LAX kind of sucks for a layover. I’ve dealt with long layovers before but this seems to be worse. My first thought was ‘Wow this place is crowded.’ There are so many people around. But the biggest problem for layovers is how disconnected the terminals are. After disembarking in a domestic terminal you have to go outside and enter the international terminal through the regular departure area. More security screenings!
I’m not worried about getting through security (I’m actually waiting in the airport right now) since my layover is so long. But I can easily imagine how that might be a problem for some people, especially since I need to get a boarding pass from the China Southern desk, American wasn’t able to print them all out for me in DC. The problem is that China Southern only flies one flight a day from here at 10 PM. The counter opens at 6:20 PM. I still have two hours to wait before I can even get my boarding pass. Until them I’m stuck in a mall food court.
That’s the easiest way to explain the waiting area. There’s a handful of fast food places and scattered seating. McDonalds and Panda Express are the two big ones. I that doesn’t scream mall food I don’t know what does. There actually is a single sit down restaurant, but they want $15 for a hamburger. All the places are way overpriced. I was forced to get something from McDonalds since American Airlines doesn’t offer food service on their flights and because it was the cheapest by far but still way more than it was worth.
There is free wifi that’s decent aside from having to reconnect every hour or so. But it doesn’t work well with mobile devices. For some reason i cant check my email on my phone. It blows my mind that a large and international airport like LAX can’t provide wifi that works with mobiles.
This, coupled with the American Airlines disappointment is creating a pretty poor trip so far.
houseluigi 