LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  10 November 2009 by Steve Hayes   (New Zealand)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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I have used LAX three times over the past week. Coming into LAX in terminal two then another flight out from terminal 8, with the last flight leaving from terminal two. All times were a breeze. On arrival I was processed by a pleasant immigration officer and was kerbside within 45 minutes of landing. Terminal eight (United Express) a few days later was easy to navigate, quick security, reasonable selection of food outlets once past security. Flying internationally from terminal two on the last flight was a breeze. 10 minutes to process security and screening, then onto a very good Air NZ lounge. Unlike others, I experienced no surly or unhelpful staff - which to be honest is a surprise given past experience here.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  13 October 2009 by Neil Ramsay   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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Arrived late afternoon at TBI. Long queues at immigration but moving quickly. INS staff surprisingly civil compared to other times. Long delay collecting baggage and a long queue for customs. Time from landing to out onto the street, 2 hours. Dinner upstairs at TBI. Lots of construction going on but managed to find a place with a half decent sit down meal. Then walked to Terminal 5 for NWA kiosk check in and bag drop which was quick and efficient. Security check was somewhat chaotic with long queues at the machines holding up pre security boarding pass check which caused congestion and confusion. Resulted in my boarding pass being checked 3 times in the space of a few yards and a somewhat gruff exchange with the person concerned! Once airside, terminal 5 was spacious and comfortable for our long wait. Toilets clean, flight info readily available, snack bars ok. Arrived back 4 weeks later thru Terminal 5 with no problems and walked to Terminal 3 for Virgin Australia check in. Small area and very hot and crowded with long queues with 2 VA flights due for departure within one hour of each other. Security check was efficient and quick. Food situation in this terminal airside is dire. Eat somewhere else before hand. Plenty of room to sit and wait however in the 1960's style decor. Not a bad LAX experience overall.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  8 October 2009 by Jane Tuckett   (UK)

Customer Rating :  5/5

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We travelled Amsterdam to Los Angeles LAX. Although I'd flown out of Los Angeles before and into it, I'd never made it as a port of entry followed by a connecting flight. I don't know if we were just lucky but there didn't seem an enormous amount of people waiting to clear Customs when we reached the Immigration Hall, a large number of officials doing passport checks etc on duty, someone checking entry forms as you waited and the whole process did not take long. Didn't time it but might have been 30-45 mins. No great crowd at Customs to tell him you didn't have anything and hand your form in. After dropping the bags at LAX we then needed to get to Terminal 5 from Terminal 2 and there were staff standing around asking where you needed to get to and then giving you directions. As we had plenty of time for the next flight we walked and it's a simple route. Again, the security checks to get to our gate were pretty quick. I would quite happily use LAX again. Don't quite understand why we were told to complete those ESTA (?) forms over the Internet for Immigration before we left for the trip as we still had to fill in one of those visitors green and white cards given out on the plane.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  6 October 2009 by E Robertson   (UK)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Spent 2 hours in transit here while travelling Air New Zealand from Auckland to London. Long queues, rude staff and a lounge from hell. Would not recommend. Routine was as follows- get off plane, stand in line for 20 minutes then go to immigration, stand in line for further 30 minutes, get shouted at by official, fingerprints taken, get blamed for the machine not working, wait in line to go back up to lounge right next to plane, wait in lounge for hour with no entertainment then board plane in fouler mood than when you started.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  5 October 2009 by L Pulliam   (USA)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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I must be one of the lucky ones as I never have any problems at LAX and I travel through there 3-4 times a year. Just last week we flew in and out of LAX with Southwest Airlines. The area was clean, good signage and we were off the plane and had our bags and out off the airport in 15 minutes. Record breaking time as far as I am concerned which was great as we were on a very tight time schedule that evening. On our flight home the ground staff were very pleasant and in a good mood which made the whole experience very nice. We will be back there (LAX) in a few months for an international flight so we'll see how things go then, but for now I have to give LAX a thumbs up.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  21 August 2009 by Brian Smith   (Japan)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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This airport is really shabby, even JFK is better. Delta's terminal 5 is dirty and extremely crowded. Getting between the terminals is ridiculously inconvenient. Either you wait for a bus to putt putt around to the various terminals, or just walk, like I did. The place seems to be under renovation, and the Tom Bradley International Terminal where Korean Air, ANA, TAP, and Air Tahiti Nui go out of looked to be renovated already, and quite nice. The Star Alliance lounge over there was outstanding. Even the security lines were not overcrowded and functioned well. If they can uniformly get the whole dump to look like the renovated parts of TBI, then it could be a good experience.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  17 August 2009 by Colin Shi   (USA)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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I arrived from a Continental flight from Houston and had to connect to a JAL flight bound for Narita. I asked some workers where Japan Airlines is, and they just say Tom Bradley Intl. Terminal. At first, I didn't know what a TBIT was since no one would help me until I looked at the map. To get there, I had to exit Terminal 6, cross several streets that are full of traffic, and catch a shuttle bus to get there. Then, the TBIT is so old that part of the check-in area is being rebuilt, resulting in long lines. The seating area is so small that it only provides half the seats required for a full 747. And the best part is the restroom. They are totally disgusting and look like they are cleaned once a week. However, my arrival experience was a bit better. The arrivals of the TBIT have been renovated. Immigration took nearly 20 mins. but baggage arrived very quickly. Overall, a very disgusting airport. Tom Bradley should be growling in his grave. This airport is an embarrassment to the United States, since so many international flights arrive and depart from LAX. Next time, I will surely use SFO when traveling to Asia next time.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  14 August 2009 by C Barkei   (China)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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We flew into LAX from Seoul - the arrivals and connection on to San Diego was not too bad and the domestic terminal (United) was reasonable for the hour wait. Our return was pretty dreadful - TBI is a joke in terms of customer service, direction, queues and confusion. The agents were unfailingly polite - except two ladies serving hotdogs from a concession - some of the most abrupt and rude people I have ever met. Facilities waiting for an outbound international flight are simply unacceptable.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  12 August 2009 by R de Villa   (US)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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Terminals 1 and TBIT. Arrived on Southwest Airlines and was self-connecting to a flight on EVA Air. Bags from Southwest came out within 10 minutes. Since it was evening, walk from Terminal 1 to TBIT on departure level was easy (~10 minutes). TBIT is still undergoing renovations, but some parts are complete. After check-in, spent time at ReLAX lounge behind food court. Nice views, WiFi, and snacks. Line for security was short. Since EVA's departure was at 1 AM, I did not go through security until after midnight. Unfortunately, shops were closed. Could not buy water for the trip which was not good. Despite the renovated area, the departure gate did not have enough seats for everyone. The bathroom close by looked newly renovated, but cleaning crew did a poor job of keeping it clean. On the return, we lucked out since TBIT was not yet busy. Friendly immigration officer. Baggage carousels were awful. Although they were new, the carousels couldn't handle the volume of bags from one 744. The carousel would stop and a baggage handler would have to make room for the bags. Too bad none of his colleagues wearing the same uniform helped him. Customs/agriculture officer gave us the LAX attitude reported previously.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  10 August 2009 by A Ruiter   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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If ever there is an airport that resembles hell on earth then it must be LAX. I recently flew from Australia to Mexico with Delta/Aeromexico, connecting through LAX. Both incoming and outgoing flights were from terminal 5, so my experience is limited in that sense. Our connecting time was about 90 minutes, and later someone told me Delta should never have sold me this ticket as minimum connecting times at LAX should be 3 hours, more if you have to change terminals. But the whole ordeal lasted more than 7 hours: hours spent finding new flights, re-issuing tickets, but especially because the entire terminal area was one big and long line of people wanting to pass security. Now I have no problem with this, in fact it is a good thing that security at airports is taken seriously, but what I don't understand is why Americans do not cater for transit passengers. There is no added security to having people on an international flight pass through customs, have to collect their bags, and then have check in again; in fact, quite the opposite is true, I think the whole process adds to the security risk. And LAX is a major transit hub for flights from Asia to Latin America (I dare say the same applies to passengers from Europe to Latin America through Miami). And then there are people that check your ticket and passport to see if you are allowed to check in, then there are people that check your boarding pass and passport to see if you are allowed to stand in line for the security check, then there are the people that check your boarding pass and passport to see if you are allowed to actually pass the security check, then you pass the security check, and then there are people that check your boarding pass and passport to see if you are allowed to board the plane, and for all these checks of essentially the same thing, there are lines and lines of people and personnel with a serious attitude problem; no facilities for the elderly or families with small children, just one slow-moving line, which took about 3 hours to clear. Anyway, apart from this flaw there is also the flawed concept of the terminals: Terminal 5 deals with Delta, but there is no infrastructure for international transfers. I have heard form people who need to change terminals at LAX and that this involves extensive walking (with your baggage of course). So the whole place is based on a flawed design. And then there is the attitude: the attitude of customs officials, security officers, ticketing personnel. I can understand they hate their job, simply because the whole process is so obviously inefficient and ineffective. But hey, these people seem to actually want to go out of their way to be nasty. Next time I take this flight, I will try San Francisco, and this means I won't be flying Delta.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  31 July 2009 by S Sparkes   (Canada)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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Worst airport ever if you have a connecting flight and terminal is different! I flew a few times connecting thru LAX and I avoid it at all cost now and opt for San Francisco or other nearby airports instead. If flying US Airways and connecting with United you will have to walk to the other side of the airport, which you go out of the security zone, onto the airport streets, thru the airport parking lots (2 in total) and then into the other terminal, of which you will need to go thru security again! I had 50mins to connect and lucky for me, I made it! I was running non stop til I got there and took me 8 mins to get to the other terminal. I couldn't imagine if I went during the busy time in the day or I'd miss my plane. If your not in great shape or elderly, go for a connection that gives you at least 2 hours to be safe! Also, the airport is fairly old and is slowly in reno right now, but some terminals aren't. I wish they would demolish this airport and rebuild elsewhere, and make it more efficient like other world airports.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  5 July 2009 by J Biggs   (USA)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Recently went through TBIT on a flight from BKK. Easily the rudest airport workers ever. Fiancee (non-citizen) and I were directed by staff to an available desk for processing, only to be yelled at by the officer for intruding on his break. Then we went to another immigration desk, and I was asked to go to the "cleared" area near the baggage carousels while the fiancee gets processed. When she was done, I stepped back to the desk to remind the officer that I still wasn't processed yet, and he yelled at me for going to the "cleared" area! Then there's customs, where we check our bags through green or red channels. Since the fiancee was holding tons of bags, I handed in her customs sheets to the customs officer sitting near the scanning machines. He yelled, "D'you speak English?! Then why are you not answering me?!" When I explained that I was deaf, instead of being sympathetic, the officer took this as a challenge to his sense of authority and even yelled at my fiancee as if she was deaf by association. "You are not a child! You are a grown adult! Your fiance should not have to hold your customs sheet for you!" We're traveling together and sharing the same bags and her hands were full. Just avoid LAX like the plague. It's full of bitter workers with broken dreams who take their frustration out on passengers to make themselves feel a little bit better when they sleep at night. I will be using SFO from now on for my flights to Asia.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  3 July 2009 by Eric Crossley   (USA)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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How to count the ways I hate LAX and especially United Airlines. Last week I made the mistake of flying out of LAX on United to DC via Chicago. For a 8:20 AM flight I was two hours early and still barely made the plane. LAX is old, dirty and 100% unable to accomodate the huge number of passengers who use it daily. United Airlines at LAX is a disaster. First of all, they have dozens of gates and a small check-in area that is overrun with hundreds of people. Inefficient, crowded, absolutely ridiculous. So, you want to use curbside check-in for your bags? How does a 45 minute wait sound? I have never seen anything like it. But the best is yet to come, the amazing TSA security fiasco for United at LAX. A long corridor, one TSA agent for first class/premier/ etc. and one agent for everyone else. I got in line with 75 minutes to go before my plane took off. It took an hour to get through the line. Not only is there only one TSA agent for the hundreds of people who are not important to United, but at times, our one lone TSA agent took people from the first class line! At one point we did not move for 15 minutes! While all this happened, an overworked United employee was going up and down the line to pull people who were going to miss their flights to the front of our Ellis Island like line. So, if you were late you were rewarded. This was the worst I have seen in awhile, tied with Logan in Boston for a total disastrous check-in "system."

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  25 June 2009 by Richard Turnley   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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I transited at LAX from an AA domestic flight to an UA flight to Australia in late May and then again from an international UA flight to a domestic AA flight on 19 June - on both occasions I went through in record time with no fuss, no delays and with courtesy. This is in stark contrast to the problems I have always had in Tom Bradley and which according to my seat neighbour was still a nightmare - so maybe a few of the problems are fixed and is best to keep away from airlines using Tom Bradley if you have high blood pressure or do not want to develop it.

LOS ANGELES LAX INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT review :  15 June 2009 : by P McCorkle  (USA)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Just figuring out where you're supposed to be in this airport is a nightmare. And the staff are completely useless no matter what you're trying to do. The staff don't even know what terminal you should use. In fact, I think most of the staff at the counters are high school minimum wagers. Completely useless. How is it I've never had a single problem in countless foreign airports where few people speak English but an airport in my own country is completely nonsensical ? Cleanliness is terrible. The lines at ticket counters, security, and even the gates are terrible. I've waited at lines out the door for security. Even customs for Americans was two hours. That's longer than it takes to go through foreign customs! I've been delayed nearly every time through this airport, and the times I wasn't delayed I just got lucky. The following reasons include 2 hours at customs and 2 more hours through security (all that time spent standing in line) meant I missed a flight despite a 3 hour layover. A check-in agent for Frontier delayed 7 passengers (yes 7!!) because a single woman had a bag that was 2lbs over the limit of 50. He spent 45 minutes dealing with this woman while the rest of us were stuck and despite pleas, never once called for assistance or just moved on in the line. Finally, a shuttle broke down and got stuck in the middle of their "highway" thing going through the airport. They had to finally dispatch a patrol car to set up a road block to get us off the infernal thing - and then walk to our terminals, by which time we were all late. Brilliant!