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PHL gets a bad rap but their customs is one of the better in the country IMHO
Outside of the obvious benefits of direct flights, coming into PHL relative to my experiences at JFK, EWR, MIA and LAX have always been better, especially since the new A West and Customs concourse has been built
even my Global entry was a sh$t show at JFK a few weeks ago right before snowmageddon (not weather related when there)
granted its less busy but still sizable
also the new terminal B may be one of the best in the country for amenities at every gate
I flew out of PHL several times when I lived in south Jersey and had no issues.
In the time and age of Uber/Lyft you bother taking transit to the airport? Dragging your suit case to and from? Not me at least. I do own a car, but rarely do I ever take it to the airport (for obvious parking reasons) but I do take taxis/Uber/Lyft whenever I need to fly and I can tell you JFK is a bigger PITA than LGA by a long margin.
And not just for me to arrive there. I never had the airline announce to me that the plane was delayed because the entire crew is stuck in traffic at LGA, but it has happened several times at JFK. Nothing more annoying than that.
Though LGA is a dump, and I much rather be in JFK than that foul smelling excuse of an airport.
Yes. Well, I thought you were talking about driving your own car and having to worry about parking and all that, but yeah, I do prefer to take the subway — getting to JFK at least. With LaGuardia I will call a car since the only other option is a bus and I don’t f*** with buses like that.
I’m not really a fan of Uber/Lyft, and especially not regular taxis either. Especially when there’s a bridge or tunnel involved but I guess on the topic of airports I only have to worry about that going to EWR. I live by the G train in Williamsburg so it’s really quick and easy for me to go over to Queens and catch the E which just run express across Queens to JFK. I grew up off the E in Queens so this is what I’ve always done with my family growing up, so this has just been the way I’ve always done it my whole life.
I never usually pack too much when I go on vacation, usually just 1 suitcase and 1 backpack for carryon, so taking my stuff on the subway is never an issue. The E train in Queens always has lots of people with suitcases going to/from JFK. I think that anytime other than overnight hours when the E is express that it can very likely be faster than driving. As you said earlier JFK traffic is horrendous.
I see no reason to save some (little bit of) money for the incredible inconvenience of dragging my suitcase (or suitcases) through PT when I can sit nicely and comfortably all the way to my destination.
I assumed this was pretty much what everyone did as well. But I guess if the money is that valuable to you, then by all means suffer through that.
Another $40 here and there adds up. I'd rather get a slightly nicer hotel room or not spend it.
But it's also typically a nice way to see the city from the start. I've had some nice walks with a suitcase.
Probably Atlanta. For its size and how busy it is, it's pretty straightforward. Not hard or cramped getting in and out of, always clean, the planetrain is great, and connections are easy. Feels like the A terminal renovation will never been done though.
I remember Orlando, Baltimore, and Dallas Love have nice airports, and Reagan has been surprisingly friendly, fast, and straightforward. Baltimore was crazy busy at 4am, caught me completely off guard. Wasn't a big fan of Ohare. After getting off the train it was pretty confusing trying to get around. The sign layout was so poor they may as well have been in Swahili. The bathroom was old and the actual gates felt dated and stuffy. Two gate attendants at different gates tried talking over each other like a competition. Midway was nice, my only complaint was the hollow walk to the train and the lack of explanation of how to get to it.
LAX was a complete madhouse and the car rental pick up was a little confusing, but I was so excited to actually be in LA I gave it a pass. I didn't when leaving though. There was only two bag check lanes, and one TSA agent, of course the on my side, randomly left and it took a soccer mom about to explode for them to finally actually try to find someone to take over.
JFK seemed to be a random hodgepodge of new and dated, the airtrain was confusing and so was getting to Jamaica station, and the taxiing took what felt like an hour. Literally had to go from one end all the way to the other to both take off and land. Never been inside Dulles, but trying to pick my gf up from there was an adventure to say the least, and it's sooo far from society.
Even with my complaints I've thankfully never really had a truly bad experience or any kind of airport horror story. I enjoy planespotting anyway and as long as the seats have an outlet I'm fine. Only consistent nag is TSA feeling the need to pat my no no's and having to swab me. Feels like every time. Buy me dinner.
LAX's domestic bones date back to 1961, when they built what were then modern jet terminals as satellite terminals with underground access. They worked well for about a decade but were soon outdated. Today, you can still see the remnants of these old terminals, though most have been remodeled, or perhaps a better term, "retrofitted". To LAX's credit, they have added, and are continuing to expand the International Terminal to the west of the original layout.
At some point though, LAX will need to start from scratch on the domestic side. This would mean a total rebuild of the original early 60's platform. I don't know where this stands today, I'm sure there have been proposals, but funding is perhaps in question.
Another $40 here and there adds up. I'd rather get a slightly nicer hotel room or not spend it.
But it's also typically a nice way to see the city from the start. I've had some nice walks with a suitcase.
I fly between 50,000-100,000 miles a year. Last year I did around 65,000. Already just this January, am almost at 10,000 and will be well over it when I complete this flight (am at an airport right now).
Yes $40 does add up when you fly as much as me. Trust me on that. But what also adds up is time wasted and energy wasted dragging around a suitcase. I guess the traveling novelty has completely worn off for me.
When I get busy, working out is hard. Walking with a suitcase can at least use a few calories between trips to the gym.
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