DON'T LEAVE YOUR BAGS UNATTENDED

DON'T LEAVE YOUR BAGS UNATTENDED

The airport is different kind of place.  At any other public area, an unattended bag is not that much of a big deal.  However, an unattended bag at the airport is a potential threat.  Leave your bags unattended long enough and you will find police with bomb sniffing dogs ready to take your bag away.

It is unfortunate that in this day and age we must be concerned with these types of possibilities, but it is the world we live in.  More often than not, the traveler is on his or her way back from the restroom, grabbing a cart, etc. Don't be only concerned with your convenience, but with everyone's security.

Safeguard your property; take your bags with you, leave it with a traveling companion, or check it in with your airline.

HAVE A FEW HOURS TO SPARE?

HAVE A FEW HOURS TO SPARE?

Is LAX your transit point and you're on layover for a few hours?  Or are you simply stuck at the airport super early?

What to do?

Eat (with views of air traffic)
-If you are not from Southern California, or just the Western U.S., you might want to try a In-N-Out Burger, a favorite regional fast food chain.  Simple menu of excellent burgers, freshly cut fries, and ice cream shakes.

In-N-Out Westchester
9149 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90045
1-800-786-1000
www.in-n-out.com

- Two blocks from LAX terminals is a specialty restaurant with an aviation theme.  Prices are on par with airport restaurants due to a living wage ordinance.  However, service I received the handful of times I dined during lunch was either so-so or a bit lacking.  Dining area filled with aviation photo memorabilia, parked in the front and rear or property are many antique planes in various conditions (mostly WWII, a few WWI and early Cold War).


The Proud Bird
11022 Aviation Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90045
(310) 670-3093
theproudbird.com‎

TRAVELING WITH CURRENCY

TRAVELING WITH CURRENCY

There is a small U.S. Customs and Border Protection office on the departure level at Tom Bradley International Terminal.  A large percentage of the traveling public would likely not even notice it, never mind stop by. However, if you are traveling abroad with more than $10,000, there is a certain form you ought to fill out before you head through TSA security and on your flight.

Whether or not you are a U.S. national or an international traveler, you are required to file the FinCEN form 105 when you leave the U.S. border with negotiable monetary instruments in excess of $10,000.  According to the CBP Officer I spoke with, failure to fill out the form may be cause for a 10% fine and/or seizure of the currency.

FIND WORK

FIND WORK

Looking for a job at LAX?  There are plenty of opportunities in a variety of lines of work.

U.S. Government job openings can be found at usajobs.gov
- In particular the federal agencies that have a presence at LAX include: Customs & Border Protection (CBP), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Los Angeles City job openings can be found at lacity.org

Aircraft Operator job openings can be primarily found at Hallmark Aviation and Pacific Aviation
- Note that most airlines have outsourced their ground crew (eg. ticket counter personnel, etc.).

Hands on jobs on the tarmac include: Menzies, Swissport (ie. luggage loading, aircraft cleaning)

LOST SOMETHING?

LOST SOMETHING?

One of the worst things to happen while you are at the airport is to lose a valuable item.  As long as the item was not stolen by one of your fellow passengers, airport employees are expected to turn such items in to a Lost & Found.


Possibility 1: You left the item(s) at a TSA checkpoint:

TSA Lost & Found
5757 W. Century Blvd., Suite GF06
Los Angeles, CA 90045
(310) 242-9073

Attempt to remember the circumstances around the time the item was lost:
- Date
- Approx. time
- Terminal
- Which x-ray lane
- Description of item: brand, color, design, etc.

Possibility 2: You left the item(s) on your last flight or lost luggage, contact your respective airline.

Possibility 3: You left the item(s) outside the TSA checkpoint, but still within LAX, contact:

Restaurants, Taxis, Buses, and other services

If none of this brings you luck, contact:

LAX Airport Police Lost & Found
5600 W. Century Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90045
(424) 646- LOST (5678)


Need more help? Click here for the official LAX Lost & Found page.  Avoid posting what you lost and your contact information on some random website.

AIRPORT SECURITY

AIRPORT SECURITY

The traveling public appears only to remember recent history, post-9/11 terrorist attacks.  Yes, airport security has increased immensely in its depth and breadth in the past decade or so; however, aviation security in one form or another dates back to the 1970s.

Obviously there is push back from the public in regards to more recent procedures put in place to ensure safety for all passengers.  It may not be pleasant and you may not agree with it, but if you are reading this, you probably are like most of us and most tolerate it.

Unless you are a frequent traveler, the best way to prepare for security is becoming informed.  Getting your information directly from the agency that ensures your safety is your best bet at tsa.gov.  

Airport security rules and regulations worldwide are generally very similar:

Before You Leave for the Airport:

- Remember to bring your government issued photo ID, U.S./Canadian Drivers License, Passport are most common.

- Avoid bringing prohibited items with you on your journey.  Much of this is common sense, but passengers often forget that liquids, gels, and aerosols (LGAs) over 3.4 oz./100ml/100g ARE NOT PERMITTED in carry-on luggage. 

These prohibited items usually are made up of toiletries: creams, lotions, pastes and to the surprise of many food items including sauces, spreads and alcohol.  Unless you need LGA item(s) in the cabin during the flight (ie. liquid medication), it is highly advisable to pack it in your check-in luggage or simply do not take it with you on your trip.

- Pack light if possible.  If you are bringing little or nothing, what is there for security to inspect?

At the Airport:

- After you check in with your airline (lost?), proceed to the security queue.  Be aware that if you are flying out of Tom Bradley, most duty free stores and restaurants are before security.

- If you are still pushing your $5 Smart Carte, the private security/line monitor will likely inform you that your cart is not permitted through security.

Airport Security Queue

- Show your boarding pass to the line monitor to proceed to the TSA document verification.  Again, show your boarding pass in addition to your acceptable ID to the TSA agent.  Once the agent has cleared you, put your documents away.  Only in rare cases will you need your ID or boarding pass for a second time before you arrive at your gate.

- While you are in the queue, it is the best time to prepare for what will be requested of you:

Step 1: Remove outer garments including: hats, jackets, belts, shoes

Step 2: Remove large electronic items from your bags including: laptop computers, CPAP machines, projectors, gaming consoles, speakers, DVD/Blu-Ray players and place these items in a plastic bin

Step 3: Remove any LGA items from your bags including: toiletries and food items.  It is advisable to go beyond this requirement and remove any powdered items, fruits, and cheeses as well.

Step 4 Remove EVERYTHING from your pockets.  Instead of placing these loose items in a plastic bin, it is highly recommended that you tuck everything in a secure area of your carry-on bag.  If you have a money belt, remove it and hold on to these and any other valuables in your hand if needed.

Step 5: Ensure that your items rest on the X-Ray conveyor belt and is being fed through the machine before proceeding to either the walk-through metal detector or scanning machine.

Step 6: Be aware that a TSA agent may stop you due to some anomaly or random check, listen and comply with the request.  If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints it is recommended you bring that to the agent or the supervisor in a tactful manner.

Once you finishing collecting your items on the other side you have completed airport security screening and may proceed to your flight.

EAT AND SHOP (Tom Bradley Int'l.)

EAT AND SHOP (Tom Bradley Int'l.)

Note 1: As of this post, Tom Bradley International Terminal (Terminal B/TBIT) is undergoing major construction that will eventually make this post outdated.
Note 2: Pink's Hot Dogs was closed a number of weeks back, the map below from lawa.org has yet to be updated.

Need to grab a bite or buy a gift or souvenir before your flight?  Unlike all the other eight terminals at LAX, TBIT has its main departure level concessions (map) before the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoint.  After security, there is significantly fewer options to make any purchase.

Passengers are permitted to exit the sterile area behind security and exit back to the public side, however one must once again proceed through TSA security afterwords.  In case it is unclear on the map, the 'Food Court Upper Level' is on the public side before security. 

Unless you have access to your airlines's lounge, there is little to do after the security checkpoint.

FIND YOUR TERMINAL

FIND YOUR TERMINAL

In one way or another, you're at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).  However, once you have arrived, you do not know where to go.  Here is a handy enlargeable pdf map straight from lawa.org.

You may be on a code-shared flight, or your airline may fly out of more than one terminal (ie. Air France, QANTAS).  Flying international?  Note that not all international flights depart from Tom Bradley International, also known as Terminal B or TBIT.  Also be aware that your airline may sound very similar to another (ie. Air China, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern).

Determine the gate number on your flight will be the safest bet.  Click on the following links to find terminal maps.

Terminal 1 (gates 1-14)

Terminal 2 (gates 21-28)

Terminal 3 (gates 30-39)

Terminal 4 (gates 40-49)

Terminal 5 (gates 50-59)

Terminal 6 (gates 60-69)

Terminal 7 (gates 70-77)

Terminal 8 (gates 80-88)

Tom Bradley International Terminal (gates 101-146)