NZ via LA

[zoej]

I have never flown long haul before - but we are going to Wellington Via LA at the end of the month.

Any hint what to do at LA air side - are there showers etc?

Is it true you are not allowed to buy any liquid duty free if travelling via LA? i.e spirits or perfume?

Also do I need travel insurance to cover us even though I am staying air-side?

You can take liquid duty free but they have to seal it up in a bag when you buy it

As I recall there is nothing to do at LA airport. If you don't clear customs you will be kept in a small waiting room til it's time to reboard

We did this last year

You get put in a holding room there is deffo bathrooms but sorry can't remember if there are showers

We got years insurance and yes we did include USA cos if we were ill in the room we would be taken to hosp.

Also we were in Business class so we got off the plane 1st and then got on again 1st

SO we were in the room 1st there are TVs and newspapers and fruit and drinks and muffins and biscuits that are FREE

I don't know about duty free cos we didn't bother that time

My advice is to let the children run around the room or at least walk rather than sit down

YOU DO NEED TO GO THROUGH THE ENTRANCE PROCEEDURE

ie IRIS RECOGNITION AND FINGER PRINTING

But you can't see the airport

And you Are watched from inside a room with one way mirrors you can see the guards inside if you look close to the window

If you haven't had already booked this up I would have suggested not transitting through the US at all!.

Anyway......if you are travelling on Air NZ there is actually a set procedure for their pax to follow in Los Angeles for their flights to Australia and New Zealand. If you check the Air NZ website it tells you more there.

LAX is a grim place (I'll be charitable here) of an airport. Certainly no showers there in that transit lounge, you may have access to toilet facilities but that's about it. You certainly do not have any access to the outside world.

Duty free like spirits may well be confiscated on arrival, to be honest I would not take any duty free items through there at all and particularly in transit. You are very much at the mercies and vagaries of the TSA when you arrive in the USA anyway and/or are in transit. This bunch change the rules seemingly daily.

As Kanga correctly points out you will all need visa waiver forms completed (an adult will need to complete and sign the visa waiver forms for all the children under the age of 14) even though you are in transit. All adults (not children) will be fingerprinted and photographed on arrival into LAX.

Your travel insurance should be one that is a world wide policy.

www.eu.airnewzealand.com/travelinfo/planning_your_trip/transiting_via_la.htm

You may find this useful; this is the procedure outlined to pax on Air NZ flights transitting through LAX.

yes thats very useful - why all the bother for 1 hr and 45 mins - anyone would think America is something special!!!???

Shame I can not change the flights but they have been arranged and paid for us - will remember never to transit through the USA again if I pay for tickets!

It will in all likelihood take more than 1 hour and 45 minutes!!. It can sometimes take half an hour to just deplane after landing!!. At LAX the planes are towed into the gates and that can take some time. Their second runway some time back was being widened to accommodate the A380s (goodness alone knows what LAX will be like when they arrive!) so that was not in use at all.

I wish you the very best of luck with transitting through LAX.

We went to NZ via LAX it's not that bad! We had the fingerprint and iris recognition thingy but that took a few minutes!

We went into a big room with seats and free snacks and drinks, plenty of room for the kids to run around.
There is a t.v full of cheesy american comercials! and news papers for the adults.

I don't think there is showers but deffo toilets and sinks you could have a quick freshen up at.

Not sure about duty free.

have fun!

what happens at LA depends on what flights you're on. for AirNZ it was as follows:
If you're on 2 different flight numbers (like we were when we flew to ChCh) then you have to pick up your baggage, clear customs and then check in again with your luggage, it takes blardy ages and is total crapola.
If you're on the SAME flight which is just stopping at LA (so if you're going to Auckland - don't know what happens re Wellington) then you go through transit which is less involved but still involves fingerprinting etc.

your airline will be able to tell which one it is. good luck!

My god I'm glad I read this thread! Lat time we went to NZ via LAX (about 3 years ago) you had to get your luggage and go through security again (which was a pain with a baby) but we were allowed to wander around the arport and go ouside! Non of this holding room crap! You'ld thing travel agents would warn you before you booked, especially if you are making a booking for young kids as well!!