LAX is like a 3rd world country. Appalling that one of our nation’s biggest and most iconic cities has such a dump of an airport.

We have a whopping 14 gates at ICT, one of the few things I like about Wichita. Of course the flights are at least double the price of most major airports.....

Neal:
Are you saying I could be *stuck* in Wichita?

Del:
I'm saying you *are* stuck in Wichita.

I like Branson, MO.....Privately owned/operated and only 4 gates....Have a drink at Famous Dave's BBQ while waiting....

Lol, super positive depiction of our fine city in that movie.

Not sure if we qualify as 'small' here in Columbus, OH, but I love our airport (CMH).

Favorite small airport? Burbank, CA. Love it.

I grew up around small airports and liked it a lot. Everybody knew everybody and if you needed a ride to ONT or LAX some off-duty airline pilot might give you a ride in his Twin Beech if you covered fuel costs. We used to have lunch with guys like Artie Scholl and Clay Lacy.

My Dad built a house and hanger on the taxiway at Pine Mountain Lake airport and lived there for 10 years tinkering with aircraft. I can still see his house in this pic, now surrounded by all the newer high $$ mega mansions.

https://www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/375/Pine-Mountain-Lake-Airport

I flew out of Wichita Falls once... I thought my AM flight was actually a PM flight.
12 hours in the lounge was nice. that and all the boot techies from the afb.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1534852730.jpg

No fence, no security, no TSA

Many years ago, Eastern Airlines (remember them?) flew a puddle jumper into the airport in Colquitt County, Georgia. The gummint paid Eastern a stipend of about $500K per year to serve this area. At one point, I flew from Atlanta to Moultrie, was the only passenger on the plane (along with a bag of mail) on a direct flight and they lost my luggage! Now that has got to be a record! They did find the suitcase, flew it to Albany, Ga the next day and had a taxi drive it 50 miles to the Moultrie airport. The cost of my ticket was $99! I have often wondered how much they lost of that flight?

One of my pet peeves .. They should put a TSA agent to good use patrolling the conveyor perimeter with a cattle prod.

the surrounding areas too. going to the rental car place on the shuttle. we passed huge tracts of homes just boarded up..streets blocked by k-rail. it was like a third world country.

and apparently there was a huge traffic jam, because google maps took us thru the neighborHOOD with a emphasise on hood. i think we went thru Compton. my wife was "oh, that house would be cute fixed up..take the bars off the windows..............."

i was.."honey, quit pointing at the homes..eyes forward..lock the doors".

:D i was ready to drop the shifter of the Nissan Versa into "3" and utilize all 90hp to escape at a moments notice.

Several years ago i needed to fly to Oakland for a business emergency. As in don't pack, don't go home, just get to the closest airport and get in the air.

the closest airport was Long Beach. I parked and walked the 200 feet to the terminal.

I waited in line for a minute or two to get through security and get my boarding pass.

The coolest part was when the airport employee asked us all to gather around, and led us out onto the tarmac where we climbed the stairs to get on the plane.
I had no idea planes had stairs in the back of the plane!

It was totally cool in a retro-nostalgic way.

Vash, Vash, Vash... all the locals know to avoid LAX like the plague, our favorite is Long Beach if there is anyway to fly in and out of there it is our #1 choice. We even drive the John Wayne in the OC to avoid LAX. I have also heard good thing about Burbank but we would have to drive through he11.. I'm mean downtown L.A. to get there.

RE:Small airport drove a car from L.A. to Brookings OR. closest airport was Crescent City, there was a storm but that didn't stop the puddle jumper from taking off directly over the ocean. I remember looking out at the huge waves and whitcaps and thinking "if we go down we are all going to die."
Crescent city airport is so small they didn't have security, so we flew down to Eureka, got off the plane, went through security, and got back on the plane.

Then there is Medford OR "International" airport... even the locals roll there eyes when they say "international"... if you get there too early or late you better not need to check in... because there is nobody at the check in counters.

My former boss was telling me a story of his first airline flight ever that was back in the 1930s. It was from Oklahoma City to Houston. He said the ticket agent loaded his luggage onto the cart. The same guy took all the tickets, pushed the luggage cart to the airplane and loaded the luggage. He then went inside and changed uniforms, and came out and went to the cockpit and flew the airplane to his Houston. "Back in the good ol days"

I always enjoyed navigating around LAX via Waze, which leads you onto neighborhood streets when there is interstate traffic (i.e. always). Fun seeing streets that you've heard in rap songs.:D

there are some very scenic neighborhoods along the 105 freeway ...... :eek:

Who cares about a bus tour of celebrity homes, how about a bus tour of the LA ghetto? Explore scenic locales from rap music, movies, and Boyz N The Hood.

That should be part of an organized LA tour. Head east on the 105 and get off in Watts or South Central around sundown on a Fri night. Then drive slowly through and watch the show. Just don't become part of the show.

Gentlemen, gentlemen, the lovely neighborhood you are referring to is Inglewood home of our new multi-billion dollar Rams stadium complex!

PSA: Better to cut north/south on Sepulveda Blvd/Hwy 1 then cut east to the freeway through Playa Vista (north) or El Segundo (south)

Saba. Supposed to be the shortest international runway in the world. Landed there a few times. The pilots make it look easy.