"The avgeek gathering Snyder calls Cranky Dorkfest began in 2011. Snyder, based nearby in Long Beach, decided to see if any of his readers - many of whom regularly show up in comments on his blog under aviation-related pseudonyms - wanted to meet up. So Snyder suggested a triangular park between LAX's Runway 24R and an In-N-Out Burger that offers some of America's finest planespotting."
""The original plan was really just me putting out a blog post saying that I was going to go to the park across from In-N-Out and hoped some people would join me for burgers, spotting, and conversation," Synder says in an email. "A handful did. And then it just kept growing from there. The idea took off because the notion of people meeting online over a shared fascination and then connecting IRL shouldn't be that strange. Especially if their meeting point happens to revolve around their common interest.""
"Soon, airlines, flight-tracking apps and services, and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) started taking notice and finding ways to participate, perhaps because of or despite its self-mocking moniker of "Dorkfest." (I got some raised eyebrows explaining the event to friends.) "You have to own it," says Snyder, whose job title at his travel agency, Cranky Concierge, is "president and chief airline dork.""
Several hundred aviation enthusiasts gather at Los Angeles International Airport for Cranky Dorkfest, a meetup tied to the Cranky Flier blog. Brett Snyder started the gathering in 2011 after inviting readers from his blog to meet at a triangular park opposite an In‑N‑Out near Runway 24R. Participants often use aviation-related pseudonyms in comments and meet for planespotting, burgers, and conversation. Airlines, flight-tracking apps, and Los Angeles World Airports began participating and facilitating the event. Snyder embraces the event’s "Dorkfest" label and uses the job title "president and chief airline dork" at his travel agency, Cranky Concierge. The 2025 edition on September 13 began on a LAWA-hosted ramp with registration capped at 500; attendees viewed parked airliners.
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