@emarshall2024 wrote:
Flying into LAX on an international flight with French Bee and then flying with SW 2 hrs and 15 mins later. I will not have any bags to check in.
Question 1. After going through customs will I still have to go to Terminal 1 to "check in" if I check in digitally and having a digital boarding pass?
Question 2. Since I will not have to check baggage and will have boarding pass digitally on my phone, do I need to go through security at Terminal 1 for "check in" for SW? Or is there a faster way to get to Terminal B which SW flys out of at LAX?
I am trying to secure that I wont miss my flight since I only have 2 hrs and 15 mins after we land and have to go through customs and catch our SW flight.
Hola!
By the looks of your post, it looks like your arriving international flight into LAX will occur at the International Terminal B where the CBP Border Inspection Station is. All Southwest domestic flights occur from Terminal 1. After you clear CBP, you'll be on the landside on the downstairs arrivals level at Terminal B and will need to go through TSA.
Since you'll be flying carry-on and not checking bags and have your digital boarding pass, you should not need to stop at the Southwest Check-In Counter landside in Terminal 1 once you're in the USA from Terminal B. Instead, you should go upstairs to the departures level deck and re-enter the secure airside area through any of the TSA checkpoints at LAX. LAX in 2023 renovated their terminals with pedestrian airside connector walkways in between all nine terminals including Terminal B which allows travelers to use any checkpoint:
Here's a link to the airport map which should help.
https://www.flylax.com/inter-terminal-connections
To further speed up your security clearances, the CBP Border Inspection Station at LAX supports both Global Entry and Mobile Passport Control. If you don't have Global Entry, I would see if you qualify to use Mobile Passport Control which should help speed up your passage through CBP. Your customs declarations will also be done via the app too. If you don't have TSA PreCheck, LAX also has CLEAR Lanes at its TSA Checkpoints at Terminal 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 if you qualify for this program too and think you may use it frequently. CLEAR allows you to bypass TSA lines for the ID check portion of the inspection process through special ID check lanes and kiosks.
Mobile Passport Control Info:
https://www.flylax.com/lax-customs-and-immigration
CLEAR Info
https://www.clearme.com/all-locations/los-angeles-international-airport#enrollment
Hope this helps!
