V-Flyer

I'm booked on a VS23 which is to land at LAX at 19.55 local time at Terminal 2. The latest flight out that night to LAS is 10.30pm with US airways/ United Airlines which is out of either terminal 7 or 8 I think. Flight no.7674 UA but the flight is operated by Skywest airlines.

Does anyone have enough knowledge of LAX and customs to know if this is enough time inbetween to make it? United website says bags have to be checked-in 45 mins before departure, so that would be 21.45, which would give me a maximum of 1hr 50 mins if there was no delays on the Virgin flight and no hold ups at customs.

Sounds do-able but I dont know how quickly I can get from one terminal to another.

Which cabin are you flying VS on?

UC, and planning to just grab an economy seat on the flight to LAS.

Fortunately the united terminal is directly opposite (by that, I mean it's probably still a 10 min walk).

However, the slightest delay and I think you may be sleeping at LAX overnight

The only way you could mitigate this would be to have a seat closest to the door on the plane and ensure you're first to immigration. Just hope that there are no flights ahead of you.

Personally, I'd be flying the day after....

Unfortunately I didn't pay any attention to the short flight from LAX to LAS, and grabbed this date as it was the last reward seat available in UC (having just missed the last seat available for the 24th the day before).
Only after booking did I realise that the last flight I can see out of LAX to LAS is at 10.30pm.
I haven't booked the flight yet as I don't know if it is enough time, or whether I should look at hiring a car 1 way and driving through the night (not preferrable) or just booking the earliest flight which looks like it is 6.20am the next morning.

If I miss the 10.30pm flight, would i have to buy another ticket? or is there some transfer costs so I dont pay full amount I guess I need to see if they do a flexible ticket of some sort?

Depends on the cost of a flexible ticket against buying two inflexible ones (one for the night you arrive and one for the next day) plus factoring in a hotel. As you'll be on a separate ticket VS won't protect you if their flight is late in.

Take Southwest out of terminal 1, yes the last flight is at 9.55pm, however, it's 2 minute walk, Southwest is a lot more forgiving should you miss the flight and you won't be stock on a crop duster for the hop to Vegas.

Reading southwests website they seem to offer a free for all on seats, is it not chaos when everyone is boarding?
I cannot find at what time before the flight I need to have checked in my bags. I'm now shortening my window of opportunity to 2 hours between landing and take off of the connecting flight. That's without knowing when bags need to be checked i prior to departure.

FWIW I think your connection is too tight to allow for any snarls in immigration or a late/ delayed arrival into LAX on the VS23. Do you have to be in Vegas early the next day for a specific reason? If not I would book into one of the hotels near the car- hire depots ( Sheraton 4 Points, Renaissance etc) which all have a shuttle bus that stops outside the exit doors at LAX and then walk to the car depot early the next morning ( they're all a short walk). If you collect the car at 7 am you'll be in Vegas by 11ish.
If you have to be in Vegas earlier take one of the early am flights.
DL

Thanks DragonLady. I really don't want to drive so would just take a flight earlier the next day. I dont have to be in Vegas for anything specific, its just my final destination for my holiday and didn't want to stay in LA if I didn't have to.

Hi

When are you flying? Reason is that I'm booked on a very similar itenary (except arriving ANZ at 7:45)

I didn't think it looked a problem when I booked it - we're flying First on the United bit - it wasn't much extra, and check in then is through Terminal 6, as opposed to the economy check in at Terminal 7 (although everyone obviously ends up on the same plane)

We're doing this in April next year, so if you're doing it before me, let me know if ti works!

Peter

Hi Peter,
I will be flying on Friday 22nd March and returning 6th April. I've been reading old itenaries for vs23 and the related searches to LAX on flyertalk. I've looked on the arrivals page at LAX for my time as well as CBP waiting times (http://apps.cbp.gov/awt/index.asp)and it seems there are 3 or 4 international flights arriving at the same time.
From some trip report observations I might need to leg it to immigration, and if vs23 flight is delayed, well I'm resigned to the fact I am not getting out of LAX until the next morning unless I drive.

Still have to fully review the cost difference between a flexible ticket and having to buy a new ticket the next morning.

Would flying Uppper/business on the domestic leg help me through a fast track lane of somekind after clearing customs/border control from the VS23 flight?

I will report back on how it goes if I do book a flight for that night.

If the VS23 is on time you should be ok.

I flew on it a couple of weeks ago and there were no other passengers ahead of us in the immigration hall so we were in a taxi within 40 minutes of landing.

But with US immigration you just have to accept it's hit and miss. It just needs one other international flight to arrive ahead of you and you can easily be waiting an hour or more. On the positive side, they did let non-US pax through the US-only desks once all the Americans had been processed which didn't take long.

I thought it was standard policy to let non-US citizens through the US citizens lane, after all the real Americans had left? - It's either that or they sit at lanes with no people in!

Peter

Kenshiro

Flying on the United leg in First means you get to go through the ELITE channel at the United Terminal, which on a good day can save you quite a bit of time

Peter

Hi

Just for the record, this connection was easy to make. We had an hour in the United Red Carpet lounge between flights

Regards

Peter