AMERICAN AIRLINES: trialing innovative LAX transfers for flights from Sydney

American Airlines wants to spare you the most annoying part of arriving in the USA. That’s transferring to a domestic flight at LAX.

If you’ve ever flown into the United States from Australia, you’ll know the drill. It’s not a good one. It’s the kind of soul-sapping routine that has you questioning why you ever booked that connection through LAX in the first place. You land, bleary-eyed, after 14 hours of recycled air, American service standards and questionably warm meals. The fun is only just beginning.

First: customs. Immigration. Lines. Fingerprints. You will need to be brave, as an officer may or may not be in the mood to welcome you to the Land of the Free. If you’ve signed up for Global Entry or Mobile Passport Control, the pain is mildly reduced — but only mildly.

Then comes the baggage carousel, that cruel game of ‘is that my black suitcase or someone else’s black suitcase with the same Qantas luggage tag?‘ Eventually, one that is definitely yours arrives. You drag it off, lurch through the crowds, and then — just for fun — check it back in again for your connecting flight.

It’s a rite of passage. A punishment. A test of resolve. And now, it might finally be on its way out.

No more bag re-checking at LAX (well, for some)

This week, American Airlines started trialling a new system for flights from Sydney to Los Angeles, one that could end the dreaded luggage shuffle for good—or at least for travellers flying beyond LA.

In a world-first trial of what it’s called remote baggage screening, American Airlines says international passengers will no longer have to collect and re-check their bags at LAX. Instead, their luggage will be checked all the way through to their final destination, just like in every other non-Trumpian part of the world.

The airline is working with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Sydney Airport on the initiative, which it says will offer ‘a more seamless and enhanced customer experience,’ while still ticking all the security boxes.

According to American, this system uses advanced technology to streamline the CBP inspection process. According to travellers? It means one less reason to dread LAX.

Graham White, Head of Security at Sydney Airport, put it a little more diplomatically:

“Our top priorities are safety, efficiency and service, and through this collaboration we can achieve all three. We look forward to successfully launching this pilot which is a great example of how technology can modernize and streamline customs and border processing..”

Graham White, Sydney Airport

Which is very much what this is all about. Convenience. Efficiency. Sanity.

2PAXfly Takeout

American has hinted that, if all goes well, this trial could expand to other cities. That’s very good news for anyone who’s ever stumbled through JFK, SFO, or MIA with a trolley, a time crunch, and the sudden suspicion that their bag may actually be en route to Denver.

This program joins One Stop Security, which launched back in February, as part of the airline’s attempt to drag international travel into the 21st century — or at least into a version of it where you don’t have to re-check your bags like it’s still 1997.

In the meantime, if you’re flying Sydney to anywhere in the US via LAX on American, congratulations: you might just avoid one of international travel’s most annoying rituals. And if not? Well, there’s always Global Entry. Or a good sense of humour.