flight transfer at LAX
 

Hi all,
I have a flight booked from MAN-SFO via LAX with virgin. I've never changed aircraft in the states before.
When we booked we were told that we had to go through customs and security but we didn't have to collect luggage, but reading online it says we do, has anyone changed at LAX with it being their first US destination and can give us the actual details?

You will have to collect luggage. It will be the obligatory immigration, collect luggage, customs. No way to avoid it!

We had to collect luggage a couple of years ago, don't believe it has changed for LAX. Been through others where you don't.

Last time we did an EU to US transfer at LAX it took just under 3 hours to get out and back through security into the outbound terminal. Usually quicker but can take a long time there so make sure you have a decent layover.

You have to collect luggage at first airport in the USA. So if you do indirect via EU airport you dont. But as soon as you land in the USA you will as you must have your luggage with you when you pass through customs.

Which airline are you connecting with at LAX and is it on the same ticket? There are 9 terminals at Lax you will mostly land at Tom Bradley Terminal which most international flights land at.
We landed at 19.30 and made our flight in plenty in time. at 22.30 from Terminal 6 though arrivals was quiet. I have heard of long queues at Arrivals bit like MCO but depends how many flights land at the same time, make sure you give yourselves plenty of time.
Lax is a big horseshoe with TB in the middle. You can walk between each Terminal and there is a bus which goes around to transfer Terminals.
Hope this helps.

As in fly from an EU country not via to the US and then transfer to an internal US flight.

Some US airports no longer require you to collect luggage and it will go directly through to the final destination, LAX is not one of these yet as far as I am aware. You still have to do immigration in all airports. This is also the case for some Canadian airports with transfers into the US, with luggage transferring without collection and doing US immigration in Canada.

Have done a couple of recent trips at other US / Canada airports where luggage transferred without collection.

I didn’t know this! (I did for Canada but not the US). Which airports? I hope this gets rolled out further, that would be great.

We're travelling with Virgin then Delta, same ticket, it looks like terminals 2 and 3 we need to deal with and have 3 hours to make the change.

Thanks everyone, I'll be prepared to collect our bags, hope it's a straightforward process, I'm assuming we don't need to go back to check in desks or anything, they just take the bags after customs?

When we did it there was a bag drop just after where you collected your bags and before you left that terminal.

It's pretty straight forward and unless you get a bad landing soot and come in behind other flights should have plenty of time.