Recent LAX Experience

[gk10002000]

I just came back from a vacation in Thailand.  Flew EVA Air.  BKK through Taipei onto LAX.  Arrive LAX 9:20 PM on a Monday.  Had just a carry on bag.  Walked down to immigration.  Was directed to use the self service kiosk.  Now I don't have anything electronic or on-line previously set up.  Got to the kiosk, it asked me about ten questions.  One about bringing in goods asked if I had anything to declare over $50.  I answered no as I only had like one T-shirt I bought in Thailand.  Interesting when you fill out the paper declaration card on the plane it doesn't say less than or more than 50 so I answered yes on the paper card.  Slid my passport photo page into the machine and it scans it!  Not reading the electronic data or magnetic strip it actually scans it and then displays an image and what it thinks is your name.  It then asked if your name is correct.  Well it did not read my middle name correctly, so I answered no, and it said re scan it.  OK. This time it figured it out properly.  It then prompted you to say yes or no if all the answers you previously gave were correct, but it does NOT display the questions or answers you previously gave so on faith I assumed I put in the right stuff before.  It really should display a summary list of the Qs and As.  It then prints out a receipt and I thought, great, this saves a line.  Well, that is not true.  You then get in the regular line and move along until an agent calls you to step forward.  I guess this is the time saver.  The agent looks at your passport photo, your receipt and doesn't do much in the computer.  Not sure this saves much time but I am willing to go with it.  Then you proceed through baggage claim, or in my case just walk to the next final line with my carry on bag.  Again show the guy the receipt from the kiosk and he asks again if you have anything to declare.  Did I?  Not if I answer the $50 limit asked at the kiosk.  So I said no, and he waved me through.    So I guess I am saying read the kiosk stuff carefully.  That image scan and then read back name thing is a bit suspect and it probably would be a hassle if your names and receipts and passport did not line up.  

 

Traffic going to LAX on my departure night was horrendous.  I got there with my friends driving me at about 10PM on a Sunday night.  The drive to near LAX was not too bad, but the century blvd and 105 were impassable.  As we inched along towards the Bradley terminal, the lanes merge down to literally one lane.  So a total bottle neck.  Similar thing the night my friend came back to pick me up.  They got to do something about that funnel

[GinBoy2]

Getting to LAX is always the nightmare.

 

The good news that once you get there, the remodeled Tom Bradley terminal is actually pretty nice

[new2here]

The kiosk entry really does save time as anyone who needs more “questioning” is pre-selected by the program (thus the large X versus the large O on the thermal receipt) and they are then channeled to a secondary screening queue, while everyone else gets the minimal visual inspection/comparison of the thermal receipt to the actual passenger and a cursory questioning.

In the end, I think the time saving is had by anyone who doesn’t need or get a secondary inspection won’t be “caught behind” someone who does.


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