LTO isn't exactly Mexico's largest airport: a single, small building does the job of both arrivals and a single departure gate. Alaska advises check in two and a half hours early, and turning up in the terminal building it was easy to see why. A single line for a manual bag search led to a single check in desk and another line led to the checked baggage screening machine and then security. For an aiport normally used to dealing in tens of passengers, clearly a full 737-400 was going to be a challenge.
Mexican security likes its metal detectors turned way up high, so much so that everything metal needs to be removed from about one's person. That means belts, coins, watches and so on. Otherwise it was a humiliating wanding and a return trip through the scanner once you had divested yourself of the offending items. We managed to negotiate the security check without much difficulty, having learnt the rules on some trips in Mexico a couple of years ago, but most of our fellow passengers were caught out.
The other side of the security check was a pitifully small duty free shop and one of those tourist boutiques that seems to sell clothes no one would ever buy, or let alone wear. After all, since when was a lurid yellow crocheted dress an airport impulse buy? The rest of the departures area had around 40 seats, but the doors to an outside seating area were soon opened as numbers continued to build.
Of course, the check in computer was inside, so that meant everyone trooping back inside and crushing together whilst check in procedures were carried out. Still, to give the staff their due, things proceeded relatively calmly, if slowly, and a knock on effect was less of an aisle crush on the plane.
We have never really been on a package holiday, but we suddenly realised that going for a Sunday to Sunday week in Baja was going to give us a holiday crowd returning back with new friendships forged, cameras full of pictures of people whose names you can't quite remember. This wasn't us, I hasten to add, and we spent a happy half an hour before we boarded dodging people we really did not want to talk to on this flight, or frankly ever again.
As we approached our seats it was clear that a holidaymaker in brightly patterned coordinated clothes was occupying one of them. She moved across to the window seat and then it began. Not just irrelevant chatter, but frankly bizarre comments and a continuous drumming of her heels on the seat ahead. The Cat's broad shoulders tend to preclude his occupying the middle seat, so The Kitten had to suffer while a tide of spoken drivel rolled over her. Even a well placed and sizeable hard back book didn't seem to do the job: our fellow traveller seemed to be someone who congenitally could not take a hint.
Food available for purchase on the flight was a $5 burger, Alaska's sales technique being one of the cabin crew roaming the aisles screaming 'five dollar burger' at the top of her voice. Needless to say we didn't avail ourselves of this culinary feast, but slowly the cabin began to fill with half eaten burger smell. And so, as our window seat companion regaled us with nonsensical witter of no substance whatsoever, the flight passed.
We had taken off slightly late but made good time, landing at LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal. As an international flight we had to clear immigration and customs again, but the I-94W visa waiver forms still stapled in our passports were good for re-entry into the US, and immigration took only a couple of minutes. Of course, clearing customs meant grabbing our bags (after a lengthy wait) and then rechecking our bags before trotting out into the Los Angeles warmth and turning right towards terminal 4. LAX has to be the worst signposted airport in the world: nowhere is there a sign to tell you to go up a level to the check in area. Still, as we trotted round the sidewalk for out flight up to San Francisco we were glad to be back in the USA and on our way to three days of relaxation and culinary excellence in The City.
Baja in February itinerary
London to San Francisco
San Francisco to San Diego
San Diego to Los Angeles
Los Angeles to Loreto
Loreto to Los Angeles
Los Angeles to San Francisco
San Francisco to London
