Originally Posted by
AADFW
By contrast, in cities like Phnom Penh or Da Nang, it’s not at all uncommon for the bags to hit the carousel before even the most customs-expedited passengers do. And there’s never a wait for an occupied gate.
To be fair, Phnom Penh has about 5million passengers whereas LAX has about 85million. The operations aren't exactly comparable. LAX does have the purpose-built remote gates for international arrivals, but those seem to be used far less frequently with the TBIT expansion.
It's probably conditioning more than anything else - it's just what we're used to. A few years ago during construction at LAX, AA would regularly use the remote gates for both domestic and international flights and people were in an uproar. I find it to be one of the more annoying things when flying in Europe, Asia, and South America. I always think about my elderly parents and if they were traveling on their own and had to navigate the stairs and then the bus ride.
I also think it's interesting whenever people complain about LAX and the congestion and the set-up of the terminals, etc. Every time I arrive at LHR, it feels like I'm walking about a mile to get to the main terminal from my gate. At LAX, it's a very short distance from airplane to curb. It's all what we're used to.