Morning connection in LAX to AA

[TonyD]

I've only done QF12 SYD to JFK twice and really really endeavor to avoid it and it's inherent transit pressures. SYD-LAX is fine, followed by a later AA flight. Generally little cost difference.

Hi- hope this is the right place to ask ? I am flying into LAX from BNE on QF then onto Phoenix on AA about 4 hours later . Do you recommend Qantas First Lounge or AA Flagship Lounge ?

 

[Flying mermaid]

*O Sapphire and "Int." J PAX indeed have AA Flagship lounge access ...

exactly . Christmas 2017 we were Gold and travelling J. Flew to SFO and used the Qantas J lounge in Sydney, and then flew back from LAX and used the Flagship lounge. Then moved to the Qantas J lounge in TBIT before our flight. Flagship > TBIT J > Sydney J. food offering much nicer and Champagne.

 

[RichardMEL]

OK I've been edumacated on that score. That definitely is a different situation, and advantages non-AA status members.

So yes, if one is a OWS pax yes, I would agree, far better than the J lounge.. However for OWE I would still go with QF F at LAX.. even with the walk(say to T5) but one has to factor that etra 15 or so minute in.

thanks for the clarification re OWS access to Flagship lounges. Is that relatively new? I always thought it was just OWE. (noting Pushka's experience from 2017)

 

[Flying mermaid]

OK I've been edumacated on that score. That definitely is a different situation, and advantages non-AA status members.

So yes, if one is a OWS pax yes, I would agree, far better than the J lounge.. However for OWE I would still go with QF F at LAX.. even with the walk(say to T5) but one has to factor that etra 15 or so minute in.

thanks for the clarification re OWS access to Flagship lounges. Is that relatively new? I always thought it was just OWE. (noting Pushka's experience from 2017)

they seemed to have done a major revamp of flagships. Much bigger and they have widened access to OWS. There is a separate area, if you are actually F where you can access a dining room, rather than buffet - not sure if it is for WPs as well. Very different to the Flagship lounges I had been in before. (And “real” Champagne)

We were there December 2017 and I think it was all fairly new.

 

[serfty]

When AA refurbished the FL's recently they relaxed the access rules to allow qualifying Sapphire amd J PAX access.

I think it started in 2017 with JFK reopening; ORD, MIA and LAX followed. Soon DFW I presume.

 

[TonyD]

*O Sapphire and "International" J PAX indeed have AA Flagship lounge access ...

I'm flying Y but am (new) WP - this is my first international since qualifying so thanks guys appreciate the advice - think I will split my time and advice

 

[Quickstatus]

Just do it once for the comparo. then next time you will have an idea on which you prefer.

 

[TonyD]

Thank you all ! I tried both . The QF First Lounge was great and quite but I think I preferred the Flagship Lounge . Certainly on return the Qantas First lounge was so so much better than the noisy One World Pub

 

[justinbrett]

You say four hour connection in LAX... that could easily be two with a bad run through immigration and customs.

I personally would go with the lounge in whatever terminal my connection is leaving from. The AA flagship lounge is pretty damn fine if you ask me, and no stress in long walks to different terminals.

Edit - sorry, just saw this is an old post. But glad you agree there’s nothing wrong with the AA flagship lounge!

 

[TonyD]

Interesting comment re the immigration time - it was more than an hour . Having been the before I used the machine passport check and maybe i missed something ?? ( Did I ? ) but then lined up for 45 min for a manual check with a human .
He said I should have used a different exit for those with a ticket - but staff directed me to the long queue . I suspect they need some education on their job ?? By comparison off the flight in BNE and into the carpark in less than 30 minutes

 

[justinbrett]

Interesting comment re the immigration time - it was more than an hour . Having been the before I used the machine passport check and maybe i missed something ?? ( Did I ? ) but then lined up for 45 min for a manual check with a human .
He said I should have used a different exit for those with a ticket - but staff directed me to the long queue . I suspect they need some education on their job ?? By comparison off the flight in BNE and into the carpark in less than 30 minutes

That was my experience in September last year also. I think when I went through, visa waiver countries were going to the same queue after the kiosk as the visa countries (and lots of Asian arrivals at the same time). I think previously kiosk arrivals had their own queue that was really quick.