Julio Z
New Member
Hi all, I just returned from activation trip so thought I’d share my experience abt processing at LAX for those with connecting flights. We booked the MEL – JFK flight with Qantas that included a 1 hour 50 min stopover in LAX. Just to let others know that the stopover is tight but it can be done!
Here is a detailed description if you feel like reading . . .
Leading up to the flight I called Qantas to explain our situation with our processing required in LAX etc and asked if we could get some assistance to have priority exiting the plane or expedite queues etc but there was nothing they could do. Also asked at check-in with same response. When you get off the plane there are Qantas staff handing out orange express passes for all those with connecting flights, in particular to JFK. Make sure you grab one of these! When you make your way up the stairs . . . along passage ways . . . down the stairs into immigration look for the orange signs for the express pass line. I asked an immigration officer that we are migrating & showed him the sealed packets etc but he didn’t care and pointed to the end of the queue. The queue is for the automated customs kiosk but it moves fast so when we got to the front I showed our packets to the next officer and was directed away from the kiosks to another queue. By this time we had 15 mins left until boarding of JFK flight started, but just had to be patient and work our way to front & when it was our turn at the booth the officer looked over our stuff and told us to wait on the side and another officer will collect us. By the time the other officer came our flight had already started boarding. We were walked over to a spare booth just further down where the officer opened the packets, checked our mailing address, stamped our visas in passport and sent us on our way. We then had to rush to baggage carousel and it was pretty much just our bags on there, so grabbed them and there were Qantas staff around that pointed us in the direction of bag drop off. There was another long queue to get to bag drop off but luckily I still had the orange express passes in my hand showed them to another officer and explained that my JFK flight was already boarding so we were allowed to go to the front of the line! Then we get to another section where there is a guy calling out “anyone on QF to JFK” we handed him our bags which he threw on a random conveyor belt to somewhere. Kept on running through to security check, had to queue up there again, passport is checked, go through security (note: shoes must be removed) then run to gate. We weren’t the last to board but there weren’t many behind us so probably had another 15 mins max before missing our flight.
Good luck everybody!
Here is a detailed description if you feel like reading . . .
Leading up to the flight I called Qantas to explain our situation with our processing required in LAX etc and asked if we could get some assistance to have priority exiting the plane or expedite queues etc but there was nothing they could do. Also asked at check-in with same response. When you get off the plane there are Qantas staff handing out orange express passes for all those with connecting flights, in particular to JFK. Make sure you grab one of these! When you make your way up the stairs . . . along passage ways . . . down the stairs into immigration look for the orange signs for the express pass line. I asked an immigration officer that we are migrating & showed him the sealed packets etc but he didn’t care and pointed to the end of the queue. The queue is for the automated customs kiosk but it moves fast so when we got to the front I showed our packets to the next officer and was directed away from the kiosks to another queue. By this time we had 15 mins left until boarding of JFK flight started, but just had to be patient and work our way to front & when it was our turn at the booth the officer looked over our stuff and told us to wait on the side and another officer will collect us. By the time the other officer came our flight had already started boarding. We were walked over to a spare booth just further down where the officer opened the packets, checked our mailing address, stamped our visas in passport and sent us on our way. We then had to rush to baggage carousel and it was pretty much just our bags on there, so grabbed them and there were Qantas staff around that pointed us in the direction of bag drop off. There was another long queue to get to bag drop off but luckily I still had the orange express passes in my hand showed them to another officer and explained that my JFK flight was already boarding so we were allowed to go to the front of the line! Then we get to another section where there is a guy calling out “anyone on QF to JFK” we handed him our bags which he threw on a random conveyor belt to somewhere. Kept on running through to security check, had to queue up there again, passport is checked, go through security (note: shoes must be removed) then run to gate. We weren’t the last to board but there weren’t many behind us so probably had another 15 mins max before missing our flight.
Good luck everybody!
