When it comes to airports, one of the largest international airports in the United States is the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
And I have been to this airport many times and have seen it change with the times, especially the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) which opened for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games and is named after Tom Bradley, Los Angele’s longest-serving mayor.
The terminal hosts 29 airlines and handles 10 million passengers per year and in 2010, TBIT received a bit of modernization. And a new terminal would be constructed to feature more shops, restaurants and passenger lounges including new security screening, customs, immigration and baggage claim facilities.
And in September 2013, the new Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX opened and inside, it’s quite impressive with the huge multimedia screens, a large immersive and advanced multimedia environment created by Moment Factory.
But what may surprise people is the number of restaurants and high-end shops are located in the area including Burberry, Hermes, Gucci, Emporio Armani, Fred Segal, Coach, Bulgari and more.
And of course, for those looking for something to eat, you can find a KFC, an Umami Burger and also other restaurants that retain the pricing that you see at their restaurants outside the airport, food and drinks are not expensive.
That is until you come back from an international country to the US and after going through customs and are about to take a domestic flight, and then you are left with restaurants that charge $8-12 for half a sandwich and an overpriced drink.
And if the high-end stores are not for you, you’ll find your usual stores that sell the usual magazines and overpriced snacks.
But of the airports I have been to, I have to say that LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal is one of swankiest airports and if you think having high-end stores wouldn’t work, often you’ll see travelers purchasing these high-end products when they had back home to their country.
