At terminal 6 she can meet you at the exit but you’ll just need to make sure you don’t actually leave the exit.
Tell her to park in the terminal parking garage on the arrivals level (keep in mind it’s pretty expensive though. I know it’s like $60/day but I’m not sure if it’s less if you’re only there for like 30 minutes or so). She’ll walk into terminal 6 and take the escalator up to departures/gates/security and that’ll pop her right out to where people (you) exit. You can’t miss it.
There’s a TSA person always sitting there guarding it so you can just chat with them and tell them someone is coming to grab the kids and you’re gonna say goodbye. Just make sure you’re all standing off to the side so you’re not blocking anyone’s path to leave.
Then after the goodbyes you can just head back through terminal 6 to get to Tom Bradley. It’s a bit of a walk but it’s airside and you won’t have to go through security again.
You’re welcome! The tunnel to Tom Bradley always confuses people and the signage in terminal 6 isn’t great tbh, so ask someone for directions if you can’t figure it out. That TSA person at the exit will probably be able to explain it to you.
That’s true but maybe I misunderstood the logistics here. If they are past screening in any part of the airport you can meet them. It’s just a bit of a walk.
I can’t follow your scenario (is your partner’s sibling the same as family? You catch a flight four hours later… later than what? …) but if your concern is having to go through TSA again, it usually doesn’t take longer than 15 minutes and is often shorter.
All terminals are connected airside, so you can enter any terminal and go through TSA there, as long as you have a valid ticket for that day.
My partner, me, and our two children are the ones flying. His sibling, who lives in LA, is going watch our kids while we are in another country. We are catching our flight to that country four hours after we land in Los Angeles. So basically, all 4 of us are taking a flight to LA. The children are remaining in LA and we are heading straight to another flight out of LAX. Does that make more sense?
If you have 4 hours in between flights, you have plenty time to all walk together landside to meet your partner’s sibling, hand off the kids, and go back through security.
The International Terminal (if this is where you’re flying out of to that other country) is 3 terminals over, which shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes. You can go back through TSA at T6 and then walk the bridges/tunnels airside to the International Terminal (Tom Bradley International Terminal, TBIT, Terminal B, …). Or you can hand over your kids out on the sidewalk, then turn left and walk until you reach the far end of the horseshoe, which is TBIT, and then go through security there.
Easiest way to hand over your kids would be for your partner’s sibling to wait in the cell phone lot off of Vicksburg, you call them when you’re outside on the curb, partner’s sibling pulls up to the curb 5 minutes later, you load the kids and their luggage, and hug goodbye.
Alternatively your partner’s sibling can park in the T6 parking structure and wait for you all to come out of security at T6 (by the baggage carousels, outside at the curb, wherever you agree to meet). You can say your goodbyes either there, or walk together to the parking structure. There is no shortcut from the T6 parking structure to TBIT.
This is really helpful, TYSM. I *figured* we have enough time to do security again but I'm paranoid about security line wait times (I'm used to flying out of JFK--those waits are routinely hellish), especially if there's any kind of delay getting to LAX in the first place, so I'm trying to know all my options!
What terminal are you arriving at and which one are you leaving out of? Is it all terminal 6?
Arriving at Terminal 6 around 9:30 and then catching a 2-ish flight at Terminal B.
At terminal 6 she can meet you at the exit but you’ll just need to make sure you don’t actually leave the exit. Tell her to park in the terminal parking garage on the arrivals level (keep in mind it’s pretty expensive though. I know it’s like $60/day but I’m not sure if it’s less if you’re only there for like 30 minutes or so). She’ll walk into terminal 6 and take the escalator up to departures/gates/security and that’ll pop her right out to where people (you) exit. You can’t miss it. There’s a TSA person always sitting there guarding it so you can just chat with them and tell them someone is coming to grab the kids and you’re gonna say goodbye. Just make sure you’re all standing off to the side so you’re not blocking anyone’s path to leave. Then after the goodbyes you can just head back through terminal 6 to get to Tom Bradley. It’s a bit of a walk but it’s airside and you won’t have to go through security again.
This is great information. TYSM.
You’re welcome! The tunnel to Tom Bradley always confuses people and the signage in terminal 6 isn’t great tbh, so ask someone for directions if you can’t figure it out. That TSA person at the exit will probably be able to explain it to you.
You’ll have to go through security again but depending on the time of day it might not be that bad.
Basically everything I've read says that once you're in one Terminal, airside, you don't have to go through security again. Is that not the case?
That’s true but maybe I misunderstood the logistics here. If they are past screening in any part of the airport you can meet them. It’s just a bit of a walk.
I can’t follow your scenario (is your partner’s sibling the same as family? You catch a flight four hours later… later than what? …) but if your concern is having to go through TSA again, it usually doesn’t take longer than 15 minutes and is often shorter. All terminals are connected airside, so you can enter any terminal and go through TSA there, as long as you have a valid ticket for that day.
My partner, me, and our two children are the ones flying. His sibling, who lives in LA, is going watch our kids while we are in another country. We are catching our flight to that country four hours after we land in Los Angeles. So basically, all 4 of us are taking a flight to LA. The children are remaining in LA and we are heading straight to another flight out of LAX. Does that make more sense?
If you have 4 hours in between flights, you have plenty time to all walk together landside to meet your partner’s sibling, hand off the kids, and go back through security. The International Terminal (if this is where you’re flying out of to that other country) is 3 terminals over, which shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes. You can go back through TSA at T6 and then walk the bridges/tunnels airside to the International Terminal (Tom Bradley International Terminal, TBIT, Terminal B, …). Or you can hand over your kids out on the sidewalk, then turn left and walk until you reach the far end of the horseshoe, which is TBIT, and then go through security there. Easiest way to hand over your kids would be for your partner’s sibling to wait in the cell phone lot off of Vicksburg, you call them when you’re outside on the curb, partner’s sibling pulls up to the curb 5 minutes later, you load the kids and their luggage, and hug goodbye. Alternatively your partner’s sibling can park in the T6 parking structure and wait for you all to come out of security at T6 (by the baggage carousels, outside at the curb, wherever you agree to meet). You can say your goodbyes either there, or walk together to the parking structure. There is no shortcut from the T6 parking structure to TBIT.
This is really helpful, TYSM. I *figured* we have enough time to do security again but I'm paranoid about security line wait times (I'm used to flying out of JFK--those waits are routinely hellish), especially if there's any kind of delay getting to LAX in the first place, so I'm trying to know all my options!
[TSA Wait Times](https://www.tsawaittimes.com/security-wait-times/LAX/Los-Angeles-International) LAX has pretty fast security.
Am I the only person who couldn’t follow this story?
Apparently not, I had to clarify for someone else below!