Dang those planes get low. A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 landing at LAX.
When I tell my friends that I am going to fly to a city for a day trip, most of them think I am crazy, but I love it. On Saturday, I got up at 4:00am to start my journey to Los Angeles to hang out with some airline dorks at the LAX In-N-Out.
For only $40, we were able to drive this baby around. Only put 20 miles on her though.
Brett Snyder (AKA CrankyFlier) organized the event and about 30 people from around the west coast came to talk planes, eat some good food and spot for airplanes. I was heading down with my friend Mal and even though it is pretty easy to get from the airport to the In-N-Out, he was able to get a great deal on a Ford Mustang Convertible, so we decided to cruise in style. Problem is that we were requested to pick up @danwebbage and @briadavi and a convertable gets a bit tight with four guys in it, but we made it work.
Thai Airways Boeing 777-200. Walked down the street a bit to get better lighting. Love this livery.
I had never been to this In-N-Out (I know crazy right), so I was very excited. I have seen many photos and heard great things about the ability to spot, but photos and words can really not do it justice. The planes get so darn low!
A Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 takes from from LAX.
After hanging out at the In-N-Out, it was time to head over to the other side of the airport: Imperial Hill. It was definitely challenging making sure poles, lines and trees did not get in the shot (it is almost like people do not design infrastructure with spotters in mind), but the views were great.
The planes were exciting, but it is hard to beat talking to other aviation dorks about airlines. I am surely looking forward to next year’s event. Now, it is time to put my energies into Aviation Geek Fest 2013.
After being at LA for less than 12 hours, it was time to board my Virgin America flight and head home.
Here are some additional goodies from the event:
* 43 of my photos of #DorkFest
* Cranky’s story
* Images from @Braniff747SP
If you attended #DorkFest and have photos you want to share, either leave a comment or email me (da***@ai*************.com) the link and I will add them to this story.
The Koru Club at LAX offers a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
First of all, I have to be honest and say that I have become a bit of a spoiled traveler. Before starting this blog, I rarely got to see the inside of an airline’s lounge. I thought they were just for the uber elite (either wealthy or status earners). Now, I realize that lounges aren’t this magical land that a rare few can access, they are something that almost anyone can get into (with a fee, of course).
On my recent flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to London’s Heathrow (LHR) (for Farnborough), my ticket did not give me club access. The problem was I had almost a six hour lay over at LAX (after flying in from Seattle) and I didn’t want to do it in Terminal 2 at LAX.
This became my temporary office for a few hours in the Koru Lounge.
Taking a look at what the Koru Club offered and knowing how great lounges can be, I was ready to pay the $55 for a day pass. Don’t get me wrong, I surely don’t have much money to throw around, but the idea of being able to spend a good chunk of my lay over (I arrived at LAX at 10:30am, but the lounge doesn’t open until 1pm), the $55 seemed like a good deal.
When you break down what it might cost to access internet at an airport, buying a meal or drinks, the $55 becomes a good deal quite quickly.
Luckily for my wallet, Air New Zealand reached out and asked if I would like access to check it out and prepare before my flight. Um…yes please.
There is a nice selection of food and drink options at Air New Zealand’s LAX lounge.
Access to the lounge is on the second floor of Terminal 2, past security. It is a lounge operated by Air New Zealand, but Virgin Australia customers are able to get access too.
Some lounges seem too fancy and I feel a bit out of place. Others feel pretty cheap and I would be embarrassed if I was the airline. The Koru Club is a lounge that is just right for my taste. It is not too large, has plenty of seating options, free Wi-Fi, showers, a decent selection of food and drinks.
The lounge offers a sandwich bar. Good thing — I love sandwiches.
Another important quality I look for is great views of the airport. During my wait, I was able to spot so many different types of aircraft — MD-11, A380, Boeing 747 — it was eye candy for sure.
As with most places around an airport, I wish they had more power outlets. The four place table, where I spent the majority of my time, only had two outlets and I used both of them the entire time (luckily no one else came to sit down).
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS OF THE KORU CLUB AT LAX:
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