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I am flying into LAX on an American Airlines flight from LHR, so presumably I will arrive at the TBIT international terminal (although American doesn't seem to be listed on the terminal maps for TBIT)? I assume I will clear customs and immigration there (like every other American airport), and will end up landside. I am then connecting onto an American domestic flight. Will this be from Terminal 4? How do I get there? Is there a landside bus or train service? Both the American Airlines and LAX websites seem a bit weak at explaining this.

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    TBIT is for international airlines not international flights :)
    – Burhan Khalid
    Commented Feb 19, 2015 at 12:11

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According to the LAX map on aa.com - all American Airlines (and American Eagle) flights use Terminal 4:

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Therefore, I do not see an issue during transit.

I did a cursory check on AA international flights arriving in LAX I found AA216 from Sau Paulo, and it also arrived at Terminal 4.

It seem TBIT is for international airlines and not international flights.

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  • Burhan, I agree - I'm just not 100% sure the map is correct. I have seen plenty of other airports in the US where a separate terminal is used for international arrivals (e.g. Chicago) - this requires them to have an immigration hall in T4. You may be right, I'd just like confirmation from someone with personal experience.
    – Andrew Ferrier
    Commented Feb 19, 2015 at 12:02
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    Per Wikipedia, all AA int'l flights do indeed use T4 ad not TBIT: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…
    – lambshaanxy
    Commented Feb 19, 2015 at 12:08
  • Perfect, thanks for the update. Seems clear enough.
    – Andrew Ferrier
    Commented Feb 19, 2015 at 12:10
  • Turned out in the end this was incorrect, unfortunately - I did land at TBIT. See my answer.
    – Andrew Ferrier
    Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 0:38
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United Airlines, Delta Airlines and American Airlines all have their own immigration and customs facilities within their repsective terminals. You will clear formalities and connect with your domestic flight in the same terminal.

TBIT is ueed primaily by international carriers with a limited presence in LAX (ie only one or two flights). International airlines with multiple flights often share a terminal with their alliance's US member to make connections easier.

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  • Tom, thanks. That might be true for some AA flights, but not the one from London I was on - see my answer.
    – Andrew Ferrier
    Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 0:38
  • The T4 customs is not in use now. I do not know if it will reopen at some point.
    – Michael Mathews
    Commented Mar 30, 2015 at 18:37
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Having done this now, I can say that the answer I'd previously accepted (Terminal 4) was incorrect. The flight I was on (an American Airlines one) landed at TBIT. It was fairly easy to "transfer" to Terminal 4 though - after re-dropping my bag, it was just a short walk outside - fairly obvious once you've looked a terminal map.

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  • What was your flight number? Was it a codeshare ?
    – Burhan Khalid
    Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 2:29
  • No, it was operated by American.
    – Andrew Ferrier
    Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 14:30
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    American used to have a special customs area in T4 (which was often much less crowded), but due to various construction projects they are using TBIT for customs clearance now. It is a short walk from TBIT to T4. Note that some AA flights are operated by US from T6 and some are operated by American Eagle (take a shuttle from gate 44 to the AE terminal).
    – Michael Mathews
    Commented Mar 30, 2015 at 18:36

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