Personally I don't think that LAX is that bad. There are plenty of place to park nearby (I don't park in short term parking unless I'm really late) and the traffic seems to flow thru the airport fairly well.

I also find that AA's terminal 4 is the best in the airport. You go directly through security (which flows pretty well, especially from the eltie site) to well laid out gates (not some of those circular relics from an earlier era in some of the other terminals). The AC is pretty good, and there are a number of food & newstand choices.

I can't speak to EXP but I will say that as a Plat upgrades to JFK/DFW/MIA are very hard to come by

Thanks reLAX and Seb, some great local advice.

I checked out the Status Match thread earlier, and already sent in a request to NW. I am going to try out a couple of DL routes once I get my NW Platinum Elite (should take a couple of weeks). I am also going to sign up for the AA challenge the next time I find an AA flight wide open and don't care if I am stuck in coach. Will decide then which is best to South Florida.

Since I set my own schedule for travel, I have been successful 80%+ getting upgrades on US. I just book flights I know have seats in 1st. Definitely better than coach, but not the best out there. Like I mentioned before, no more power in first class on any domestic plane.


Based on my research, it looks like I am best off sticking with US / Lufthansa for Germany. I fly to Europe enough to keep my status on US by taking advantage of their promotions for double / bonus preferred qualifying miles. But if I do that, I doubt I will have enough to get to EXP on AA.

I will have to try and find the LA Sub Forum you mentioned, parking tips would help. I use a car service now just to avoid parking at the airport.

For the Bay Area and PHX, you will probably end up flying Southwest, if only because they have the most flights. Southwest also has one-stop service to FLL.

If you accumulate 32 flights over 12 months Southwest gives you A-list status, meaning that they automatically check you in and you board early, and you also get priority for security screening. If you have use for their Companion Pass (free travel for a specific person when you fly), then you need to figure out how to reach 100 credits within a year. Regardless, if you end up flying on Southwest at all you should read the FAQ.

Today's Southwest sequential boarding system is nothing at all like the horrible mess it was 10 years ago. IMHO, it's the best boarding system in the industry. I can sit down until the right time, then be handing over my boarding pass at the scanner less than 60 seconds later. I control the probability of an empty middle seat by selecting my row, so I have more room than I'd have short of an upgrade to F on any other airline.

There's a free shuttle bus from the Green Line metro station to LAX. You can also take public buses to the airport if you are close enough for that to be practical.

Are you flying to Germany in coach or business class ?

If you fly C then LH M&M might be interesting for you... 2 years Senator status after qualifying. On the other hand you earn only 50% on lowfare tickets and 25% bonus miles.

Car Service to LAX... where exactly are you located and what do they charge you ?

I made the experience that if you order Supershuttle to your residence you are often alone in the van and get to the airport right away if you dont travel in peak times.