aleaf

Yeah me, I'm going to Buenos Aires! A few details to work out - would love some guidance from knowledgeable FTers...

6am UA flight from LAX on Tues, need to check-in at 4am. Since there aren't any flights from Phx arriving at 4am, looks like I'll be arriving 10:30pm Monday night. Any decent spots to sleep at LAX? Per sleepinginairports.com, LAX gets a 'poopy' rating. No sense in getting a hotel, I'd only be there for a few hours and fret over getting back. Although I'm a budget traveler, I'd happily pay for a lounge day-pass but it closes at 11pm. Any advice on good snoozing spots, ways to 5.5hrs?

Also, I've got 7+ hrs at IAD. The Nat'l Air & Space Museum, which is close by, was recommended as an idea. Any other suggestions?

(now must plot who to borrow ambien from for my 10.5 hr flight IAD-EZE...)

Thanks!

rfrost

I'm not a fan of sleeping in airports. Why don't you take an earlier flight to LAX the day before, and get a decent night's sleep? You should be able to Priceline an LAX hotel for relatively little money.
Also, why don't you check in online the day before? Then you won't have to be there at 4 am.

luv2ctheworld

For public transit to A&S Museum from IAD:
http://www.vatransit.org/bus_schedules.cfm

Be sure to have exact change.

Did it last time I was there... great way to spend time on a layover.

ikura

I agree. I wouldn't sleep at LAX either. There are lots of cheap options around the airport, Priceline would be a good starting point.

watson10

LAX is my home airport and while i never sleep over there, i can tell you it is extremely uncomfortable for sleeping, only CDG is worse IMO. The area around LAX is really seedy so try and get in earlier to get a room. Sorry.

phedre

I'll second the comments above: LAX sucks for sleeping. There are free shuttles to all the nearby hotels, and the Sheraton Gateway is pretty cheap for an overnight. It'll be worth it for the good night's sleep before the long haul to BA.

Good luck by the way! I hope you have fun! Let me know if you hit Gaucho100k's wine shop.

currently typing this from the MLL in LAX T2

MKEbound

Depending on your comfort level, a 7 hour layover at IAD could be long enough for a trip to downtown DC and back, however on a budget I would take a short bus trip ($8) to the subway station, then a train ride into the city.

If you don't want to travel too far away, a trip to the Air and Space musuem on the airport grounds would be perfect. I was in IAD last week and there are lots of signs that spell out where to catch the shuttle ($.50) and the museum is free to visit (as are all the Smithsonian's)

Dulles also is a fun airport to explore. For the budget traveler, they have a very nice and quite (free) chapel to rest in on the B concourse, lots of opportunities for plane spotting - especially when traveling on the "moon buggy" type shuttles between the concourses. There is a good thread in the UA forum that might allow you to find someone to guest you into one of the many UA lounges in IAD, and they used to allow pax to visit and observation level in the main control tower (it's been years since I lived near there so I don't know if that's still an option.)

cricketdog

I agree with the other posters about sleeping at LAX and instead trying to find a cheap hotel rate via Priceline.

As far as your layover at IAD, I've heard rave reviews about the Air and Space Museum out near the Dulles airport. According to the website, among the aviation artifacts on display are the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in the world; the Boeing Dash 80, the prototype of the 707; the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay; the deHavilland Chipmunk aerobatic airplane; and the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

More info here: http://www.nasm.si.edu/UdvarHazy/

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

Another recommendation for the air & space museum. ( Udvar-Hazy IIRC)

In addition to the above there is a Air France Concorde ( it is pretty cool to walk underneath it!)

Regards

TBS

aleaf

So a resounding on the sleeping at LAX. Bummer. Oh how I wish the lounges were open overnight!

Per UA, since my PHX-LAX flight is on a different PNR from my LAX-EZE flights, I can't check my luggage straight through from PHX to EZE. I have to collect it in LAX and then can't check it in until UA opens up at 4am. (I was very surprised by this - called a few times to double/triple check. How irritating!)
So by the time I'm on the ground w my luggage in LAX, it's 11pm. At hotel and asleep by 12, up at 3:30am to head back to the airport to check my bags at 4am for my 6am flight - it just seems like alot of hassle for 3.5hrs sleep. I appreciate all the input and the dose of reality, even though it wasn't what I was hoping to hear.

The IAD part sounds much more promising - thanks for all the good tips! I'm looking forward to having some time on the ground there.

Rejuvenated

Single night of hotel accommodation is worth the $$$$ to avoid sleeping at the hell hole know as LAX.

phedre

Is there any way you can get an earlier flight to LAX? If you can get in by 8 or so, you'll have enough time to grab some food and get a good rest before the early flight.

aleaf

That seems to be the overall view. I'm definitely going to see if I can get an earlier flight and a room. Thanks all!

GoingAway

are both tickets on UA or just the lax-eze part? If they are both on UA, you might get someone at PHX to book you direct to IAD and bypass LAX (unless you need the miles in which case, keep your routing). You'd need to check the flight schedule to see if this is doable but could be worth the request.

Sam - DFW

i thought i would be able to sleep behind one of the gate counters in the AA terminal, but around midnight (IIRC) security did a sweep of the entire terminal and herded me down to baggage claim. there were a couple of people sleeping on the ground, but there's nowhere else to sleep. i tried to sleep sitting up in a chair, but it was miserable. you also have the noise of the passing cars and the opening doors. not to be forgotten is the lingering fear that a passerby is going to enter the baggage area and rob/kill you. i don't mind sleeping in a secured area, but the baggage area at LAX is nightmarish.