Meeting fiancée and kids at LAX

[NoMansLand2020 298]

Fiancée and kids are flying into LAX on Friday. They will be coming into Terminal B.  I've been through this terminal several times, but it's been two years since I was there. 

 

Where is the best place to meet them? We have connecting flight together several hours after their arrival. Is there a common meeting area outside of baggage claim? 

[Talako 785]

This might help:   

 

 

 

 

(I lifted this from JAL, so the purple lines are showing their passengers how to transfer.)

Edited February 22, 2022 by Talako

[Talako 785]

My memory is faulty, so I had to look it up to confirm.  Coming out of customs is long ramp, and you have people looking down gawking at you as go.

 

I'm not sure where a good spot would be, but now you kind of know what you are dealing with.

 

 

[NoMansLand2020 298]

37 minutes ago, Talako said:

My memory is faulty, so I had to look it up to confirm.  Coming out of customs is long ramp, and you have people looking down gawking at you as go.

 

I'm not sure where a good spot would be, but now you kind of know what you are dealing with.

 

 

Yep, you are right. I remember this now. 

[Carpe Vinum 2,327]

19 hours ago, Talako said:

My memory is faulty, so I had to look it up to confirm.  Coming out of customs is long ramp, and you have people looking down gawking at you as go.

 

I'm not sure where a good spot would be, but now you kind of know what you are dealing with.

 

 

The wall of destiny))) Before covid it was PACKED with people waiting for their loved ones. It was like a mini United Nations.

[Girandola 52]

To find the place in the picture, follow signs to ground transport. Good luck!

[NoMansLand2020 298]

51 minutes ago, Girandola said:

To find the place in the picture, follow signs to ground transport. Good luck!

Thanks. How long did it take your fiancée to get through immigrations?  We have a flight out of lax 4 hours after they land. 

[Talako 785]

In factoring in how much time it is going to take:

 

Immigration & Customs

Continuation flight? - Baggage drop off is breeze.  Easy and fast as you come out of customs to the right.

What terminal do you need to transfer to?  Are you dragging baggage and munchkins across LAX? (No envy from me here).  That takes time. 

Need to check in and and recheck bags?  Sometimes its easy and fast, and sometimes new cusswords are invented. 

TSA Checkpoint - Always a wildcard

Getting to the gate.  If your unlucky like me, my flight is always the last gate in terminal requiring water, lunch, a guide, and a new pair of shoes.

 

Can you do it in 4 hours?  Probably yes, but dawdling or plain bad luck will get you hosed.

 

 

 

 

[top_secret 2,440]

2 hours ago, NoMansLand2020 said:

Thanks. How long did it take your fiancée to get through immigrations?  We have a flight out of lax 4 hours after they land. 

 

Late October it took my wife and step-daughter 2 hours just to clear immigration at LAX TBIT.  She said they were processed quickly and CBP was quite friendly when they finally made it but the line was long and numerous Chinese passengers ahead of her from another flight were taking forever.  Plus one drunk or crazy American guy was dragged away in handcuffs screaming and yelling incoherent nonsense. (Welcome to Los Angeles).  Even though LAX was their final stop, they would have been able to make a 4 hour layover if they had one.  Anything less would have been iffy.

[NoMansLand2020 298]

8 hours ago, Talako said:

In factoring in how much time it is going to take:

 

Immigration & Customs

Continuation flight? - Baggage drop off is breeze.  Easy and fast as you come out of customs to the right.

What terminal do you need to transfer to?  Are you dragging baggage and munchkins across LAX? (No envy from me here).  That takes time. 

Need to check in and and recheck bags?  Sometimes its easy and fast, and sometimes new cusswords are invented. 

TSA Checkpoint - Always a wildcard

Getting to the gate.  If your unlucky like me, my flight is always the last gate in terminal requiring water, lunch, a guide, and a new pair of shoes.

 

Can you do it in 4 hours?  Probably yes, but dawdling or plain bad luck will get you hosed.

 

 

 

 

Most likely terminal 1 as a we are flying southwest. But the terminal bus runs every ten minutes around the airport, so it shouldn't be too bad. 

[Girandola 52]

8 hours ago, NoMansLand2020 said:

Thanks. How long did it take your fiancée to get through immigrations?  We have a flight out of lax 4 hours after they land. 

I flew into LA and arrived 15 minutes before her flight landed about 20 minutes early. PAL must not know about Filipino time🙂 I saw her plane land while I was waiting for the shuttle bus to terminal B. I waited at pictured waiting wall for about 45 minutes before she came out. Many Filipino people came out before her. When demographics started to change I started to worry. But she appeared soon after that. She was on the PAL flight that leaves at 9:10PM BTW. Arrives LAX at 6 PM.

[top_secret 2,440]

42 minutes ago, NoMansLand2020 said:

Most likely terminal 1 as a we are flying southwest. But the terminal bus runs every ten minutes around the airport, so it shouldn't be too bad. 

You can even walk that fairly easily though it's a little far-ish.  Probably no more than 15 minutes strolling at a leisurely pace.  I don't think you can recheck bags for Southwest at TBIT (??) so you probably end up pushing a cart.  Baggage carts are free at TBIT baggage claim but I think you loose it boarding the bus and if you need one at T1 I think they are $7 which is annoying.

Edited February 24, 2022 by top_secret