So a friend (okay, let's be serious, a person I'd like to be a romantic possibility) may have a long wait tomorrow night at LAX, and I'm wondering if it's possible for me - who isn't flying - to be able to wait around with him in some capacity, especially beyond the ticketed area. He's flying out of terminal 3. I know that LAX often just has small ticket counters and then you have to go through security, where they probably wouldn't let me in, so there's really no good place I guess for what I want. Is there a way to get a pass or something to be able to go past security and to wait with him at the foodcourt/shops/gate area?

Thanks!

By a refundable ticket, and then return it on the way out.

Hmm, but if I see him off until he gets on the plane, would I miss out on my shot? (I guess not if I return it when he's on it but it hasn't left yet ...)

OK, now I'm not even sure what you're asking. If your goal is to get through security, you can do what I said. I'm not sure what the rest of your second post means.

sorry that was very confusing in retrospect. Let me try again.

If I purchase a refundable ticket, when can I return it and still get my money back? Does it have to be before the plane leaves? I guess the time crunch could be a little tight, but probably still very doable, if I see him to getting on the plane and return it before it takes off.

Buy a refundable ticket for a different flight -- much later in the day!

So, sadly, it's an 11 pm flight ... but I hadn't thought of that option - duh.

If being together is what's important, why can't you sit together outside of security? It's not like sitting by the gate, which you can't do without a ticket, is romantic...

haha, yes, but LAX has basically no seating as I recall before security, and getting through security can sometimes be a hassle (though probably not late at night and on Air Tran, as opposed to American which is always hell). Good point, though.

A fully refundable ticket can be returned any time, even after the flight has left.

Just remember that a fully refundable ticket will be very expensive so you better have quite a bit of credit available on your CC and be willing to wait about a week or so to get the charges reversed. .

We posted at about the same time. Now that I see you're talking about AirTran you may want to call and inquire about refunds on fully refundable ticket.

Each airline and then each fare code will have different policy, so I should not have made a blanket statement like I did above.

What other airline uses terminal 3 at LAX? you can always check their schedules and buy a ticket from the other airline. All you need is to get through security in terminal 3 so any airline will do as long as the flight leaves from terminal 3.

Thanks for your feedback!

LAX is one of the few places where there are post-11 pm flts b/c of the red-eyes that fly back here to the East Coast, so a later departure time for your "faux" tkt should not be a problem.

There is no seating in the departure terminal, but the arrivals terminal is just downstairs. There are lots of seats around baggage claim, and I guess they let people in there pretty freely since I always see people picking up travelers and helping them with their bags.

Terminal 3 is a very short walk from the International Terminal, where there are restaurants and a bar outside of security. He could check his luggage, get his boarding pass, you could then stroll over to TBIT and get a cocktail or bite to eat upstairs at the Daily Grill. Just leave enough time to stroll back over to Terminal 3 and wait in the TSA line.

Thanks all; I think I have mis-looked, and it's in terminal 6, which I think is okay too (though obviously far from international terminal). I guess I get so blinded by how poor and crowded it is at the American terminal that I extend this to all of LAX.