After 10 hrs of very pleasant flight we hit a minor bump. The plane had to wait for 30 min on the taxiway for a tow truck to be towed to the gate.
Customs control actually went really fast. There is a new system called APC (automated passport control) where you can do the preliminaries including fingerprints and photo of your face at a self service terminal very similar to the normal check-in terminals. Then I had to reclaim my baggage which also went surprisingly fast.
The most astounding thing however was the actual interview with the customs agent. It took about two minute to wait in line AND get past the agent. Very efficient! On the way out I rechecked my baggage.
Then outside the terminal I got the first US air and was greeted by the typical american bustle. A constant flow of colourful buses passing by. People chattering away on their phones.
But what a difference awaited me in terminal 5 just a few minutes down the road? Terminal 5 seems to be the oldest most neglected in all Los Angeles. The security check-in was terribly inefficient. Even Frankfurt was better than this. Lines were totally chaotic, people were confused. Not enough trays for personal belongings were provided so the personell just took the stuff apart and distributed it over different trays. I had to wait for a couple of minutes before my macbook and iPad reappeared.
The terminal itself is rather small just about 10 gates. The food court is ok I guess. But the coffee shop? Another 15 min waiting in line watching 3 employees slouching about trying to keep up with customers. Terrible experience. But, it's the last stop before the Islands, so let's relax and anticipate paradise.