General Information
Address: 1 World Way
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Phone: 310-646-5252
Baggage Storage: 310-646-0222
Lost & Found: 424-646-5678
TSA Lost & Found 310-242-9073 (for things left/confiscated at security)
Police: 310-646-7911
First Aid: 310-215-6000
Customs Information: 310-215-2415
Los Angeles MTA: 800-266-6883
Website: www.lawa.org
Overview
Los Angeles International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Driving here is like braving a whirlpool with all its frustrating eddies, but as long as you start out correctly (take the upper ramp for departures, the lower one for arrivals) you’ll be just fine. You can’t get lost, because it’s a big circle. Yes, a circle filled with honking traffic, overzealous parking cops, TV news trucks during the holidays, and a hustler or two looking to take advantage of lost tourists, but a circle nonetheless.
Give yourself plenty of time to get through the check-in and security lines, especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas when the lines at Terminal 1 will wrap around the check-in area, out the door and all the way to Terminal 2. Good thing it’s warm in Los Angeles during December. Always check in online if you can. Once you’re through all of the hassle, each terminal offers a variety of places to grab a bite, pick up a magazine, or pep up with a coffee (Starbucks, of course). If you want to avoid eating airline food, try the Wolfgang Puck Café or the Gordon Biersch Brewery. Since security is so tight, your choices are limited to whatever is in your airline’s terminal.
How to Get There—Driving
The most direct route to LAX is unfortunately not the fastest. The San Diego Freeway (405) to the Century Freeway (105) leads right into the airport, but the 405 is almost always congested. The 105 has accommodating carpool lanes—which can be tantalizing when you’re sitting in gridlock—but it’s a mousetrap; the cops are primed to apprehend the fast and furiously late for their flights. The 110 to the 105 is another option, but if it’s the 110 or the 405, you might as well flip a coin. As cab drivers know, surface roads are the preferable way to access LAX whenever possible. From the northern beach cities (Santa Monica, etc.), take Lincoln Boulevard south until it joins Sepulveda Boulevard. This will lead you right to LAX, but be prepared to make a sudden right turn into the airport. From the South Bay, Sepulveda is also the preferred route, but this time the airport will be on your left. The quickest route to LAX from Central LA is La Cienega Boulevard. South of Rodeo, La Cienega becomes a mini-freeway that rarely becomes congested except during rush hour. Take La Cienega to Century Boulevard, then turn right towards the airport.
How to Get There—Mass Transit
Unless you’re right off the FlyAway (more about that later), don’t. Though many buses will take you to LAX, the trip may last longer than your actual flight. Sure, you’re getting a lot of bang out of your $1.50–$3 fare, but this is the way to go only if you have time for a “leisurely” ride to the airport, or if you’re trying to log some field work for your anthro degree. City buses deposit passengers at the LAX Transit Center, where a free shuttle travels to each of the airport’s terminals. Another free shuttle connects LAX to the Metro Green Line Aviation Station, where LA’s Light Rail system ferries travelers to outlying areas like Redondo Beach (to the south) and Norwalk (to the east).
How to Get There—Really
If you’re at all clever, convince a friend to drive you. If that’s not an option, car services and taxis are truly the best way to go. That is, unless you live near one of the pick-up points for LAX’s FlyAway service: Van Nuys, Union Station in downtown LA, or Westwood Village near the UCLA campus—in which case, it’s a deal, even though they jacked up the one-way fare to $8. Take advantage of the remote luggage checking (for domestic flights only) at the Van Nuys and Westwood locations, and glide into LAX with only your carry-on. For particulars, visit www. lawa.org/welcomeLAX.aspx and click on Ground Transportation.
Parking
Now that LAX has removed the metered parking, there are three parking options. The Central Terminal Area (CTA) has nearly 8,000 spots in eight parking structure. Rates range from $3 for the first hour to a maximum of $30 for a 24 hour period. Economy Parking Lot C at Sepulveda Boulevard and 96th Street is better for long-term parking and rates range from $4 for the first hour to $12 for a 24 hours. Be sure to allow an extra half-hour in your schedule for dealing with the parking lot shuttle bus. Adjacent to Economy Parking Lot C is the Cell Phone Waiting Lot where drivers can wait up to two hours for free until the arriving passengers they plan to meet let them know they are ready.
Car Rental
Advantage 310-671-0503
Alamo 888-826-6893
Avis 800-331-1212
Budget 310-642-4500
Dollar 800-800-4000
Enterprise 310-649-5400
Fox 800-225-4369
Hertz 310-568-3400
National 800-462-5266
Payless 310-342-5392
Thrifty 877-283-0898
Hotels
Best Western Airpark • 640 W Manchester Blvd • 800-233-8060
Comfort Inn • 850 N Sepulveda Blvd • 310-318-1020
Days Inn • 901 W Manchester Blvd • 310-649-0800
Hilton Garden Inn • 2100 E Mariposa Ave • 310-726-0100
Marriott Hotel • 5855 W Century Blvd • 310-641-5700
Motel 6 • 5101 W Century Blvd 310-419-1234
Sheraton Gateway • 6101 W Century Blvd • 310-642-1111
Travelodge • 5547 W Century Blvd • 310-649-4000