Can I transfer airside between two international tickets at LAX?
I am traveling from South Africa to Sydney. My first flight is from South Africa to Los Angeles via Dubai on Emirates.
After nine hours I have a second separate ticket departing to Sydney, Australia on Delta Airlines.
Although I have both Pfizer shots, I understand that entry into USA is still not allowed, but transit is allowed within 24 hours. Can this interconnection with two tickets work, assuming I transit ONLY airside with no checked luggage from Emirates to Delta?
I do have a USA visa and Australian regulatory approval to enter Sydney so the main issue is the no entry into USA landside currently in place.
Best Answer
I'm afraid that the answer is, at this time, clearly, resolutely, and absolutely, no.
There are no exceptions for transit to the current travel bans, whatever the duration of transit.
There is no airside transit in any airport in the US. All passengers, whatever their final destination, will go through immigration (passport/visa control), reclaim their luggage, if any, and go through customs, before they can move on. In the vast majority of cases (and that includes LAX), passengers will end up landside in the public area, before they go to departures and then go through security to go back airside.
Even if the two flights were on the same ticket, you would not be allowed to board a flight to the US if you have been in any of the banned countries in the last 14 days and you are not an exempt person (US citizen or permanent resident and a few other similar exceptions).
Even if there was an exception for transit (which doesn’t exist), with flights on separate tickets, the first airline would consider your final destination to be the US, and again, you would not be allowed to board.
There is talk about lifting restrictions for some countries, but I have no idea if South Africa is supposed to be part of those changes, there is still no date ("early November" is all we have)ù, and no details.
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Can I transit through LAX airport?
For passengers transiting through Los Angeles with a connecting flight to New York on the QF11: Baggage is to be collected and cleared through customs at LAX. Once bags are cleared, passengers are to proceed to the Connecting Flights area to place their bags on the transfer belt located after Customs.How long to transfer from international to domestic at LAX?
International - Domestic: 1 hour 25 minutes if your connection is T2-T3, T3-T2, T2-TBIT, T3-TBIT, or TBIT-TBIT; 1 hour 45 minutes if your connection is TBIT-T2 or TBIT-T3.How long do you need between flights at LAX?
As a general rule, 60 to 90 minutes should be enough for a transfer between domestic flights that doesn't require leaving security. Two hours is more reasonable for domestic transfers that require leaving security and rechecking, and three hours is a good idea if arriving from another country.How long does it take to get through customs at LAX?
Passing through immigration and customs at LAX takes between 30-90 minutes. This time can reduce/increase depending on the number of people currently waiting, the number of TSA officers on duty, and the number of flights that have landed at the airport at the same time.Complete Guide to LAX Airport from Domestic transfer or straight to Tom Bradley International
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Answer 2
I have done several international arrivals at LAX. The sequence of events is:
Immigration.
Baggage claim.
Customs.
The exit from customs will be groundside--it has to be, because there are items permitted in checked baggage that are not permitted airside.
Some airports have a setup right as you exit customs for connecting passengers--a baggage conveyor right there that if your bag is properly tagged you can just drop it on the belt rather than go to the check-in counter. Those belts are groundside, though.
Furthermore, US international departure gates are not isolated. I have walked from an international departure gate to outside any building (although still on airport grounds) without encountering any barriers at all. I then returned to the gate without encountering anything more than normal airport security. There is no outgoing border control in the US. (8 hour mechanical delay, I didn't like the food choices within the area I could access airside.)
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