AS I SQUEEZED my way in between the throngs of people, I looked around the crowded airport and came to a realization that, here there is diversity. Sometimes I feel that in my little bubble of Loyola Marymount University, it seems as though L.A. isn’t diverse, and rather that everyone is quite similar. Yet here, a mere five minutes away, different cultures gather every day, 365 days a year. Los Angeles International Airport truly is a melting pot of different cultures, ages, and ethnicities.
However, I noticed that although diversity is present on the inside there are obvious ways to distinguish people. This can be seen through the different methods of transportation that people take to LAX, be it taxis, cars, shuttles or limos. The differences continue as some passengers tip Skycap just to get their bags on the plane first. Yet it’s inside that the differences fade and people begin to all become equal but not before they frequent their various food establishments, be it McDonalds, Starbucks, or the Sports Bar.
But even though these differences may be present, once people board the plane, every single person on a Southwest flight is exactly the same. Everyone will be offered a drink and peanuts and be told to put up their seat and tray table before landing. 
This really got me thinking, if cultures can mix this easily, and socioeconomic status can be put aside during flights, where else does this occur? Or is this the only place that truly makes everyone feel equal?
--Emily Day
(photos: LAX Check-in, credit: Slices of Light, LAX Invierno, credit, Antonio Bracani flickr creative commons)
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