We got into LAX about noon, and waiting for the shuttle is always the longest part of the journey to the hotel. About 3 minutes on a good day with a following wind.
Because we were up and at 'em, we wanted to go for a wander. The downside to LAX is nowhere to go near the airport.
Last time we took the trolley from the hotels to Manhattan Beach mall, so decided to do it again.
Just for a change, we decided to get off at the beach itself, and had a wander around the shopping precinct and down to the pier.
I have previously gone on about Santa Monica. The pier is great, the suburb is crap.
Actually, it would be fair to say that I think most of LA is crap. Definitely a transit stop only, and only if you have to. This is a fairly universal opinion, not just mine.
But I have to say it. Despite my dislike of LA, I LOVE Manhatten Beach! I really do. I could live here tomorrow. It's just so what LA SHOULD be like. Just beautiful.
But that was just for one night, and the next day it's back to the airport for our flight to Las Vegas.
We arrive at terminal 1, and enter from the far end. That's where the shuttle parks. I eventually figured out that there are 2 queues for Southwest. One for those checking in bags WITH a boarding pass, and those without. We belong with the withouts.
When you get to the front, there is a kiosk screen on your side, and the agent on the other side of their counter. You check yourself in, and the bag tags print out on their side. The boarding passes print out on your side. You put your bags on the scale for them to tag and enter the weights, and then you take the bags back. Say what!?? This is Amrika, and the bags have to go to those TSA guys over there for scanning, before they go on the belt running behind the check-in counters. Mmmm!
Now, a little background on Southwest.
They are a VBA. A Value Based Airline. And a very successful one, at that.
One of the things they do is free-seating. First on gets any seat they damn-well want.
Rather than have a stampede at gates, you get to board in sequence. The sequence you checked in. So those who check-in first, get to board first. That's all very well, but in reality that creates issues. The building can't deal with hundreds of passengers who got there hours early, just to be first to board. Worse, it can't hold all of their luggage, either.
A cunning plan. Check-in online, and you don't have to be there so soon.
You can check in up to 24 hrs before departure time, and you get your boarding pass to print out if you want.
When you arrive, and you have a boarding pass in your hot little hand, then you join the queue on the left.
If, like us, you checked in and didn't have the ability to print, you got to the queue on the right, with those who didn't check in at all.
So back to my check-in. The kiosk asks if you want to get a boarding pass, just check in bags, or both. I chose both, and we are all set. I get the same sequence number I got online last night. So there is no disadvantage to not printing your boarding pass. In fact, the guys in the left-hand queue still had to do exactly what I did, but without printing a pass. Due to human nature's desire to get one up on the other passengers, most people print their own, so that queue is a bit longer than the 'full service' one. Go figure.
Because we were up and at 'em, we wanted to go for a wander. The downside to LAX is nowhere to go near the airport.
Last time we took the trolley from the hotels to Manhattan Beach mall, so decided to do it again.
Just for a change, we decided to get off at the beach itself, and had a wander around the shopping precinct and down to the pier.
I have previously gone on about Santa Monica. The pier is great, the suburb is crap.
Actually, it would be fair to say that I think most of LA is crap. Definitely a transit stop only, and only if you have to. This is a fairly universal opinion, not just mine.
But I have to say it. Despite my dislike of LA, I LOVE Manhatten Beach! I really do. I could live here tomorrow. It's just so what LA SHOULD be like. Just beautiful.
But that was just for one night, and the next day it's back to the airport for our flight to Las Vegas.
We arrive at terminal 1, and enter from the far end. That's where the shuttle parks. I eventually figured out that there are 2 queues for Southwest. One for those checking in bags WITH a boarding pass, and those without. We belong with the withouts.
When you get to the front, there is a kiosk screen on your side, and the agent on the other side of their counter. You check yourself in, and the bag tags print out on their side. The boarding passes print out on your side. You put your bags on the scale for them to tag and enter the weights, and then you take the bags back. Say what!?? This is Amrika, and the bags have to go to those TSA guys over there for scanning, before they go on the belt running behind the check-in counters. Mmmm!
Now, a little background on Southwest.
They are a VBA. A Value Based Airline. And a very successful one, at that.
One of the things they do is free-seating. First on gets any seat they damn-well want.
Rather than have a stampede at gates, you get to board in sequence. The sequence you checked in. So those who check-in first, get to board first. That's all very well, but in reality that creates issues. The building can't deal with hundreds of passengers who got there hours early, just to be first to board. Worse, it can't hold all of their luggage, either.
A cunning plan. Check-in online, and you don't have to be there so soon.
You can check in up to 24 hrs before departure time, and you get your boarding pass to print out if you want.
When you arrive, and you have a boarding pass in your hot little hand, then you join the queue on the left.
If, like us, you checked in and didn't have the ability to print, you got to the queue on the right, with those who didn't check in at all.
So back to my check-in. The kiosk asks if you want to get a boarding pass, just check in bags, or both. I chose both, and we are all set. I get the same sequence number I got online last night. So there is no disadvantage to not printing your boarding pass. In fact, the guys in the left-hand queue still had to do exactly what I did, but without printing a pass. Due to human nature's desire to get one up on the other passengers, most people print their own, so that queue is a bit longer than the 'full service' one. Go figure.
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