Delta Airlines | A350-900 | Premium Select | Sydney (SYD) to Los Angeles (LAX) | Trip Report

Delta Airlines | A350-900 | Premium Select | Sydney (SYD) to Los Angeles (LAX) | Trip Report



Welcome to my flight from Sydney (SYD) to Los Angeles (LAX) on Delta Airlines in their Airbus A350-900 in their Premium Select …

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  1. Don't forget to like and subscribe for more videos. 🙂

  2. ⏱ How tight the timing is

    SYD Departure: Most eastbound flights leave Sydney late morning to mid-afternoon (9 AM–1 PM), because leaving later risks missing LAX connection waves or SYD’s night curfew on the return.

    LAX Arrival: They’re scheduled to hit the ground between 5:45–6:30 AM. That’s only a 30–45 minute buffer against CBP opening.

    Customs opening: CBP doors at Tom Bradley normally open around 6:00 AM. If you land before that, you wait. If you land after, you’re right into the morning rush with every other flight from the Pacific.

    🎯 Why windows stay so narrow

    Return flights: That aircraft has to go back to Sydney in the evening. If it lands late, turnaround times shrink, and the outbound could miss Sydney’s strict 11 PM–6 AM curfew.

    Connection banks: U.S. domestic flights to New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, etc. all depart in the mid-morning wave. If you land much later than 6–7 AM, passengers miss their connections.

    Airport slots: Early-morning international arrivals are prime real estate at LAX. Airlines fight to hold those slots, even if they come with the “customs bottleneck.”

    🔄 The trade-off

    Airlines would rather risk a short wait at customs than:

    Arrive later and miss East Coast connections.

    Arrive too late to turn the plane back to SYD before curfew.

    Give up a prized morning slot at LAX.

    So the system is designed to “cut it close.”

  3. 🛫 Airlines’ Side

    Aircraft rotations: That Delta A350 flying SYD–LAX needs to turn back to SYD later that same day. If it lands too late, the return flight misses curfew at Sydney (they have strict overnight curfews).

    Global connections: Airlines design arrivals so that Australians can connect to flights across the U.S., and Americans flying to SYD can connect across Asia. That pushes schedules into narrow windows.

    Slot restrictions: Both SYD and LAX have regulated arrival/departure slots. Airlines can’t just “pick any time” — they’re assigned, and early morning at LAX is one of the most in-demand banks.

    🛂 Customs & Border Protection (CBP)

    Federal staffing: CBP isn’t run by the airport or the airlines, but by the U.S. government. Their officer hours are budgeted and optimized around average demand.

    Wave planning: They know 6–9 AM will be slammed (Australia, NZ, and Asia flights all bank in), so they staff heavily then, not overnight when maybe only 1–2 flights trickle in.

    Security/legal limits: Even if your plane is sitting at the gate, no one can disembark until CBP says so — immigration is a legal checkpoint.

    🌐 Time Zones & Seasons

    The seasonal time difference between SYD and LAX (17–19 hours depending on daylight savings shifts) makes the same “scheduled” flight land earlier or later relative to U.S. time.

    That means a flight that’s always 9:30 AM departure from SYD will sometimes be a 5:15 AM arrival at LAX, and sometimes a 6:15 AM arrival, just because of clock changes.

    ⚖ The Balancing Act

    So you have:

    Airlines trying to maximize efficiency, minimize curfews, and feed connections.

    CBP trying to balance federal staffing with peak demand.

    Seasonal time shifts messing with the balance.

    It’s all stitched together so that thousands of passengers can (mostly) flow through without noticing — except when you land 45 minutes “too early” and wonder why the doors aren’t opening yet.

  4. 🌏 Why flight times shift

    Australia does daylight saving time, the U.S. does too — but they don’t switch on the same dates.

    Sydney (SYD) moves clocks forward in October and back in April, while California (LAX) moves clocks forward in March and back in November.

    For several weeks each year, the time difference between SYD and LAX changes (sometimes 17 hours, sometimes 18, sometimes 19).

    ⏱ Impact on SYD → LAX arrivals

    Airlines schedule departures in the late morning/afternoon from Sydney so they land early morning same day at LAX.

    Depending on the offset:

    In U.S. summer (August), you’ll see arrivals like 6:00–6:20 AM (right at or slightly after customs opens).

    In U.S. winter (around December–February), those same flights may touch down closer to 5:00–5:30 AM, when customs hasn’t opened yet.

    ✈ Why they don’t simply shift flight times

    Aircraft utilization: Airlines want the plane back in Australia the same evening, so departure times from LAX are constrained.

    Connection banks: Landing in LA around 6:00 AM lets passengers catch domestic connections to the East Coast, Midwest, and beyond.

    Slot constraints: SYD and LAX both ration slots at peak times, so airlines can’t easily “slide” the schedule just to avoid a 30–45 min mismatch with customs.

    ✅ So yes — what you’re seeing in August is post–daylight saving time alignment: flights now land after 6:00 AM. But in months when the offset shrinks, those exact same flights can land before customs officers are officially on duty, leading to those early-morning waits.

  5. 🔑 How CBP Opening Works at LAX

    Scheduled Opening: At Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) normally opens processing around 6:00 AM local time. Other international terminals at LAX align with the same schedule.

    “On the dot” vs. flexibility: Officers usually begin admitting passengers right at opening time, but depending on staffing and flight loads, it can be a few minutes earlier or later.

    Flights arriving before opening: If your plane lands at, say, 5:15 AM, passengers are typically kept onboard until customs is staffed and ready to receive them. Airlines coordinate with CBP, so the jetbridge might not even open until clearance is given.

    ✈ Why they’re so strict

    U.S. ports of entry (like LAX) are federal facilities, and CBP officers cannot start processing until they’re officially on duty.

    Even though the airport itself never “closes,” the secure arrival process cannot start until CBP says so — which is why it feels like everything runs “to the dot.”

    ⚠ What this means for travelers

    If you walk to customs right at opening, you’ll see the officers begin taking passengers as soon as they’re staffed.

    Early morning can feel like a rush hour: multiple long-haul flights from Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and South America land around the same time, so queues form immediately after the doors open.

    👉 So yes, CBP at LAX opens essentially on the dot of their posted hours, and arrivals before then just have to wait.

  6. 1. LAX is a 24/7 airport, but Customs and Border Protection (CBP) isn’t

    While LAX operates around the clock for takeoffs and landings, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has set operating hours for passenger processing.

    At Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) and other international terminals, CBP usually opens around 6:00 AM local time, and closes late at night (often near midnight).

    Overnight, when CBP officers aren’t on duty, no international passengers can be processed — even if flights land earlier.

    2. Why do flights arrive before customs opens?

    Many long-haul flights (like SYD–LAX, MEL–LAX, or flights from Asia) are scheduled to arrive very early in the morning (5:00–6:00 AM).

    Airlines do this because:

    Slot availability: LAX is one of the busiest airports in the world, so early-morning slots are highly valued.

    Connections: Early arrivals let passengers connect to domestic U.S. flights that start departing mid-morning.

    Time zone and route efficiency: Flights from Australia often leave in the afternoon/evening and land “same day” in California — arriving earlier helps keep aircraft utilization high.

    The result: sometimes flights land before CBP opens. When that happens, passengers must remain on the aircraft (or held in a secure arrivals hall) until customs officers begin work.

    3. Why not staff customs 24/7 if the airport is 24/7?

    Staffing and cost: CBP staffing is funded federally, not by LAX itself. Running 24-hour operations at every U.S. port of entry would be extremely expensive.

    Passenger demand: Overnight hours see relatively few arrivals compared to peak morning and evening banks, so CBP aligns staffing with demand.

    Security and logistics: Many international airports in the U.S. follow this model — the airport itself never “closes,” but immigration/customs runs only during set hours.

    4. Impact on travelers

    If your flight lands before customs is open, you may face a wait on arrival (sometimes up to an hour).

    Airlines usually plan schedules so that the majority of passengers flow into customs right after it opens, minimizing wasted time but inevitably creating early morning congestion.

    ✅ In short:
    LAX is technically a 24/7 airport, but customs isn’t. Airlines schedule early arrivals to optimize long-haul connections and aircraft usage, even if it means beating CBP opening times. That’s why you sometimes see passengers stuck waiting after landing.

  7. flying on this plane on saturday and I'm extremely nervous as I have a fear of flights, but these types of vids help a lot!!

  8. Can't wait to go to sydney…🌎🏝

  9. What was premium ? American airline crrate all these silly names and upsell standard seats by adding a pillow or blanket and its meant to be better? Its still usa service standards.

  10. That lounge is average af but equivalent to Qantas’s business which is crap too. Qantas first is the only decent lounge at Sydney

  11. I can't believe how much more expensive fares are just before Christmas time this year. Still looking for reasonable fares

  12. We flew the exact same route to LA in August 22 with Delta in Premium Economy. Memories. In 6 weeks we’ll be heading back over to LA via New Zealand but this time we’re trying Air New Zealand’s Premium Economy. Can’t wait ✈️😎🍻

  13. I’ll be flying with delta in August to lax from syd

  14. Rule of thumb: never fly any US airline anywhere. Lousy in-flight service, awful “food” and cattle are treated better.

  15. That was east- west takeoff. Looking back to Sydney's eastern suburbs the city – Harbour bridge – opera house then following Parramatta River and banking right over Sydney's eastern suburbs – flying over the northern suburbs and beaches and looking back down the eastern and southern coast line of Sydney. That was a great view of Sydney. I've done it many times.

  16. Worthwhile review, saves me the trouble of ever wanting to travel Delta, EVER!

  17. Singapore airlines and the world’s longest flight. A350-900

  18. Tacky card board plates, TACKY, TACKY, for Premium Select

  19. I flew on the A350 in 2018 from DTW to PVG on Delta Airlines, and again in 2019 from EWR to HKG on Cathay Pacific.

  20. sorry what seat selction did you choose do you get that cool stuff with Basic Economy ? i wanna take the trip from BNE – LAX

  21. A flight this long would kill me with discomfort.

  22. The meal on that flight was small as fuck, no bread roll or cheese and crackers. Did they offer tea/coffee. Wonder how warm that blanket kept you as it looked a bit thin.

  23. Flying Delta LAX-AKL and then their new flight BNE-LAX in a few days. Great video!

  24. Lovely junery with you
    Please make sure Tack off time
    And landing time you're city
    Thanks ❤❤❤

  25. Thanks for this thorough review. I am flying this route, ironically in that seat lol in a couple of months and had a question regarding the lavatory… was there a lot of traffic and any odor sitting that close?

  26. United has good food in all cabins

  27. I've done Syd-La-Las Vegas and Syd-La-San fran return . Once on United, which wasn't great and once on Delta, which was great. Paid to upgrade to premium economy and had a great flight. 777s.

  28. Delta Airlines? Never again!

  29. How much in Aussie dollars did you pay for that flight? Food looked very average at best.

  30. Premium Select? What happened to their “fine” dining

    In flight, customers will be treated to a hot towel service followed by an elevated dining experience with main courses served on plates with linen tableware and napkins, silver flatware and glassware.
    Jun 10, 2024
    DELTA PREMIUM SELECT

  31. I did a A350 from ORD-CDG in May on Air France. My first international trip. Was back in regular economy. Ok, but after 8 hours your behind is aching.

  32. if that’s what delta sells as premium… count me out

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