a steak and a few glasses of Mumm. Said hi to a friend that I ran into at the lounge and then left to head over to the AA flagship lounge at T4. Two more glasses of bubbly and my flight to Vegas boarded early - just about to push back now.

My conclusions - 3 hours is plenty if the customs line is long and you don’t have any delays when you have to re-screen TSA.
Consider clearing TSA at T4 if the lines are massive at TBIT.

Hey @HarryTheFlyer, thanks for letting me know, hope you are having a great trip.

I am booked with QF to LAX then AA to SFO, so while it's 2 seperate reservation now, it was all sorted by Qantas, So I should be able to get bags checked through all the way to SFO, albeit having to pick them up at arrivals and drop them off at the transfer desk in LAX.