Newbies Using AA lounge at LAX

[pinehart]

We are flying Syd- Lax and then have a three hour wait for a AA flight to san Francisco. As a qantas F/F, can I use the AA lounge at LAX. The two flights are not linked..ie were booked independently. What I should have said, I am a Qantas club member

 

[serfty]

Yoy may find the wait somewhat less than three hours by the time you exit customs/immigration and head to the gate to board ~40 minutes before scheduled departure of your SFO flights but a QP member and one guest can indeed access the Admirals Cloub lounge before the AA flight.

 

[UP4014]

You can, but beware even at 3 hours you may not have much time. Last year I did the same thing and missed the connection (lucky all linked so AA simply kept putting on the next and next until I got to the gate)

The security queue was 90 mins, check in at AA was 45 mins because of the missed connection and that doesn't include the bus ride and customs at TBIT. The AA lounge I though was quite nice and the staff helpful when I finally made it in there for a scotch.

Matt

 

[gizzard]

I must have been lucky as I had the opposite problem just 2 days ago. I had a long time to wait at LAX. I arrived around 6:30am and had an onward flight at 11:30am. I had cleared immigration and was in the lounge in less than an hour! The lines at immigration were only about 6 people long when I got there and my bag came off almost as soon as I'd cleared. It then only took about 15 minutes to check-in and clear security and get to the AC. I was travelling First as part of an AC run so the priority access for security would have helped. I ended up with about 3.5 hours at the AC.

 

[straitman]

You can, but beware even at 3 hours you may not have much time. Last year I did the same thing and missed the connection (lucky all linked so AA simply kept putting on the next and next until I got to the gate)

The security queue was 90 mins, check in at AA was 45 mins because of the missed connection and that doesn't include the bus ride and customs at TBIT. The AA lounge I though was quite nice and the staff helpful when I finally made it in there for a scotch.

Matt

Bus ride?

It's only a 300 (or so) Metre walk.

 

[grussellt]

We had 3h 15 between flights a couple of years ago and that was more than enough time to walk to T4, visit AC and have a shower and a couple of drinks. If you can arrange to have your boarding pass before you arrive at T4 it will help. In 2010 self check-in was fairly new and T4 was like a zoo. If you have a BP just head for the escalator and clear security and you're on your way.

 

[QF029]

If you can arrange to have your boarding pass before you arrive at T4 it will help.

I read somewhere that to take advantage of the priority screening at T4 you need to get your boarding pass reprinted on AA stock. Does that sound right?

 

[serfty]

No - one just needs an emerald/ sapphire/ruby oneworld card/BP to use the priority AAccess entry.

(Although there's not many flights out of T4 where you would not have an AA BP in any case.)

Posted on a wing and a prayer ...

 

[zenjabba]

I read somewhere that to take advantage of the priority screening at T4 you need to get your boarding pass reprinted on AA stock. Does that sound right?

Yes 1 week ago I had Qantas Stock, was told to just go get it reprinted at the very empty checkin counter, reprinted, moved along very quickly.

 

[serfty]

That's more in relation to Qantas not printing out the full first name on the BP, only your initial.

USA CBP now require one's full first name and surname to be printed on the BP; most Qantas ones printed in Oz - and OLCI BP's - aren't compliant.

I had to get an OLCI BP reprinted by Qantas at the check-in desk earlier this month - they have reprogrammed the LAX QF BP printers.

A Qantas BP with my full first name and Surname and no initials was then perfectly fine.

Posted on a wing and a prayer ...

 

[QF029]

That's more in relation to Qantas not printing out the full first name on the BP, only your initial.

USA CBP now require one's full first name and surname to be printed on the BP; most Qantas ones printed in Oz - and OLCI BP's - aren't compliant.

I had to get an OLCI BP reprinted by Qantas at the check-in desk earlier this month - they have reprogrammed the LAX QF BP printers.

A Qantas BP with my full first name and Surname and no initials was then perfectly fine.

Posted on a wing and a prayer ...

Is this something that can be done at MEL F check in?

 

[serfty]

Is this something that can be done at MEL F check in?

I don't know - you can ask (point out that an first initial only BP is invalid) for security in the USA.