On our trip to Hawaii, I booked flights with Delta for 17,500 SkyMiles and $5.60 each. As the flight got closer, Delta changed our flights and a 45-minute layover became a 4 hour stop at LAX. I pondered if it was worth trying to get SkyClub access and as it turned out, I applied for an AMEX Platinum card.
We headed upstairs after arriving at LAX terminal 2, right near the SkyClub. The smaller two clubs were at capacity, so we headed to the larger lounge. After having our boarding passes and vaccination cards checked, we headed into the club. The friendly agent informed us that our flight to Hawaii was leaving from gate 135, which was located in TBIT. We’d have to take the interterminal bus near gate 21B and leave the club 20 minutes before the scheduled boarding time.
We got some breakfast at the club since we’d already been awake for 6 hours with no real food.
About 1 hour before our scheduled boarding time, the SkyClub agents called guests flying to Hawaii to the counter to get their wristbands. Having these saved us a great amount of time once we landed in Kauai and shows why having club access is worth so much more than just getting free trail mix.
With our bags in hand, we left the club 30 minutes before the boarding time and walked through the terminal to gate 21B, which took a few minutes.
From there, we had to walk down a long hallway that led to the bus station.
At this point, I stopped taking pictures as I was starting to worry about getting on our flight on time. It had taken us 15 minutes to get to this point and we weren’t even on the bus.
We went downstairs and loaded on the bus which entailed a number of employees shouting “DELTA?” as we entered.
Once on the bus, we were on our way. I partly enjoyed driving on the tarmac and getting up close to the planes, while still being worried about our timetable.
That’s when we came to a stop because a Southwest plane was blocking the road. And we waited, and waited and waited. What could we do? We were on a bus, waiting for a jet plane.
Eventually, the bus driver got on the walkie-talkie and spoke to someone who talked to someone who spoke to someone who told the Southwest pilot that they were blocking the road with a bus full of passengers who needed to get to their connecting flights. It was probably only a 5-10 minute delay but it felt like forever.
When we could proceed, we were let off outside the US Immigration center of TBIT, which was empty. We were told we needed to move IMMEDIATELY into the building and up the ramp into the terminal. Do not stop. Do not wait for your party. Exit the bus and walk into the terminal.
I’ve seen what happens to people who don’t listen to orders around US Immigration so we headed up the ramp and into the FAR END of TBIT.
Fortunately, we were leaving from gate 133, located at the end of TBIT. As we walked to the gate, 10 minutes after the scheduled boarding time, they announced Main Cabin 3, which is one level above Basic Economy passengers. We’d usually be boarding with Main Cabin 1 since we have a co-brand Delta credit card. We hoped there’d still be space in the overhead for our bags and there was. We boarded the plane and greeted our rowmate for the 6-hour flight.
I was glad I had filled our water bottles and went to the restroom before leaving the lounge.
I previously read about how terrible the connection between T2 and TBIT was, but I figured the SkyClub agents would know how long it takes to get between terminals. They had no idea we’d hit a traffic jam on the tarmac or that the agents (presumably) would start the boarding process before the scheduled time.
In the end, everything worked out fine. However, we did have some stress during the process. So heads up – if you need to transit terminals with Delta at LAX, give yourself way more time than you’ll think you’ll need.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
16 comments
Have you ever thought of walking? It is fairly close. Not sure why you are complaining. It is only a five minute walk between terminals.
Which means exiting the secure area and then going thru TSA security at TBIT, again.
It is not merely LAX bus issue, can happen at many mega airport. Just need to Budget more time for connection! Most recently I was connecting Emirate flights at Dubai within same terminal. It took 30 minute on foot and bus…
Currently the terminals that Delta use, terminal 2,3 and Tom Bradley are not connected on the airside. Only way between them is a shuttle bus. Yes, you can walk between them on the street side in 5 minutes, but you have to go thru TSA again., that could be another 30 minutes. It’s my opinion that it’s still faster if you ride a bus., until the Delta Skyway connector is complete i a year. Than it’s a 10 minutes walk.
I am a LAX terminal shuttle driver, just like you mentioned before. I would inform you that delay on the tarmac was absolutely normal. You said the driver made a call on a radio to someone to someone to that the Southwest plane that it’s block your bus? I don’t know where the call ultimately went to, but not the Southwest plane. You see, plane has right of the way, no matter what, and they know that. And frankly, they don’t care. Even an ambulance with light flashing has to stop behind a plane. The driver on the radio is probably telling his dispatcher that he is about to take an alternate route, but luckily the plane happens to move. Only advise I can give is to give more time. Every day I have people tell me their plane is leaving in 10 minutes, can I help them. All I can say is I will try my best, but I know he is not going to make it. The good news is that this is temporary., for another year or so, Delta is building a connecting bridge between Terminal 2,3 and Tom Bradly Terminal, so you never need to take the bus ever again. However, even after the connector bridge is complete, you still need extra time, because the walk is extremely long. Bottom line, give more time.
Thanks for the info
Wow those ketchup packets, patties of undertermined meat and the overcooked eggs look so elegant. Makes me want to give up my Chase Sapphire so I can pay another $100 for an American Express card right now
That’s one sad looking breakfast. There were eggs somewhere in there? You ate that slop?
The eggs are the yellow disc at the bottom of the plate thus the need for the ‘fancy’ ketchup packets. I have no regrets as we had been up for over 8 hours as this point with only Biscoff cookies and a diet soda to eat. We did get the see the changeover to the lunch menu but it wasn’t any better.
In a world full of surprises, specially in the transportation area, many moons ago I realized traveling is best adding extra time to estimates. I’m glad the connection was made. Hope the trip was enjoyable.
So they complain because of traffic in LA? This is why you plan ahead and always leave early.
Kind of dramatic. You probably shouldn’t have left the lounge so close to your departure, especially if you weren’t sure how long the walk would take.
Good news. Terminal 3 re-opens in may. No more buses. You will walk between T2, T3 and TBIT, all inside the secure area. They’ve now connected the 3 Terminals. I think southwest (T1) is also connected.
That’s not 100% correct. In May, only the first phase of T3 will open. That will allow you to connect between T-1, T2 and half of T-3. If you need to connect to TIBIT, you still need to ride the bus on the air side., until the phase 3 is finished, which is the Delta to TBIT connector bridge. That phase is at least a year out.
Has anyone considered getting to an Air Port two hours ahead of your flight time? It does say on the back of some of the tickets to come at least two hours before your flight. Also TSA recommends you arrive two to three hours before your flight just incase something doesnt go as planned.
I found this very helpful. I could feel the stress in thinking you’re doing everything right but still potentially missing your flight. I’m flying Virgin Atlantic in May. I see they’re now out of TBIT, not T2 anymore. I’m flying premium economy, so alas no lounge. Priority Pass is pretty useless at LAX, and the restaurants look kinda below average. I’m trying to make it a nice trip for my mom. Any suggestions where to relax for 2 hours before boarding? Should I get Amex Platinum while there’s a 125,000 bonus through Resy? Thanks for any advice!