Autumn Holiday Day 1 - LHR-LAX

It was a uniformly grey morning but we were affected by neither weather nor traffic on a short and uncomplicated drive to Heathrow. The wind chilled us as we left the car and we were glad to reach the sanctuary of check-in or, more accurately, bag-drop. The valet parking staff were charmless and weary. It is annoying that, although one provides full details when booking this service, including, unsurprisingly, make of car and return flight, these details in full do not reach the office so one has to answer avoidable questions and spend avoidable minutes doing so. For the first time, I have made a note of the mileage so that any unreasonable addition will have to be explained. BA Bag Drop was a far more chatty affair where the agent was possibly even less kindly disposed to the US determination of our security procedures than I am. Still, some of that is about to change after this week’s meeting of Air Operators and the enlightened comments of Phillip Hammond. There were the slightest signs today of the more ridiculous rules crumbling but I might have imagined part of a more a pleasant atmosphere because, for once and miraculously, I said absolutely nothing to the strange recruits who enforce these rules. Their facial expressions spoke volumes.

We felt reassured that ESTA has finally replaced I94-W rather than running in parallel with it and I wondered how this might affect our passage through LAX. With no green stub to surrender on departure how might our exit be recorded?


T5 was bustling for the early morning but not over busy and as the European surge left, the terminal and, more importantly, the Club Lounge became less hectic. The lounge remains an oasis with welcome bacon rolls amongst a good choice of breakfast items. They have learned no lessons about the layout of the toilets though and mine cannot have been the only previous comments. It is impossible to determine whether the cubicles are engaged without trying the door or using a magnifying glass. This could so easily be rectified.


Our timing in reaching the B satellite at almost exactly the commencement of boarding was rewarded only by the longest walk possible in the terminal with our aircraft parked on Gate 548 which is just south of Northolt. On board our seats offered welcome comfort and once again reminded me that I shall no longer be trying those a little further back (certainly not on LHR-LAX). The cabin crew were numerous but inattentive to detail and cool bordering on offhand. They had the air, perhaps not unsurprisingly, of people who have been at odds with their employer for much of the year and are now rather inconvenienced by the presence of passengers. Food choice was limited and affected Greg. This was attributed to avoidance of waste (which is partially reasonable). A passenger behind me was offered an already open bottle of water and my main course was delivered to the wrong seat. It should not be difficult to remember meal assignments in a compact cabin. During the flight and for the first time ever I think, I used my laptop to draft this blog and edit my photographs. I felt good about being ahead with my tasks. I noticed there was no toothpick with my lunch and wondered if not loading 400 of these would be a significant weight saving. Perhaps it was instead a cost saving but in either case there was one with afternoon tea, curiously described by the server as 'lunch'. I actually photographed my cheese sandwich to illustrate how the cheese covered approximately half the bread. Another weight/cost saving?

The arrival process at LAX was much changed and a very mixed experience. Many stands require tow-on and our first tug broke. When we reached the immigration hall it was to find large queues. We were directed to #9 which at least has three outlets. I was surprised and pleased when a handful of us were redirected quite pleasantly to #2 when vacated by US citizens. Without I94-W processing it was quick. However, there was a big 'however'. There has always been an overlap in the US between what we would know as immigration and customs. The latter at LAX now has huge lines, much more checking and even arrival screening. After much shuffling we were treated very cheerfully by Howard and got straight on a Hertz shuttle. They did not compare favourably with Alamo. They had already annoyed me in the UK by not recognising my No 1 Club Card and by offering online check-in which did not work. The upshot today was 15 minutes at the desk and $101 extra expenditure on a 'pre-paid' rental. The amount of money they must make on their Fuel Payment Option must be phenomenal. No-one arrives back at the car rental with a tank that is actually empty.

We drive to Palm Springs early tomorrow via the inevitable Denny's.