Anyone done a stopover in the US en route to or from Australia or NZ? Is the security hassle worth it?

[castille]

I am considering it, but one person said that the security is not worth it for just a day or two.

Is it really that bad?

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If you go via LAX to NZ it can quite easily amount to a dire/rubbish experience. Air NZs website at one time had a procedure listed re their flights 1 and 2 that go to NZ; it made for some choice reading.

Given a choice (and I do like visiting the US and have travelled to Los Angeles) I would fly eastwards instead rather than transit through the USA.

Ah, ok then. I'll go via Hong Kong!

Another one for you if you've flown with Air NZ, is Premium Economy worth the extra ££?

Def go via Hong Kong or Singapore. We don't stop over but a few hours in SIngapore airport is enough for a dip in the pool which is a dream mid-flight.

LAX was a nightmare and we had a 5 month old baby in tow. I was in tears for most of the 6 hours we were there. Vile experience trying to get through security with a samll baby in a 2.5 hour queue and they wouldn't let us have the pram even though we could see it from where we were standing. OVerflowing toilets, crap food - urgh.

That idea is now definitively abandoned then! Thanks Attila and Duchess.

Do either of you have experience of Premium Economy?

Sorry - no. We flew the cheapest we could. But both AirNZ and Singapore were great - even in the cheap seats.

ANd the lovely NZ immigration have an express lane for families. We steamed past the mahoosive queue and were out in no time. I love NZ.

My sis agrees that the cheap seats are fine. As someone used to Ryanair's "hospitality" I will be floored simply by free food and a smile, no doubt!

Not taking the DC though, so will have to queue with the riff raff.

Thanks

We came home from Oz via San Francisco, and had 3 or 4 days there. Flight/entry into US was no problem - but we hadn't taken into account the time difference. 17 hours is a big difference for a body to cope with, and we were sleeping/waking at very odd times!