Please welcome this new version of the old "LAX FAQ" thread (which has been incorporated into this thread).

FlyinHawaiian will be the "lead FAQ maintainer" (with assistance, as needed, from the senior mods -- since all forums without named moderators are de facto moderated by the senior mods).

Enjoy and keep the information coming! Please note that this FAQ is appropriate for all Los Angeles area airports.

Information from the initial post by former member Ice Trojan is copied to this post, and the rest of the thread has been merged below

cblaisd
Senior Moderator
(who borrowed this post from FlyinHawaiian with his permission so he could edit this post as needed)

************************************************** *************

New info added:

• 6/29 - Question #15 added.
• 5/27 - Link to LAX-Westwood FlyAway added.
• 5/26 - More info in question #3
• 5/20 - Added FT links to info on LAX-SAN transfer.

Glossary:

• BP: Boarding Pass
• (FT): Link to a FT thread
• T1-T8: Terminal 1 - Terminal 8
• TBIT: Tom Bradley International Terminal

Questions (scroll down for answers):
1) How do you do an In-N-Out run from LAX?
2) How is LAX set up?
3) Where do I board my shuttle/bus?
4) How do I transfer between terminals?
5) Is there public transportation available?
6) How do I get to the other area airports?
7) Is there luggage storage at LAX?
8) Is it safe to walk the Sepulveda Tunnel?
9) So what's the deal with the premium lounges in TBIT?
10) Do all international airlines depart from TBIT?
11) Where is the best place to park at LAX?
12) Is there a Post Office at LAX?
13) I have X hours to kill at LAX... what can I do? Where can I go?
14) I want to dine with a non-traveller... are there any landside dining options at LAX?
15) How do international connections/transit work at LAX (and generally in the US).


1) How do you do an In-N-Out run from LAX? (FT) (Obviously, the most important thing )

2) How is LAX set up?
Think of LAX as a horseshoe/U-shape. (see map). Traffic goes counter-clockwise in the "U." There are two traffic levels:

• Upper level for departures.
• Lower level for arrivals/baggage claim.

T1-T3 are on the first side of the U; TBIT is on the bend; T4-T8 are on the second side. For the most part, each terminal is isolated from each other.


3) Where do I board my shuttle/bus?
Go down to the lower level - there are colored signs on the "islands" across from the baggage claims. (see map)

• BLUE: LAX Parking/Terminal Shuttles (See #4 below for terminal transfers)
  • A - Airline Connections
  • B - Parking Lot B
  • C - Parking Lot C/96th Street/Metro Bus Center
  • D - Employee Parking
  • G - LAX/Aviation Station - Metro Green Line
• GREEN: Buses and Long Distance Vans
• ORANGE: Shared Ride Vans
• PURPLE: Rental Car Shuttles
• RED: Hotel and Off-Site Parking Lot Shuttles
  • NOTE: Many hotels now share shuttles based on location (not affiliations), so be sure to look for the LIGHT BLUE mini-buses that have your hotel listed.

4) How do I transfer between terminals?

• Airside Connections:
  There are some terminals that are connected behind security, though sometimes it may take some effort.
  • T8 can only be accessed from T7.
  • T6-T8 are connected by a pedestrian walkway just past the checkpoints.
  • T5-T8 are connected via tunnels behind the checkpoints.
  • T2-T5 are connected via shuttles to the American Eagle satellite terminal. While not officially connected together, you can board the shuttle to the AE satellite, get off when you arrive, then wait for the shuttle to the terminal you want. Generally, the guards want you to show a BP for Eagle, but if you have a BP/printed itinerary for another airline and you explain why you want to take the shuttle, they'll let you on.
    • T2: Boards beside gate 22A
    • T3: Boards beside gate 35 (see updated footnote when you scroll over the map here) NOTE: AA still has not updated their map; however, it's taken AS a long time to realize this update happened over two years ago as well
    • T4: Board at Gate 44
    • T5: Board at Gate 52 (perhaps 52A... can anyone confirm?)
  • All other intraterminal transfers will require you to leave the security, then get rescreened when you arrive. Because of this, please be sure to book a long enough layover at LAX should you need to change terminals.
• Walking:
  • Generally, if you are no further than 2 terminals away, it will be faster to walk.
  • It takes about 30 minutes to walk from T1-T7 following the U. You can also cut across the parking lots on the lower level, which will take about 10 minutes (though it was set up to do that, and you will be dealing with busy roadways)
  • Between Terminals 3 and 4 - it is possible to walk thru the upper level parking structures as it is connected on the departure gates level. For those passengers who already have a boarding pass, it can be easier to walk along the skybridges and thru the structure instead of walking along the sidewalk past TBIT. Just be careful of the cars.
    
• Shuttle Bus: Board on the lower level (though sometimes they'll let you board as they're dropping off passengers on the upper departures level).
  • The LAX A Shuttle ("Airline Connections" - board at the BLUE signs) makes the loop to all terminals, going T1 to T7, then back to T1.
  • For those transferring to a downline terminal, you can also take any of the shuttles (B, C, G... even the Employee Shuttle if you don't have baggage)... just note that after T7, they will depart for their respective destinations.
  • Also, you can try and board any of the rental car shuttles, as they follow the same route as the LAX Shuttles, leaving the terminal area after T7.

5) Is there public transportation available?
Yes. But whether it works for you is a separate matter... unfortunately, the LA-area public transportation system isn't known for being very good. Nonetheless:

• Bus: Take the LAX C Shuttle (board at the BLUE signs) to the first stop after T7, which will be a short walk from the Metro Bus Center, which serves several bus systems:
  • Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) - serving the Greater Los Angeles Metro Area, and major points in surrounding counties.
  • Culver City Bus Lines - seriving Culver City and surrounding areas.
  • Santa Monica Big Blue Bus - serving Santa Monica and West LA.
  • Torrance Transit - serving the South Bay.
• Light Rail - LAX is served by the Metro Rail Green Line. The LAX/Aviation Station is about 10 minutes from the airport, and is connected by the LAX G Shuttle (board at the BLUE signs).
• Commuter Train - MetroLink Trains are available at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. They generally run on weekdays only between ~5am-6pm. Please see below for the Union Station FlyAway bus service.
• FlyAway bus service - FlyAway service is available between LAX-Van Nuys and LAX-Union Station (FT). Board at the GREEN signs. They feature 24-hour service and available remote airline/baggage check-in. FTers report that the service is generally punctual, though will be subject to the same traffic that LA is known for.
  • A new FlyAway route has been announced to UCLA/Westwood, to start on June 14. (FT)

6) How do I get to the other area airports?
Well, first, good luck with that. Unlike other metro areas with multiple airports (like New York City or the Bay Area), there's no real system set up to connect any the LA area airports. Taxis, airport shuttles, and one-way rental cars are basically the only real alternatives. Anyway, driving times (without traffic) to other airports (and distances added for our non-Californian friends)...

• Burbank (BUR) - about 30 minutes away (33 miles)
• Carlsbad (CLD) - about 75 minutes away (96 miles)
• Long Beach (LGB) - about 20 minutes away (22 miles)
• Ontario (ONT) - about 45 minutes away (56 miles)
• Orange County (SNA) - about 45 minutes away (42 miles)
• San Diego (SAN) - about 120 minutes away (126 miles) (FT) (FT)
• Santa Barbara (SBA) - about 105 minutes away (106 miles)

7) Is there luggage storage at LAX?
No. Best bet is to go to one of the local area hotels, or to rent a car (if you'll be exploring) so you have someplace to put your luggage.

8) Is it safe to walk the Sepulveda Tunnel?
No. In fact, someone recently died trying to do that. Also, Chemist661 reports in post #11 that it wasn't such a great idea.

9) So what's the deal with the premium lounges in TBIT?
LAX. as part of a major renovation of TBIT (FT), has torn out the lounges to be rebuilt into 4 large lounges: one for each of the alliances, and the 4th for airlines not affiliated with any alliance. Until the work is completed (now Fall 2007), there are 2 temporary contracted lounges, one for First passengers, and one for Business. (FT Reviews)

The admit policies are not consistently applied, so you'll just have to roll the dice with your own airline. But the general consensus is that these lounges aren't worth getting to the airport early for.

10) Do all international airlines depart from TBIT?
NO! While generally it would be safe to assume that they do, there is a good number of international airlines don't even come to TBIT. Here is a list for those that don't operate out of TBIT:

• Air Canada - arrivals and departures in T2
• Air China - arrivals and departures in T2
• Air France - arrivals and departures in T2
• Air Jamaica - arrivals and departures in T5
• Air Zealand - arrivals and departures in T2
• Aeroliteral - arrivals and departures in T5
• Aeromexico - arrivals in T5; departures in T6
• Aviasca - arrivals and departures in T2
• Avianca - arrivals and departures in T2
• Copa - departures in T6 (arrivals go to TBIT)
• KLM - arrivals and departures in T2
• LACSA - arrivals and departures in T2
• Qantas -All QF operated flights except Brisbane now use TBIT. Brisbane flights continue to use T4 (for now).
  • Departures: All flights to SYD and QF107 to JFK depart from T4.
  • Arrivals: Flights QF11/107/149 from SYD, QF25/93 from MEL, and QF108 from JFK arrive into T4.
  • All others to go TBIT.
• TACA - non-evening arrivals and departures in T2 (evening arrivals go to TBIT)
• V Australia -VA flights arrive at TBIT and depart from T3.
• Virgin Atlantic - arrivals and departures in T2
• WestJet - arrivals and departures in T2

All other international carriers (along with Alaska Airlines' Mexico departures) operate out of TBIT.

11) Where is the best place to park at LAX?
Check out this thread: (FT) Consolidated LAX Parking Options and Suggestions thread

12) Is there a Post Office at LAX?
Unfortunately no... there isn't even any mailboxes. See this thread: (FT)

13) I have X hours to kill at LAX... what can I do? Where can I go?
Check out this thread for lots of good suggestions for various layover times: (FT)The consolidated "What to do on a layover at LAX" thread [merged threads].

14) I want to dine with a non-traveller... are there any landside dining options at LAX?
The iconic landmark at LAX is the Encounters Restaurant, which is located in the center section of the airport, and can be accessed by leaving the terminal area and walking. There is also valet parking right outside the restaurant, and short-term parking available at nearby airport garages. Encounter hours as follows:
Lunch 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., 7 days a week
Dinner 4:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday
Note - There is a cafeteria that most airline employees use on the ground level below the Encounters restaurant.

Besides that, your best bet will be TBIT, as it has a mezzanine level before security with a food court:

• Arrival Cafe
• Daily Grill
• El Paseo
• Hamada Orient Express
• Marina Bar
• McDonald's
• Sushi Boy

Travelers have also been known to take advantage of hotel restaurants by boarding their complimentary shuttles (at LAX, board on the lower/arrivals level at the RED signs). Just make sure you have a couple hours.

15) How do international connections/transit work at LAX (and generally in the US).

1. International flight arrives.
2. Passengers are processed through immigration/passport control.
3. Baggage is claimed.
4. Passengers and baggage are processed through customs.
5. Passengers exit the secured/sterile area.
6. Baggage is dropped off under the signs marked connections.
   --OR--
   Passengers bring bags with them to their next terminal of departure and check in bags.
7. Passengers also check in and get boarding passes, if necessary.
8. Passengers reclear security checkpoint into secured/sterile area.

LAX FAQ

1. The white zone is for loading and unloading only, no parking.

2. Dude, you need a car in L.A. There is no viable public transportation.

3. Buses, shuttles, and vans (Oh my!) can be found under colored signs. Your ride leaves from whatever colored sign is furthest from the terminal you landed at. Rental car shuttles are under the Purple Sign. Hotel shuttles are under the Red Sign. Inter-terminal, parking lot, and Green Line (see #2) shuttles are under the Blue Sign. By the time you figure this all out, you will have concluded you were born under a Bad Sign.

4. There is no landside food, except there is a halfway decent food court at the International Terminal. The other terminals have invariably execrable food, all skyside.

5. T4 (AA) has F and elite check-in lines and security, but your rental car shuttle will only stop 200 yards beyond it.

6. If your intent is to go sightseeing or vacationing in L.A., under no circumstances should you stay at a LAX airport hotel. There is nothing in the neighborhood to see. This goes double if you have kids.

7. If you are on a layover and you have but a few hours in L.A., you can probably visit Santa Monica or Marina Del Rey by taxi or city bus.

UPDATE: FTer Wayan provides this first-person account of leaving LAX by 4P and returning by 830P, and of getting lucky (as lucky as a guy can get in 4 hours?) in Venice Beach:

8. The Sepulveda Tunnel should not be attempted on foot.

9. You can walk to Park & Fly aka Park One (pnf.com) or the Radisson Hotel from T1 or T7. You can even walk to In-N-Out Burger. Park & Fly gives 10% off if you show your WN Rapid Rewards card, and 15% off for DL SkyMiles.

10. The Encounter Restaurant (the landmark Theme Building in the middle of the airport) is pretty good. You can park there while eating. It was never designed or used as a control tower. The building is sometimes referred to as "the spider." It does not rotate.

11. The best bar near the airport is the rooftop bar at the Radisson.

12. You can nearly always get a room at a LAX airport hotel for $50-$60 (instead of $150-200 rack rate) on priceline.com . But you have to pick "name your own price," not their bogus "shop and compare."

13. You can nearly always get a rental car for $15-20 on priceline.com . Rent an economy class car and upgrade at the counter. See #12.

14. You can often park for free on 98th St (behind the Radisson Hotel). Read the signs carefully. Note: This is where TSA agents have to park, and you could be fighting one of them for your parking space.

15. If you know you're going to drive the I-405 after you land, be sure and eyeball the traffic while the aircraft is on final approach.

16. The Greater LA ATC system is notoriously fragile and will fail -- totally messing up air traffic for the entire Western U.S. -- if someone digs up a cable, there is a power outage out in Palmdale and the generator runs out of gas, or for any number of reasons.

If picking someone up from T7, its faster to have him/her go up to departures and be picked up from there.

Better yet. Just avoid LAX altogether. Only use this airport if you have no other choice. IE International flights.

Reasons to avoid LAX

1. Dangerous neighborhood. Getting lost could cost you around here.
2. Worst traffic in all of LA. You know why the freeway is called the 405.
Cause it takes 4 or 5 hours to get from one end to the other.
3. A short flight to Vegas/LAS. You spend more time on the ground
taxiing in the plane at LAX then in the air. Really !
4. The worst customer service than at any other airport in the US.
You got to be mean to survive in this war zone.
5. Park in the public lot and get a ticket if you dont have a front plate.
Parking enforcement here is insane. They will tow your car if tags
expired.
6. Worst TSA agents and lines.

It may cost a bit more to use the other airports.
But in the long run. Worth it
Use SNA/John Wayne, Long Beach, Ontario, Burbank.

Avoid freeway if possible; travel to and from the airport on surface streets, particularly during peak hours. Get to know La Cienega, Sepulveda, and Lincoln. (Added bonus for many, the In N Out on Sepulveda!)

Re: parking: sometimes cheaper to stay a night at airport hotel and leave car there for long trips, taking shuttle to/from hotel.

During peak arrival/departure times, T1 (in particular, also TBIT) can cause major traffic - so go to the opposite (downstairs when upstairs busy and vice versa) and take the escalators/elevators.

You can indeed walk from T1 to T6/7 across the tops of the interior parking lots, and this is sometimes faster (if you are rushed) than waiting for shuttles.

Airport Parking shuttles pick up from the red signs as well. Since I work for The Parking Spot, I will mention that you can save some money on parking with us at LAX by printing out a coupon off of our web site, www.theparkingspot.com.

You can also get your in-flight meal from In-N-Out if you park at The Parking Spot on Sepulveda. Just walk out the back door of the lot after parking and pick up your meal, then walk back over and take the shuttle to the airport.

Agreed, especially if you are plane spotter. You can get a real good view of all the action from up there. If you are up for a short cab right, Manhattan, Redondo and Hermosa Beaches all have plenty of bars and neat restaurants. It's a cool atmosphere, especially if you are not from a coastal area.

LOL. Has someone actually tried this?!

This is a good idea IceTrojan, and mbstone has a great list. We also need to add that:

Amtrak is available from BUR but not LAX.

No, you should not use Anaheim as your home base if you honestly plan to see L.A.

If you think you don't need a car, you are wrong. Yes, I know this was said before but it bears repeating.

Yes there are ways to get to LAX via public transit but they are still not viable for most people.

Beaches are west. Downtown is East.

I did this once when the MTA bus dropped me at Sepulveda/Imperial instead of the southbound stop on Sepulveda within walking distance to T7. Since the next northbound bus was almost an hour away, I walked North thru the tunnel. It was an experience not to be repeated. I did make my flight.

Perhaps the exhaust fumes clouded your judgement. Just thinking about it makes me

Do not stay at the Doubletree. Your kids might discover it's right next to The Mattel Toy Store, and everything is far less expensive than at your local mall.

Don't stay at the Hilton Garden Inn, either. It's adjacent to a Metro Rail station, and for $3 a day, you might find you don't need a car at all.

As long as you want to go downtown or Hollywood (and that would be a long ride from the airport area). I can't see taking the metro to:
Beverly Hills
Malibu
Santa Monica (easy cab ride though)
most of Pasadena
Newport, Laguna, etc.
Disneyland (unless you want a 3-4 hr metro to Amtrak to cab transfer)
the Getty
most of the Valley (not that it's a tourist destination)
Museum Row
...

Plus, how do you see two things in one day with metro? Not really feasible without a car.

great idea...

a few additional items.

--Speaking of lines...work is starting on removing and building a new south runway...it's expected to take about 18 mo - 2 years, if I recall correctly...which is supposed to cause in-bound and out-bound delays.

--QuikPark near the Hilton on Century, just before getting into the airport property itself, is a great option for short- or long-term parking. They offer AAA discount and have a very efficient shuttle system. It's not a pitch for them...just a lot of bad experiences with others until I stumbled on them.

--Not all International flights arrive at or depart from the Bradley International Terminal (T-4)...although I'm always amazed at how many people I talk with who think that's the case.

--As bad as LAX is normally, it's horrible on Sunday nights during the summer and any Friday before a holiday weekend or the Sunday/Monday after those weekends.

So as not to confuse people, it might be a good idea to amend your post.... T4 is not TBIT. T4 is immediately after TBIT and houses American Airlines and Qantas.

Depends on WHAT you want to see...

For example, the following tourist destinations are within easy reach of one of the metro lines:

-Universal Theme Park & City Walk

-Hollywood Blvd., Mann's Chinese Theater, Academy of Motion Pictures

-Staples Center

-Chinatown, Olvera Street (yuck!)

-Heritage Square Museum

-Southwest Museum

-Old Town Pasadena

-Disney Hall & Dorthey Chandler Pavilion

-The Queen Mary is a 15 minute shuttle bus ride from the Blue Line's end at the Long Beach Transit mall.

-Redondo Beach & the Manhatten Beach pier is a 15 minute shuttlebus ride from the end of the Green Line. (and a 4 block walk)

While not possibile or recommended for seeing all of LA, public transit can fill a number of needs if used judiciously...

The bad news: LA is REALLY spread out. (...it's larger in land area than the than the combined area of the states of Delaware and Rhode Island...), for too many outlying areas, bus/train service is not terribly frequent. Worse, LA County is only part of the "Greater LA Area" which includes Orange County and parts of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.

The good news: it's really cheap. A Metro Day Pass is $5 (7/1/07) for most LA city buses, light rail, and subways. It also allows you to buy cheap transfers to adjacent city & county bus systems. It is certainly possible to travel from San Pedro to Thousand Oaks via Downtown LA....more than 85 miles.


Contrast this to an unlimited New York, SFO, or London day pass, which is $7, $11, or £6.60 (about $13.32)

http://www.mta.net/default.asp


Want an idea where the service is convient?
Here's the MTA's "12 Minute Map" where service will be by every 12 minutes or less...
http://www.metro.net/news_info/publi...in_map_eng.pdf