Despite the comfort of the business class seats, I only had two 1h sleeps. We arrived in Los Angeles at 1345 for a 2h55 transit. Because the USA really provide for any international-to-international, we had to go through immigration. But special arrangements have been made for this to take place at the gate rather than at the arrival hall. We were able to continue 30m to be exited out of the USA by the airline staff who took our boarding passes, following which we would be checked-out of the country.
That little process is so much easier than what we normally have to go through in Los Angeles while travelling on standby. We would normally have to clear immigration, collect luggage and go upstairs to check-in and wait to be confirmed on to the same aircraft continuing to London, if there are vacant seats.
Boarding the continuing leg from Los Angeles to London with ETD of 1640, the crew were happy for us to give our business class seats to Kim’s parents. But this time we weren’t lucky enough to be placed at the pointy end with them.