danielonn

It was a sunny day this past Wednesday and with my interest in aviation I had to check out the new Tom Bradley International Terminal especially with my upcoming trip to Bangkok via Beijing on Air China.

I am one who likes to plan and it was so nice being able to recreate the journey from Delta Terminal 5. What I just found out is that Delta has flights arriving and departing from Terminal 6. What I did was checkin my bag to SJC and as my Father and I will be flying from SJC I know know where the elevator is located just through the baggage claim of Terminal 6 and outside there is an elevator that can bring us up to the departures level.

Upon entering the TBIT I was amazed at how far the terminal has come since the old and tired terminal. I walked along the outside and found the bank of ticket counters that Air China uses and saw where we would be checking in. I timed it to be around the time we would be checking in for our flight and the lines did not look that bad.

I then proceeded through security which took me all of 4 minutes. So from checking in at Delta to the terminal took me about 25 minutes.

Once through the terminal I checked out the gate areas and found the gate where Air China departs out of and I looked at all the shops. The terminal reminds me of SFO and I was expecting it to be larger than it really is. I'll be honest this was my first time inside security at TBIT.

I also saw the glass window with the escalator leading down to customs. The terminal reminds me also of Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport where passengers clearing customs walk upstairs and go downstairs to customs. Its a well designed terminal.

I then proceeded upstairs and walked around the dining area and then had a chance to be a guest in the Oneworld Business Lounge which was a treat.

I was amazed at the One World Lounge and here is my review:

Entering the lounge I was greeted with self serve bubbly (Gloria Ferret) and excellent wines and a bar with a vast selection of drinks. I had two glasses of the Gloria Ferret and some nice Cabernet wine.

When I first entered I enjoyed the breakfast smorgasboard of eggs, Muselix, and fresh fruit. As time went on breakfast turned into lunch. For lunch I enjoyed a nice chicken curry with basmati rice, fresh vegetables with eggplant grilled to perfection.

The attendant came by and offered me a glass of wine and I had a really nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon which had a nice flavor. I then made myself a cappuchino and walked over to the lounger chairs on the opposite side to relax.

After my visit I took the bridge(you just walk along the same level as the lounge passing the SkyTeam Lounge(KAL) on your right and follow the signs to Terminal 4. In terminal 4 I took the escalator down by the bus area to the remote terminal and walked under the bridge. Then I followed the signs to Terminal 5 where a tram was there to take me through the tunnel. I found out that my Delta flight was now operating in Terminal 6 so back downstairs and I took the tram to Terminal 6.

Overall this was a nice way to spend a better part of the morning and some of the afternoon to see how our travels would be through LAX and to experience the newly renovated terminal . Its very easy to navigate and one can't get lost.

I loved the terminal and I can't wait to enjoy experiencing more of it when I fly out in November. If there is time on my return I will gladly walk back through terminal 4 airside to the terminal and spend more time there. In fact I will plan to wait in the TBIT terminal for my domestic flights whetehr on AA Delta or Alaska. If Dela moves terminals I hope there will be a connector airside from the new Delta Terminal.