Fiji travel--Private Travel Insurance Covering Covid-19: How much detail to present at checkin?

[Joneill]

Thank you @Joneill for your input.

Why did you have to retrieve your bags in LAX? Did you request that from United to ensure that they were in your possession to hand over to Fiji Airways staff? My flight into LAX is with Air Canada; my expectation is that they would be checked right through to Nadi--I would avoid having to pick them up in LAX.

Does Fiji Airways have kiosk checkin or did you have to line up to speak with FA rep?

I booked my United and Fiji Airways flights completely separately so they were not on a single ticket/itinerary where I could check my bag though all the way to Nadi.

I just got in the line at the Fiji Airways counter as they need to check a few documents: Passport, Vaccine card, Covid Insurance and the printout of your scheduled post-arrival Covid Test appointment. As a result, I don’t believe you can use a Kiosk for check-in.

 

[brownie]

I booked my United and Fiji Airways flights completely separately so they were not on a single ticket/itinerary where I could check my bag though all the way to Nadi.

I just got in the line at the Fiji Airways counter as they need to check a few documents: Passport, Vaccine card, Covid Insurance and the printout of your scheduled post-arrival Covid Test appointment. As a result, I don’t believe you can use a Kiosk for check-in.

Thank you @Joneill for helping me to understand. My flights are on the same ticket so my checked bag should be sent all the way through to Nadi so I won't have to hassle with it at LAX. With respect to "printing a boarding pass" for the LAX-NAN routing, I doubt I can do that from a kiosk, laptop, or cell phone. I will need to present my file of documents (as you thoroughly noted) at the FJ counter, in order to proceed with a boarding pass in hand.

So very helpful to get input from someone with recent "on the ground" experience. Thank you.

 

[Shasta_man]

@brownie My domestic flight to LAX and then onto Fiji were all booked as one through Fiji Airways. As I described, we could only get the domestic boarding pass at the airport on the day of the flight and the Fiji Airways pass from Fiji Airways.

We also arrived at Terminal 6 and then had to go to Tom Bradley. It was a hike. We saw the aforementioned carts but passed them by as they were occupied, took only a few passengers and moved slowly. They would be good if you have the time.

I'm certain they did check the baggage all the way through to Fiji.

I don't think we touched them in LAX but am a little fuzzy as we have done a lot of traveling recently. However, it will be clear what you have to do and just confirm that when getting your boarding pass. I remember having to go through customs in LA on the return and then following a "connecting flights" sign, drop the bags to go on to my home flight.

Sega na lega - no worries

 

[brownie]

@brownie My domestic flight to LAX and then onto Fiji were all booked as one through Fiji Airways. As I described, we could only get the domestic boarding pass at the airport on the day of the flight and the Fiji Airways pass from Fiji Airways.

We also arrived at Terminal 6 and then had to go to Tom Bradley. It was a hike. We saw the aforementioned carts but passed them by as they were occupied, took only a few passengers and moved slowly. They would be good if you have the time.

I'm certain they did check the baggage all the way through to Fiji.

I don't think we touched them in LAX but am a little fuzzy as we have done a lot of traveling recently. However, it will be clear what you have to do and just confirm that when getting your boarding pass. I remember having to go through customs in LA on the return and then following a "connecting flights" sign, drop the bags to go on to my home flight.

Sega na lega - no worries

Thank you @Shasta_man If you are able to recall, do you remember:

1. Approximately, how much was your actual "connection time" once you arrived LAX?
2. Once you were in Tom Bradley, did you proceed to the "gate" for printing your boarding pass, or
did you go to the Fiji Airways checkin counter, lineup with other passengers, and present documents there to get your boarding pass.

The reason I ask Q. #2, in navigating Terminal 6 through Tom Bradley, I would be "airside", so if I can get my boarding pass at the "gate" rather than the checkin counter, that would be a timesaver (less lineup and TSA stuff).

 

[Shasta_man]

Answers first:
1. By actual connection time I think you are referring to how long to get from Terminal 6 to the gate at Tom Bradley terminal. Seemed like at least 30 mins just to get to Tom Bradley terminal, then probably at least 15 to get to the gate itself once we knew which gate it was at. I seem to recall they show that check ins close 1 hour before the flight leaves. Check the flight info for that.

2. We got our boarding passes at the gate itself. I recall now that we went "airside" to the Tom Bradley terminal but never exited otherwise we would have to go through security again. We waited in the Tom Bradley terminal area until we found out the gate then went to the gate. We provided our info and certificates and the gate gave us our boarding passes. In addition to the boarding passes, they actually had someone reviewing passports in the gate area to put a sticker on them we had to have to get on.

Note once in the Tom Bradley terminal, look for a board with all departures to find the gate number. There is a big projection in the central area showing selected departures but it never showed the Fiji flight. We were waiting and happened to see a list elsewhere which showed our gate was already available.

I actually bought domestic tickets to arrive early to ensure I had plenty of options to still make it to LAX without having our hearts in our throats if anything happened to our scheduled domestic flight. Anything can happen at LAX and I don't care to test it. After getting there, I read part of LAX was closed that morning due to an incident which screwed up passengers and car travel into the airport. We just went to the Tom Bradley terminal and waited in vacant departure lounges which had plenty of seats even to lay down.

 

[brownie]

Answers first:
1. By actual connection time I think you are referring to how long to get from Terminal 6 to the gate at Tom Bradley terminal. Seemed like at least 30 mins just to get to Tom Bradley terminal, then probably at least 15 to get to the gate itself once we knew which gate it was at. I seem to recall they show that check ins close 1 hour before the flight leaves. Check the flight info for that.

2. We got our boarding passes at the gate itself. I recall now that we went "airside" to the Tom Bradley terminal but never exited otherwise we would have to go through security again. We waited in the Tom Bradley terminal area until we found out the gate then went to the gate. We provided our info and certificates and the gate gave us our boarding passes. In addition to the boarding passes, they actually had someone reviewing passports in the gate area to put a sticker on them we had to have to get on.

Note once in the Tom Bradley terminal, look for a board with all departures to find the gate number. There is a big projection in the central area showing selected departures but it never showed the Fiji flight. We were waiting and happened to see a list elsewhere which showed our gate was already available.

I actually bought domestic tickets to arrive early to ensure I had plenty of options to still make it to LAX without having our hearts in our throats if anything happened to our scheduled domestic flight. Anything can happen at LAX and I don't care to test it. After getting there, I read part of LAX was closed that morning due to an incident which screwed up passengers and car travel into the airport. We just went to the Tom Bradley terminal and waited in vacant departure lounges which had plenty of seats even to lay down.

Thank you @Shasta_man that is most helpful. So you remained "airside" at LAX, without ever having to go "landslide". Landside would have eaten up more time (Fiji Airways checkin counter + TSA) and all that would be in addition to the hike to get to T. Bradley terminal.

Do you recall how many hours connection time you had available from (a) arrival at LAX to (b) departure from LAX? If my first flight is on time, I will have 4 hours. But I have been tracking the recent on-time departure-arrival of that flight and often it's delayed 2 hours. Yikes!

Finding the gate # sounds like it might be a challenge--I will just have to do the best I can!

 

[jbjclj]

Thank you @Shasta_man that is most helpful. So you remained "airside" at LAX, without ever having to go "landslide". Landside would have eaten up more time (Fiji Airways checkin counter + TSA) and all that would be in addition to the hike to get to T. Bradley terminal.

Do you recall how many hours connection time you had available from (a) arrival at LAX to (b) departure from LAX? If my first flight is on time, I will have 4 hours. But I have been tracking the recent on-time departure-arrival of that flight and often it's delayed 2 hours. Yikes!

Finding the gate # sounds like it might be a challenge--I will just have to do the best I can!

The board in Bradley rarely shows theFiji flight. When you arrive in Bradley, turn left and go to”A 23. That is Fiji

 

[brownie]

The board in Bradley rarely shows theFiji flight. When you arrive in Bradley, turn left and go to”A 23. That is Fiji

Whoa.........so the gate for Fiji Airways late-night departure is usually A 23 that's a handy nugget of info. I believe you referenced that in an earlier post. Thank you @jbjclj for your patience.

 

[brownie]

The board in Bradley rarely shows theFiji flight. When you arrive in Bradley, turn left and go to”A 23. That is Fiji

I am looking at maps of T. Bradley Terminal online. It only shows gates in the 100 and 200 series. Any idea where A 23 is positioned? Is there some way to reference its location? You mentioned "turn left", can you put that into context please? Also, would there be directional signage for A 23?

Regrets if this sounds too detailed, but I have never been to LAX before.

 

[Shasta_man]

@brownie I arrived to LAX with 6 hours before the Fiji departure. Gobs of time.

My flight left from one of the even numbered 200 gates. I think 202, could have been 206.

Looking at this map on flylax.com:

https://www.flylax.com/-/media/flylax/terminal-map-files/tbit.ashx

We entered what 's labelled Great Hall from what's labeled "connector to Terminal 4".

We crossed through to go out to the 200 gate area.