Los Angeles LAX Airport

LAX is an embarrassment of an airport for such an important city as Los Angeles. I used to live in LA as recently as 3 yrs ago so know this airport well. Even then I used to avoid it when possible and use SNA or Long Beach instead. I don't know what they spend money on at LAX but it looks like nothing is ever upgraded or repaired there. It's crowded. It's chaos all the time any time of day or night. Go to other major US cities and they have airport terminals with big windows skylights modern bathrooms with hands-free sinks etc not LAX. Food options here are abysmal too.

While traveling to and from KLIA in Malaysia we went through LAX. I will avoid this airport at all cost in the future. We arrived into LAX for the outbound leg of our trip luckily we had our bags transferred by the airline so we did not have to collect our bags first. We had to go from on of the more distant terminals from the International Terminal. We waited outside for the shuttle but after 15 minutes we gave up and walked. There was a light evening rain but the walkways are not generally covered so by the time we got there we were a bit wet. The one bright spot was passport control was fast and the TSA was friendly. Now for the nightmare of the return trip. Immigration was nearly a 90 minute wait. My wife is a PR of the US and she and I was told to go into the US line. Once there the TSA officer was rude disrespectful to me and my wife and despite the TSA mission statement was completely unprofessional. We then collected our bags and waited for another 45 minutes to get out of customs and it would have been longer if we would have been selected to have our bags screened. Went to Terminal 6 which was a construction zone surprised they didn't issue us hard hats. While I know LAX is in desperate need of terminal updates sitting in a terminal and hearing hammers for 90 minutes before a flight can give you a headache. Avoid LAX use SFO or SEA for your flights to Asia!

We travelled through LAX in May and June and considering we had to get our bags off the plane check them in again wait around for ages find different terminals etc both experiences were pretty painless and definitely better than a few years ago. Staff were friendly and helpful.

Experience at LAX can vary a lot from terminal to terminal. Some are quite nice while others are not. I have not experienced undue delays when arriving on an international flight but experienced slow departure lines on heavy travel days. The facilities in most terminals are fine and overall comfort of this airport is no better or worse than many US international airports.

Departing and arriving at international terminal a pleasant surprise. Security and immigration were fast. Perhaps I was just lucky as there were no long lines departing (3 pm) or arriving (around noon). On arrival it helps if you fly a foreign carrier (Singapore in this case). Aside from superior cabin service there are fewer US citizens and the immigration lines should always be shorter. LAX is still a far cry from wonderful airports like Incheon Hong Kong or Changi.

We arrived from London at the TBIT terminal. Flight was punctual and so we arrived LAX spot on time. After unloading the plane we went to the TSA security and collected our bags. After a talk with a member of the customs team we passed the complete inspection in less then 45 min - I think we were lucky. Our flight back home we arrived Terminal 4 2.5 hrs before departure. Bag drop desk was fast. After we went to our gate we encountered the security post. After just 15 minutes we cleared it. There were enough seats in the waiting area.

United terminal. After my first visit to this airport 10 years ago my opinion of this airport remains unchanged. It is probably the least tourist-friendly airport in the world. The signs are not adequate although the existing ones are not confusing. Once you collect your luggage and come out in the arrival hall you're on your own. No information desk only a little exchange kiosk. If I didn't prepare my own info before hand although I know all my heart that you need a car in this city but there should be a sign or some basic information available how to commute around the airport or where the rental car service desks are. However the flight connection within United flights is not too bad. I wonder what it would be like if I had to make a connection with other airlines in the different terminal.

This airport is a disgrace. They potentially have a huge number of passengers transiting through here every year and they provide nothing for them. They need to take a look at what Singapore offers for transit passengers - swimming pool transit hotel free trips into the city etc. I avoid LAX if at all possible - its just so boring.

My experience has been one of extremes. The lines in TBIT have always been long and very easy to get in a slow moving line with people requiring secondary screening or who are incapable of filling out a form. On other extreme going through T8 travelling in Business or First I normally get through as UK citizen in 10 minutes including the walk. Bags though are universally slow. On the other side TBIT has good food outlet and shopping choices whereas T8 has virtually nothing. So if flying out and peckish you should walk to TBIT to shop and eat then go back to T8 to enter TSA. I am flying BA into LAX for first time in December and desperately hoping the rebuilding works have improved CBP. Best thing about LAX is the California climate and 4 runways only had two delays at LAX and they were from morning fog.

My experiences arriving at Lax have been awful. And it has always been down to the immigration and passport officials. They are the rudest most sullen and aggressive in the western world.