To wait for my sweetie in LAX

[leejcandle]

For those familiar with LAX (I've been a passenger through there only 3 times):

 

My Julia is coming in on China Southern Sunday evening. I'm going to fly to LAX to wait for her, and fly her to Austin. The last time I made the same flight, it took 12 hours to finally get back to Austin (late departing flights tend to fill up; I had to get something a little after midnight; stopover in DFW.)

 

Where can I wait for her? Is the exit from customs where you get your bags inside the secured area? I don't remember my steps to re-check my bags in for the domestic leg(s).

 

Also, is it possible (or even necessary) for me to give my contact information to the immigration folks?

[Chinese Wife!!!]

For those familiar with LAX (I've been a passenger through there only 3 times):

 

My Julia is coming in on China Southern Sunday evening. I'm going to fly to LAX to wait for her, and fly her to Austin. The last time I made the same flight, it took 12 hours to finally get back to Austin (late departing flights tend to fill up; I had to get something a little  after midnight; stopover in DFW.)

 

Where can I wait for her? Is the exit from customs where you get your bags inside the secured area?  I don't remember my steps to re-check my bags in for the domestic leg(s).

 

Also, is it possible (or even necessary) for me to give my contact information to the immigration folks?

Best I can offer Lee is that I have come out the "Customs exit" 4 times in the Bradley building (after re-entry to US using China Eastern) with bags in a hand cart from insides the customs area and then carted my bags to Southwest Airlines in terminal 1. Long walk. You could also use the free airport bus to traverse the terminal- but now you don't have the cart. I believe there is a map of LAX on the web somewhere- forgot how I found it.

[cosmiclobster]

Lee: Here is a link to a map of LAX

http://www.lawa.org/lax/terminalMap.cfm

China Southern is a code share airline (I think with Delta) so it comes out of Terminal 5

Just go to the arriving passenger section and cross your fingers!

Good Luck!

[egolessvegan]

Lee:

Your fiancee will go through immigration area to the baggage area to the customs area. This entire site is secured. She can recheck her luggage just past the customs area. You will not be able to get inside. There is a waiting area just a little further away.

If she is travelling by herself it creates a problem if she cannot speak English well. As you know, it is mass mayhem when 400 people are trying to get through this process.

Hopefully she can connect with another individual on the flight who speaks both Chinese and English. Everybody on the flight seemed willing to help one another.

Ken

[ghall20]

I had to wait for over an hour for my wife to appear----I think she was the last one completed in the process..

[leejcandle]

Lee:

Your fiancee will go through immigration area to the baggage area to the customs area. This entire site is secured. She can recheck her luggage just past the customs area. You will not be able to get inside. There is a waiting area just a little further away.

If she is travelling by herself it creates a problem if she cannot speak English well. As you know, it is mass mayhem when 400 people are trying to get through this process.

Hopefully she can connect with another individual on the flight who speaks both Chinese and English. Everybody on the flight seemed willing to help one another.

Ken

I'd like her to re-check her backage with me, because we'll be coming here on the same flight. I want to first check for availability on an earlier flight out of there; I bought reservations on the 00:30 flight on the 7th. She has only two full size suitcases (none of the big trunks, etc).

Now that I think of it; she won't be able to re-check her bags on her own, because I'll have the domestic tickets.

 

Studying the map (Thanks ): We'll be departing from Terminal 4; not a long walk from Terminal 5.

 

I gave her a cell phone. Hopefully she'll be able to use it to locate me after they release her from customs. (I may have sent it too early; the batteries may not last.)

 

I think a lot depends on where the security checkpoint is; since I have tickets.

 

I came back on the same scheduled flight after my visit in September. The passengers will be 99% Chinese. Knowing her personality, she'll have made a handful of friends during the flight.

 

I'll be there at least 3 hours before she arrives. But I want to tell her what to expect. We'll be out of contact after Sunday at around 7:00 AM CST (her flight leaves Guangzhou at 9:15 PM their time.)

[leejcandle]

I had to wait for over an hour for my wife to appear----I think she was the last one completed in the process..

Only and hour would be nice. I told her to be prepared for a long wait. So I booked tickets after 10:00 PM, just in case.

 

I think this will be her first international flight. So she would have not expected the sort of lines we see at immigration; especially after a full flight arrives.

 

I plan for us to go to a customer service counter after she gets out to see if we can jump on an earlier flight out. But when I came back in September, I had to wait until after 1:00 AM the next morning to leave.

 

Thanks for the input. I'll cross my fingers for an hour or less.

[leejcandle]

At LAX, Is there a secure shuttle between terminals? (I know there isn't from the Bradley Terminal; I took that walk last March.)

 

DFW definitely has such a thing; very convenient for making connections.

 

China Southern (Delta code share) arrives at Terminal 5. I'll arrive, and we'll depart together; through Terminal 4.

 

I simply don't remember if I used a shuttle, or walked, on my September trip. I arrived on the same scheduled flight, same terminal. (I've travelled through DFW many times; I'm familiar with their shuttle.)

 

The idea is that since I'm arriving on Terminal 4 this afternoon, I don't have to leave the secure area if there's a shuttle to Terminal 5; then I can wait for her inside Terminal 5, and we go together back to Terminal 4 for the departure back to DFW.

 

I'm going to check the LAX web site again, but I could understand their not putting that particular facility on the maps.

[egolessvegan]

Lee:

You are not going to be able to excess the area where your fiancee goes through immigration and customs and the baggage area. You will be able to get to the waiting area just beyond. You will not be able to help her recheck the luggage in this area. You can take the luggage to the terminal of your next flight instead but that could be a lot of work if she has a lot.

Ken

[inxy]

Lee,

 

Follow Ken's advice. It is dead on.

 

I am a survivor of many trips thru LAX. 7 trips to China, 4/5 thru LAX.

 

Bruce

[cosmiclobster]

Lee: There is a free shuttle between terminals. If you only had carry on, it would be easier to walk. But it you have 2 big suitcases, take the free shuttle. The only hassle with that is that it goes terminal to terminal in ascending order, so you'll get to see ternimals 6,1,2,3 and Bradley Intl. on the way. It could be a football field sized walk if you don't take the shuttle.

P.S. Ken is correct - she'll have to go through customs and baggage check on her own.

[Guest DragonFlower]

Uhhh,Cosmic,you sure on that terminal 5 thing.I fly on Korean Air,which is also a codeshare with Delta.It operates thru the International terminal.

Isn't that where immigration is?Or do they have it in more than one terminal?Not sure,you guys might want to check ,to be sure.

 

long

[Dan R]

I always use Korean Airline, also a partner with Delta. It arrives at the International Terminal along with the Delta, AA and United International flights.

 

You must go to the International terminal. You will find everyone waiting at a ramp that exits from customs. There you will watch her coming out and be near the front of the crowd so you are ready to take her bags.

 

You can wait for a shuttle at the bus island in front of the terminal or if everything is on erollers just walk it. It is a long walk though. If you can handle the walking and carrying she can too I am sure. Walking carrying and waiting in lines is not unusual for Chinese. When I have been there Ping parks me outside the crowd and takes care of what ever. She is much better at navigating crowds than I. Lines??? gee come to think of it I rarely saw those in China.

 

Have a great trip home! I wish it was our turn. A friend of mine's fiance has her ticket for the 16th. OK I'm feeling a bit blue, but I'm happy for the two of you..

 

Chinese New Year is the 8th, what a New Year's present you're getting!

[Chinese Wife!!!]

 

Best I can offer Lee is that I have come out the "Customs exit" 4 times in the Bradley building (after re-entry to US using China Eastern) with bags in a hand cart from insides the customs area and then carted my bags to Southwest Airlines in terminal 1. Long walk. You could also use the free airport bus to traverse the terminal- but now you don't have the cart.

I tend to agree with Dan and Dragon. I've requoted myself and this is my story and I'm STICKING to it! My understanding is that all international flights requiring immigration go through here MAYBE there are limited exceptions to this???).

 

Arrived 1-28-05, was bussed from the plane to the Bradley terminal and went through customs there. EVERYTHING is all closed off to arriving passengers until they have gone through Immigration, gotten their bags, gone through customs and exit onto the ramp looking area at the extreme front of the building.

 

She will PROBABLY utilize a FREE hand cart for her luggage INSIDES the baggae claim check area if heavy/cumbersome. Options: using the hand (FREE) cart I walk to my connection- depends on WHERE your connecting flight is. *OR* If you get on the free shuttle- NOW you have to pay for the hand cart AND explain to a newly arrived Chinese gal about the $3.00 for the cart she JUST got FREE. I find moving heavy bags on/off and sometimes waiting for the shuttle bus are a PAIN!

 

LeeJ, don't you have her flight number? I think you can check on line or by phone and remove any doubts as to WHERE.

[cosmiclobster]

Uhhh,Cosmic,you sure on that terminal 5 thing.

Long: This discussion has come up before. I have not personally flown China Southern, but if you look at the link to LAX that I had posted earlier in this thread, you will see that China Southern flies out of terminal 5. According to previous posters, terminal 5 has it's own customs area.

 

I also thought that ALL of the international flights HAD to go out of Bradley International terminal, but I stood corrected.

 

LEE: Best advice is to contact China Southern and find out for sure what terminal she will come out of!!

 

EDIT: Looking again at the LAX map, there are several international airlines that DO NOT use the international terminal. Guess they should of made Bradley into a bigger terminal!!