I’m flying AA from SFO to LAX arriving 10pm then QF to Melbourne at 11:50pm. Same ticket. Is that enough transit time? Will I do immigration in SFO or LAX?
Your baggage will be checked through. You will have your boarding pass from LAX to MEL. Even when outgoing immigration was paper based you handed over a little square of green cardboard. Now you don't see it. Your only problem might be security if you have to change terminals but late night should not be a problem.
leaving the country is fine. There is a qantas transit lounge and you board a qantas bus the drives you across the tarmac to the international gate. At the International departure gate is a machine that you tell you are leaving the country.
im also wondering if I’ll be allowed in the Canberra lounge since there was no business option on my little plane.
My complaint is that coming out of the international baggage collection there is often a crowd of loved ones eagerly waiting for their returning people. All blocking the path to the domestic transfer point. Negotiating them with snowboard bags and suitcases after a long flight just annoys me. I’d rather see a transfer airside.
Just hope your AA flight is not delayed, happend to me a few months ago, missed the connection, lost bags, another night in Chicago a few food vouchers, motel and 10000 qff points compensation.
You will alight your AA flight at Terminal 4 LAX Head towards Baggage Claim but do not exit the terminal (because you have cleared TSA security in SFO and am now in the secure area) Where people are coming into T4 after clearing TSA security Turn left there are some escalators with signs to (Tom) Bradley International Terminal often called TBIT https://www.flylax.com/-/media/flylax/terminal-map-files/t4.ashx You will pass the Qantas First Class lounge and a couple of other airline lounges then you will come to the Qantas Business Lounge https://www.flylax.com/-/media/flylax/terminal-map-files/TBIT.ashx Easy from here on.......... Added later..... This map makes it a little easier to understand https://onemileatatime.com/connect-terminals-lax/
The Airside Connector between T4 and TBIT opened about three or four years ago but is very easy to miss.
If you are flying on a single ticket in J (Business) Class SFO-LAX-MEL you will have access to the AA Admirals' Club lounge in Terminal 2 at SFO (your flight could also depart from Terminal 1 which has an airside connector and only a 3 minute stroll).
Yes that's when we used it 4.5 years ago And there was big signs for Qantas, and people ushering us that way.
