Major improvements at L.A. Airport
Los Angeles Airport: With increased demand for air travel over Xmas and the new year remember that strict carry-on regulations are still in force. At SFO security the lady ahead of me had her lipstick and perfume confiscated because they weren’t in a zip sealed transparent pouch. The quick and easy rule is to put everything in your checked through baggage including toothpaste, face creams and liquids to avoid hassle with the TSA.
For the airlines with increased checked luggage there is a higher risk of lost cases or delayed baggage. On my recent return on Continental my case was lost but their effective finding service arranged delivery within a few hours of my return. A new device for lost luggage is currently being tested which is a tracker that operates within 200 meters of the baggage area. It is far less expensive for an airline to find lost luggage while travelers are still waiting at the carousel than the $100 million a year it costs to deliver baggage later to the owner’s home. When a BagChip is affixed, baggage handlers driving airport Tug Carts could quickly scan baggage inventory from 200 yards away using hand held readers that find the lost bags. Once the BagChip system is put into place by an airline, travelers could purchase BagChip tags with their name, address, phone number and unique numeric ID for $10 each bag. If airlines were willing to acquire these hand-held medium range readers the cost would be about $8000 each. This is far less than their current cost of delivering the luggage later. More updates to follow on this new technology.
An update on LAX airport. As United is the major SFO/LA carrier they have three terminals at LAX. The airport currently serves 32 airlines with one heliport. There are eight terminals, but it is worth noting only one—the Tom Bradley Center—provides shops and restaurants for passengers prior to security check-in. The remaining terminals have restaurants and boutiques after the security check-in. For the business traveler 2006 has been a very busy year for LAX as a growing number of corporates are opting for airport locations for conferences.
The Sheraton Gateway is the most convenient—close to the airport terminal and most important, it has its own one-stop shuttle. Others such as the Westin share a shuttle with the Holiday Inn and Quinta, adding another 15 minutes to the pick-up or drop-off time between the hotel and the airport. Many of L.A.’s airport hotels have responded to the new demand of increased business travel and are planning expansion programs. In addition to two floors of executive suites the Sheraton Gateway has a major extension including a new ballroom opening in 2007, and this can be divided into individual conference meeting rooms. Next to the fitness center is the heated outdoor pool where guests can reserve cabañas, and while I was there I noticed these too were used for relaxed business get-togethers.
Given the traffic congestion on L.A. freeways this trend for holding important meetings at the airport hotels is clearly the way of the future. My advice if you are attending such a conference: call ahead to reservations to ensure your room is ‘soundproof’ for a good night’s sleep. At the Sheraton the double glazed windows are extremely effective.