Los Angeles Deserves Better And So Do Its Passengers
When I went to Delta’s Terminal 3 to catch a flight, I was appalled.
This cramped terminal reminded me of something I would find at a third-world airport. There were people sitting on the floor because there were not enough seats; it looked as if there was a huge number of flight delays and people were forced to sleep in the airport but that was not the case.
The gates, instead of being spread out over long hallways, were all in a semi-circle and it was literally impossible to take a few steps without bumping into somebody or even tripping over them.
The gate I arrived at had another flight posted and then it, as well as a few others, suddenly switched gates, causing passengers to scurry to find the correct gate. It was absolute chaos.
I would expect this were I in a remote outpost, but I was in Los Angeles.
Not too long ago, Delta switched from its comfortable Terminal 5 – which I had enjoyed for years – to Terminals 2 and 3. I haven’t been to the former but the latter doesn’t exactly set the traveler in a good mood before a trip.
It actually started before I even got to Terminal 3. I got dropped off at Terminal 2 and then saw my flight departed from the next terminal. No big deal, I thought, I’ll walk or maybe there’s a moving sidewalk.
Nope!
After going through security, I (and another passenger whom I happen to encounter) were led by signs to another area. This led to a side gate with signs pointing to board a plane there that did not exist. Gate agents pointed us to a door, which led to stairs, which we had to descend, and this led to a basement.
There, we had to board a bus – a bus! – to go to Terminal 3. The bus took us on a scenic tour along the tarmac and then a few yards short of the terminal, stopped. We sat there for 10 minutes, meaning it took 15 minutes to go from one terminal to the other.
Folks, if you’ve got a flight out of Terminal 3, you had better calculate this silliness into your airport arrival time. And if you are flyling Delta to Atlanta, Detroit, Hawaii, Minneapolis, New York-JFK, Washington D.C. or any Delta-operated international destination, you have to go out of Terminal 3. Oh, and you have to check your bags in Terminal 2.
Things are no better when you arrive back in L.A. I got off the plane, saw what appeared to be the same people sitting in the same spots on the floor, squeezed myself into the bathroom and shuffled my way to baggage claim.
Here, it was another mess. Delta baggage claim employees were pulling luggage off the carousel and while this may have seemed to be a friendly gesture, it resulted in luggage being stacked up in an area so narrow it barely had enough room for passengers, let alone them and their luggage.
Again, third world country.
As my friend was picking me up at the upper level, I needed to get back up one level. Of course, the elevator was broken and I had to lift and bounce my luggage up a flight of stairs.
I am sure a renovation is in the plans but I’m talking about now. Los Angeles is supposedly a world-class city but Terminal 3 is makes it look like like a third-world city.
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