Using LAX for transfer to Auckland

[BarCol]

Help Help worried Mother here:
Our 23-year-old-fresh-outta-school-never-travelled-except-with-the-family- son is flying from Toronto to LAX then directly on to Auckland New Zealand on Christmas Day to take a job there for at least a year. (Where he will hopefully find a nice KIWI to love honor and cherish, but that's another story).......

In my capacity as travel planner, I'm putting together a detailed itinerary that tells him everything except when and where to go to the bathroom (okay I'm anxious, so is he and I'm an "A" type) and I just realized I have no idea what to write about the transfer at LAX...

The good news is he's transferring from Air Canada to Air New Zealand, his baggage will be routed directly through to Auckland and they both land and depart from Terminal 2.

So are there easy to read and obvious signs to direct passengers who are catching connecting international flights so that they stay in the restricted or security cleared area???? He has about 3 hours between his flights but the last thing I want is for him to blunder out of the secure area then have to get back in a panic....

So for all you TUGGERS who use LAX as a jump off point what say you? I thought of posting this on flyertalk as well or instead, but I figure you folks will be kind and helpful as always..

 

[PamH]

What a wonderful opportunity! We have flown twice from LAX to Auckland, but I honestly don't remember enough to comment. Hubby is going again this January and staying a month to flyfish. He will LOVE New Zealand. Hopefully you will get a chance to visit. I don't remember having any problems whatsoever. Upon arrival in Auckland you pick up your luggage in customs, then lug it over to the counter for inter-island (if you are then going to the south island). You then walk over to the domestic terminal for your flight to the south island. There are showers in the international terminal so you can freshen up, so take a carryon with a change of clothing.
In two weeks I put on 10 pounds because of the great English style breakfasts!
Pam

 

[BarCol]

Thanks Pam:
When he arrives in AKL he has to declare some Forestry equipment for use in his job, which requires MAF clearance etc etc so it won't likely be quite as smooth as your transfer, but I'm hoping for the best, but it's really the LAX stuff that worries me a little......

We've got all the other stuff (like accommodation, money, IRD numbers, maps) covered and I figure the kid CAN speak English so he can ASK if there's a ???

And yes we want to visit - but I want him to stay in NZ for at least 2 years to give us more time to make the arrangements.....

 

[ricoba]

Terminal 2 is not a very busy terminal and the both the Air Canada and Air New Zealand gates are very easy to find.

Rick

 

[Aussie girl]

Hi Barb,

Our 19 yr old son flew Calgary/lax/Auckland/Brisbane last year. Terminal 2 is very small. It will be a piece of cake. It is the easiest conection he will ever do.

Just tell him not to follow everyone who is going to collect their luggage. If he is anything like my son, very intelligent, but when it comes to directions he will just follow the crowd. All your son has to do when he gets off Air Canada is stay in that area and look for the gate number on his Air New Zealand boarding pass. I wrote all this down for my son and I even included "Do not leave the buliding".

Three hours will go by fast. There is a duty free store. Burger King, Starbucks, an express Wolfgang Puck restaurant and Cheers bar.


Good luck

Donna

 

[BarCol]

Donna: thanks - yes my son would just follow the crowd as well......so his itinerary "booklet" has the following in big red letters on the page for his air flight info:

On arrival in LA make sure you stay in the area for passengers going to connecting international flights!!!!!! DO NOT GO THROUGH SECURITY TO OUTSIDE THE SECURE AREA - Do NOT Follow the Crowd Picking up Baggage – if in doubt then ASK FOR HELP!!!!!!

Find the Gate where your ANZ Flight 1 departs from ASAP – NEVER LEAVE YOUR CARRY-ON BAGGAGE ALONE

DON’T MISS YOUR ANZ flight!!!!!!​

So now I can see about adding some detail from you...If that doesn't help him I don't know what will.....BTW we have friends of friends in Okotoks who just moved there last summer from Japan - 3 little kids and Nancy's husband, Graham is an Aussie. I may PM you latter to see if you've crossed paths since Okotoks is such a huge metropolis.....

 

[Aussie girl]

Hi Barb,

Small world. Not many people have heard of Okotoks. I haven't met another Aussie named Graham living here.

It was tough for us last year as we were already in Australia and our son was left behind to finish up his exams at University in Edmonton. He also had a conecting flight from Edmonton to Calgary. Which ended up being the toughest part, but that's a whole other story.

How exciting for your son to work in another country. You will miss him and yes, be prepared for him to meet and fall in love with a Kiwi. I came travelling to Canada in 1981 to see the world for a year and fell in love one month into the trip and we have been together ever since.


Donna.

 

[nkosi278]

The main thing to remember is not to get on a plane to OAKLAND
(there are many loudspeaker anouncements in California thereto which sound just like AUCKLAND!!)
Happy Christmas to all!!
nkosi

 

[jfrisk]

Just Curious

Well, I can't stand the suspense. Did your son make in one piece? Hopefully so.

Best Wishes,

Judy

 

[BarCol]

Yes Judy: he made it - we were just speaking with him....The flight from Toronto to LAX was uneventful (which is a good thing) and the transfer went smoothly - just walked off the AC flight and the Air New Zealand gate was either the same one or the one beside it - so it worked - Their flight was about 50 minutes early getting into Auckland but customs and immigration also went smoothly as well as the Airbus to the hostel, check-in at the hostel, buying the phone card and internet time and then calling us in snowy Ontario.

So now I just have to hope he finds the bus to Silverdale, then the bank in Orewa then the bus the next day and so on and so on and so on....a Mother's worries are never done.......

So he sounded excited and tired and I think it's going to be fine....thanks you for asking and have a Happy New year everyone!!!!

Actually nkosi - funny you should mention Oakland - when he came home from the travel agent with his tickets, he had written a note to himself that said he had to ask the AC ticket people to route his bags directly through to Oakland (at least that's what he thought he heard them say....)

 

[Aussie girl]

Glad to hear he made it safely.


Donna

 

[MaryH]

Barb,

Glad your son made it safely. Sorry I did not see this thread before since I do not visit the forum often but I did the trip 3 times last year while working in NZ (Auckland) for 6 months. Canada to LAX to NZ was usually uneventful since the transfer is very simple. NZ 1 comes from LHR (London, UK) stop off in LAX and continues to AKL. The only time I had the issue was when NZ 5 went mechnical and they proposed to put me on a flight that stop off in the islands in the middle of the night since other direct flights were full and I would have to clear custom and I had to insist until they put me on the direct flight on Qantas.

The only time your son would have to clear immigration in LAX is when he returns from NZ where he needs to to clear US immigration at LAX and check in again at for his AC flight.

He should have a good time in NZ. It is a nice country and absolutely beautiful and fairly laid back like Canadians.. (maybe more laid back considering you are from TO).

Let me know when he is planning to return and if I have a spare MLL lounge pass then, willing to gift it.

 

[BarCol]

Wow thanks Mary that's very generous of you ..The first time we may see him is next Christmas is when he may join our family in Puerto Vallarta for Christmas and New Years....or he may decide to head for sun and fun in Australia for the holiday.......but we'll see

 

[MaryH]

Where would he be based?

Auckland is a good trip if he like sailing and the 2 hr cruise on the American Cup yacht NZ 40 was excellent.

Queenstown is absolutely beautiful and so is Milford Sound.

Roturua has hot springs and some interesting Moai (sp?) history.

Wellington is pretty interesting too.

Uhmm, maybe you might want to take the opportunity to visit NZ

If you are ever in need of a MLL lounge pass urgently, either drop me a e-mail or try posting on Flyertalk

 

[BarCol]

He will be based in Silverdale near Orewa Beach, about 25 to 30 miles north of Auckland, but the company may be moving closer to Albany soon.....Actually we were speaking with him this evening when he got to the digs we hadrented over the internet - can you say filthy and completely unsuitable?......Now this kid has been a student for 3 years so you know the place must be really bad if even he was grossed out... so we talked to him about his options, helped him to define a reasonable course of action (which he is hopefully following even as I type) and then then said goodbye...only to commence wringing our hands at home (okay I'm wringing hands and my husband is philosophically saying its good for him to be faced with a little adversity ) and breathlessly waiting for him to contact us by telephone again or through MSN later tonight to let us know what he will do.........

Thanks for the suggestions Mary, for Auckland - yes I think my husband and I will have to visit- it looks so gorgeous on the all the websites I've seen - so we're hoping that once he gets over this glitch and finds a better place to live and starts work he will really enjoy the country and want to stay for another year, then we can plan a trip for about March 2007......

 

[MaryH]

BarCol,

If he has a computer with him, you might want to install goggle talk or yahoo messenger with voice. Alternatively, there are lots of places in Auckland that sells inexpensive phone cards. It would help him to keep the costs down since 1st job out of school does not pay that much usually and he would be saving up to travel.

How long has he signed the contract for? When he shows up for work, he should also try to post a notice and maybe someone have or know of some decent accomodation going not to far from the work location...

I think your husband is right. I left to work in London, England right after Waterloo and the house I lived in was shall we say a work in progress? Someone I know a little from phone conversation bought a victorian house with a friend and when I arrived in London staying in university housing looking for a job (had one serious lead and I had money for 2-3 months). This friend offered for me to move in to the house and can delay paying rent for a couple of months until I get paid and in return I offered to help a little with renovating the house.

The house was a little rough in that they were converting it back from bedsits and later ran out of money when interest rate when sky high so one bathroom had garbage bag on the wall mid-renovation. But I got a couple of lifelong friends out of it and many good memories but now look at bathroom and kitchen first at any place I look at lol.

Your son is 23 and old enough to solve his own problems. It is okay to offer some suggestions and some moral support but he is far from home and need to solve the day to day problems himself. You learn from your experience and even if some are mistakes, as long as you don't make it again, you learned from it.