If you’ve been craving a Big Gulp or a Slurpee at Los Angeles International Airport, your troubles are over.
The first 7-Eleven in a U.S. airport opened has opened at LAX – in the pre-security/arrivals area of the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Open from 6 a.m. to midnight and designed to serve departing and arriving passengers as well as airport employees and all the people who come to the airport to meet and greet passengers, the 950-square-foot shop is stocked with magazines and newspapers, travel-size personal care products and a variety of over-the-counter medicines for motion sickness and other ailments.
This is the first in-terminal location for 7-Eleven in the U.S., but the company currently has three stores in airport plazas on U.S. airport properties near JFK, Newark Liberty and Southwest International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida.
A 7-Eleven is also scheduled to open post-security in Terminal A at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport this fall, with another in DFW Terminal E sometime in the future.
59 7-Eleven stores already operate in airports in 12 other countries, including Canada, where the world’s first airport 7-Eleven opened at Vancouver International Airport in 2001 and offers a full-service post office, a lottery outlet and a noodle stand.
The Vancouver Airport 7-Eleven participates in 7-Eleven Day each year – when customers receives complimentary small size Slurpees – but the LAX airport 7-Eleven will not be participating that very popular program.
(Photos courtesy LAX; my story about the 7-Eleven at LAX first appeared in a slightly different version on USA TODAY)
After failing to come to a settlement, the Federal Aviation Administration has filed a $12 million suit again Southwest Airlines over allegations that repairs made to 44 airplanes by a contractor did not meet safety standards.
Starting December 3, 2014, AIR New Zealand will switch terminals at Los Angeles International Airport from T2 to the lovely Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). That, of course, means ANZ passengers will be able to enjoy all the new art and amenities in the revitalized terminal. But it also means that qualified ANZ passengers will able to use the swanky Star Alliance lounge in that terminal, which is operated in partnership with Air New Zealand.
75 percent of the existing leases for shops and restaurants at Portland International Airport are expiring in 2017 and agreements for many fresh new options are just beginning to be rolled out.
The list kicks off with the recent announcement of leases for 11 new outlets that should be open in early 2015, including Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen, Café Yumm!, Henry’s Tavern, Hissho Sushi, Mo’s Seafood & Chowder, a branch of The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar – and more.
In the video below, Westfield shares information about its plan for 20 new dining and retail outlets and fresh amenities destined for that terminal.
The plan includes doubling the dining options – to 12 – with two Starbucks, SeaLegs Wine Bar, SLAPFISH Modern Seafood Shack The Pie Hole, Pepita Cantina; Pick Up Stix; Fresh Brothers Pizza, Ciabatta Bar; BUILT Custom Burger and Barney’s Beanery, a classic American roadhouse modeled after Route 66.
For shopping, the retail outlets will include a SPANX outlet, a Duty Free shop, 2 CNBC shops and 2 Univision shops, which will carry many products targeted to the Hispanic traveler.
Amenities-wise, we can look forward to gate areas with lounge-style seating, lots more charging stations, new restrooms, terrazzo flooring and new lighting.
Ride-sharing services provided by companies such as Lyft, Sidecar and uberX have become popular, if somewhat controversial, lower-cost alternatives to traditional taxicabs in many cities and at many airports.
The services match people who need rides with mobile app-dispatched citizen drivers willing to provide rides and accept a fee.
But, citing an aggressive stance by authorities at Los Angeles International Airport for issuing citations to drivers picking up passengers there, Uber and Sidecar have recently pulled the plug on that part of their LAX service.
“Although we look forward to working with the authorities to resolve these issues quickly, this unwarranted action by authorities to punish drivers and riders cannot continue,” Uber spokesman Andrew Noyes wrote in a company blog post a week ago. “That’s why we’re temporarily halting uberX pick-ups at LAX effective immediately.”
Noyes told CNBC there were no projections on when the uberX pickup service might resume, but that for now uberX drivers are still dropping off passengers at LAX. The company’s other services, UberBLACK and UberSUV, which work with licensed commercial drivers, continue both pickups and dropoffs at LAX, he said.
Sidecar spokeswoman Margaret Ryan said via email that because the company has heard of the increased enforcement action at LAX, “we’ve advised Los Angeles drivers to avoid picking up passengers at LAX as well.”
In an email, Los Angeles Airport Police spokeswoman Sgt. Belinda Nettles said “no special enforcement is taking place” against uberX, Sidecar or other ride-share drivers. Only that “airport police officers are enforcing airport rules and regulations, as well as any violations pertaining to the penal code, vehicle code and the Los Angeles municipal codes as appropriate.”
At issue are the first round of rules issued by the California Public Utilities Commission for regulating companies such as Uber, Sidecar and Lyft, which the commission calls transportation network companies. “The question of picking up passengers by TNCs is still under review” by the commission, and TNCs wishing to serve the airport also need licenses or permits, and insurance, to do business at LAX, Nettles said.
Nettles said Thursday she was unable to provide information on what types of citations were issued to uberX drivers. “We cite for airport rules and regulation violations and California vehicle and penal code violations as appropriate daily,” she said.
LAX is not the only airport that has taken action against ride-sharing companies.
In April, San Francisco International Airport issued a cease and desist order to ride-sharing services operating there. “These were enforced primarily through admonishments, and some citations were also issued,” said SFO spokesman Doug Yakel.
Like many other airports, San Francisco has rules stating that each business that provides ground transportation, rental car or airport parking services must get an airport permit .
In response, Uber published a blog post in August with tips for riders at SFO noting that pickups by Uber services were unaffected, but that “SFO has taken an aggressive stance against uberX and has begun citing some drivers.” The company suggested fliers instead use another Uber ride service, such as UberBLACK or UberSUV.
Ryan said Sidecar is working with the state utilities commission to work out a solution but that in response to the cease and desist order, “we’ve advised San Francisco drivers to avoid trips to SFO until we’ve figured it out.”
Lyft has not yet responded to a request from CNBC for the status of its services at LAX or SFO.
For its part, SFO airport, which recently came to an agreement with car-sharing service Relay Rides, remains “open to new business models that provide our customers with a variety of transportation options,” said Yakel.
He said while the decision by the California Public Utilities Commission to regulate transportation network companies provides a framework to move forward with a permitting process at SFO, “we have yet to receive word of any TNC attempting to operate at SFO being permitted through the CPUC.”
(My story about ride-sharing services at SFO and LAX first appeared on CNBC Road Warrior)
Most parents will tell you that traveling internationally with kids is no day at the beach.
“For families with young children, spending long periods of time in an airport terminal can be a kind of torment. Partly because of all the waiting around but also because the airport is just a stop — usually the first stop — in a long journey,” said Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, family travel expert and managing editor of MiniTime.com.
But a new beach-themed children’s play area in the international terminal at Los Angeles International Airport gives kids a chance to have some fun and burn off some energy, before getting on a flight.
Opened Thursday in the new Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) with a party featuring the LAX therapy dogs, gift bags and cupcakes, the 971-square-foot, post-security play area is dubbed “LAX Beach.” Open to kids ages 2 to 8, the play space has soft, sculpted foam pieces resembling waves, surfboards, beach toys and dolphins and is in keeping with the terminal’s overall architectural theme, which was inspired by the Pacific Ocean to the west of the airport.
“I think it’s safe to say that happy children make better fliers,” said Los Angeles World Airports Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey. “And with the opening of LAX Beach, we are going to see a lot more happy children on our international flights.”
There are likely going to be a lot more happy adults seated around those children on international flights as well.
The play space — the first children’s play area in any LAX terminal — was built for the Los Angeles World Airports by terminal management company Westfield for $350,000. In addition to the beach-themed foam pieces, there’s a slide, an interactive light table and lifesavers for children to crawl through.
Adjacent seating overlooking the space offers a place for parents to relax and keep an eye on their kids.
“Having a kid-centric place where kids can work off a bit of energy can be a real lifesaver,” said Rowan Kelleher. “The beach theme attempts to offer a sense of place, too, which is nice.”
(My story about the new play area at LAX first appeared on NBC News Travel)
