SpotLAX+Dorkfest 2022 airline and aircraft updates

Hundreds of aviation enthusiasts will be in Los Angles this weekend for the 2022 edition of SpotLAX and Dorkfest. As is tradition, Nick from JetTip will be handing out keychains, stickers, and spotting checklists, which list all of the types and airlines that operate them at LAX. While most of us are there to enjoy the company of our fellow avgeeks, this will also be an opportunity for many of us to spot or document aircraft we haven't seen before.

For photographers, Saturday's sunrise is 7:07 am, sunset is 7:35 pm.

As always, JetTip's LAX arrival/departure board is free to access all week.

Look for Nick from JetTip to get a copy of this year's SpotLAX & Dorkfest 2022 Checklist

New airlines for 2022

Several airlines have started service at LAX since last year's events.

• Air Transat - A321neo
  M/W/F, arrives 10:00 pm, departs 11:45 pm
  
• ANA Cargo - 777-200F
  W/Sa, arrives 8:00 am, departs 10:00 am
  
• Condor - 767-300
  Tu/F/Su, arrives 3:00 pm, departs 8:00 pm
  
• French Bee - A350-900
  M/Th/F/Sa/Su, arrives 4:30 pm, departs 8:00 pm
  
• ITA - A350-900
  Daily, arrives 12:50 pm, departs 3:15 pm
• Norse - 787-9
  Variable schedule to OSL and BER; during the event only scheduled daylight movements will be Friday and Saturday arrivals between 4:00 and 5:00 PM
  
• Zipair - 787-8
  Daily, arrives 8:25 AM, departs 11:00 am
  

New airline / type combinations for 2022

In addition to the new airlines above, several airlines that had been serving LAX previously are now operating new types at LAX since last year's events.

• British Airways - A350-1000
  Daily, arrives 11:50 am, departs 3:40 pm
• DHL - A330-200
  Tu-Sa, arrives noon, departs 4:00 pm
  
• Singapore / DHL - 777-200F
  F/Su/W, arrives 12:15 am, departs 4:45 am
  

Returning for 2022

Returning after absences during last year's events.

• A330: Aer Lingus, Air Canada, and Fiji
  
• A340: Lufthansa
  
• A380: Asiana, Qantas
• 777: Austrian, China Eastern, Saudia
• 787: Avianca, KLM, Virgin Atlantic

Passenger quadjets for 2022

For the first time in several years, LAX will have scheduled service from the three modern passenger quadjet families - A340s, 747s, and A380s.

A380

While the days of eight carriers flying supers to LAX are behind us, the number of A380 operators at LAX increases from two to four this year... sort of - Emirates is the only carrier flying them on a daily basis. Scheduled times below are for Friday, September 16 - Sunday, September 18, 2022.

• Asiana: arrives 9:50 am Saturday, departs 12:10 pm Saturday.
• China Southern: arrives 7:30 pm Saturday, departs 12:10 am Saturday
• Emirates: daily, arrives 2:05 pm, departs 4:30 pm
• Qantas: departs 10:55 pm Friday, arrives 7:00 am Sunday

747

There are only two 747 operators flying passenger configured Queens into LAX now, with Koran and Lufthansa both operating 747-8is.

• Korean: daily, arrives 9:15 am, departs 12:30 pm
• Lufthansa: daily, arrives 12:15 pm, departs 3:00 pm

A340

Thank goodness for Lufthansa - they're flying both A340-300s and A340-600s into LAX on a nearly daily basis; per my notes, the last scheduled A340s present for a SpotLAX / Dorkfest were in 2018, when Lufthansa and Air Tahiti Nui were flying them. Of everything flying to LAX regularly, I'm most excited to get another chance to catch these -600s.

• A340-300: daily except Sunday, arrives 4:20 pm, departs 7:06 pm
• A340-600: daily, arrives 3:00 pm, departs 5:00 pm
  

Gone after seeing them in 2021

Which aircraft were operating at LAX during 2021's event, but won't be here this year?

• A330: SAS Scandinavian
• A350: Air China, Lufthansa, Philippine
• 747: China Airlines, National
• 757: Asia Pacific Cargo, CargoJet
• 767: United
• 777: Aeroflot, Air China Cargo, Emirates, Qatar
• 787: China Southern, Korea
• DC10: Western Global
  

Additional Reading

• Previous SpotLAX / Dorkfest coverage on the JetTip blog
• NYC Aviation's SpotLAX
• Cranky Dorkfest
• #SpotLAX2022 on Twitter
• #SpotLAX2022 on Instagram
• #Dorkfest on Twitter
• #Dorkfest on Instagram
  

Nick Benson

Nick lives in Burnsville, Minnesota with his wife and three children. He grooves on railroad and aviation photography, politics, geography, weather, and LEGO. He started JetTip's smart flight alert service in 2017, and is now a full-time avgeek. He can frequently be found atop a step ladder at MSP's Aircraft Viewing Area.