Los Angeles Int. Airport, USA (LAX)

...you very inexpensively with downtown Los Angeles and AMTRAK's Union Depot.

There are two shuttle van services which operate from LAX: Super Shuttle and Prime Time Shuttle. You can usually find the touts for either Super Shuttle or Prime Time on the traffic island outside of baggage claim under the orange "Shared Ride Vans" sign. They will find out where you want to go, and call for a van to come and pick you up. The wait ...
...Fernando Valley (the bedroom of Los Angeles), there is the FlyAway Bus that operates from Van Nuys. The FlyAway bus loads up on the lower level of terminal one.

Customs and Immigration

Clearing customs and immigration formalities at LAX can take 45 minutes to one hour. The lines are very long, and there never seem to be enough officers to cater for the crowds. You can usually count on "sniffer dogs" to be deployed ... more

Every time I land at LAX there is something of nostalgia that comes over me. I love looking out the window of the airplane tracing the approach to LAX because there is so much of my personal history on the ground: San Dimas, where I once taught English to college freshmen; Paramount, CA; the "L.A. River" (now just a storm drainage) the Harbor Freeway (they built that when I was a just a kid); the L.A. Harbor (where I grew up); Hermosa Beach (where I had my first car accident as a 16 year old brand new driver); and, finally crossing over Sepulveda Boulevard and touchdown at LAX.

On The Ground

The LAX passenger terminal area is arranged in a kind of "U" shape with terminal buildings forming the outline of the "U" and short-term parking structures for each terminal in the middle. There are nine terminal buildings, including the Tom Bradley International Terminal located in the very bottom of the "U". I am most familiar with terminal 2 (KLM/Northwest), terminal 1 (Southwest Airlines), the Bradley terminal, and terminal 5 (Delta and Air France). If you are departing from LAX be sure to allow plenty of time to find your terminal, and clear security. LAX on the outside is like life in the fast lane of the freeway: Don't hesitate or make a mistake, there'll be police everywhere to hurry you along. Once inside the terminal building things can slow up considerably. This is especially true of clearing security at LAX.

If you are returning a rental car be very certain you know the exact location of the rental return. The car rental agencies are all grouped in the same general area about a mile off the airport itself. There are signs to direct you, but they can be confusing to a newcomer. I passed my rental agency once...and, had to make a detour back and nearly missed my flight.

Ground Transportation

It is possible to access the Metro Rail Green Line from LAX, but it isn't easy. The Metro platform is off the airport on Imperial Highway and Aviation Blvd. You must take the shuttle bus from the island outside of the baggage claim area. You will see a blue sign: "LAX Shuttle Airline Connection" The correct Metro bus only comes about every 15 minutes and will have a sign saying "METRO RAIL" The LAX shuttle makes the loop of the terminals for passengers connecting between airlines.. The Metro Rail can connect you very inexpensively with downtown Los Angeles and AMTRAK's Union Depot.

There are two shuttle van services which operate from LAX: Super Shuttle and Prime Time Shuttle. You can usually find the touts for either Super Shuttle or Prime Time on the traffic island outside of baggage claim under the orange "Shared Ride Vans" sign. They will find out where you want to go, and call for a van to come and pick you up. The wait for a van can be as long as 15 to 20 minutes. There is very little difference in price between the two services (I usually pay US$15 to downtown L.A.). Taxis, hotel shuttles, and Metro busses are all operating from LAX as well. Taxis are so expensive you'll need a second mortgage on the home place to be able to afford the taxi fare.

For people living in the San Fernando Valley (the bedroom of Los Angeles), there is the FlyAway Bus that operates from Van Nuys. The FlyAway bus loads up on the lower level of terminal one.

Customs and Immigration

Clearing customs and immigration formalities at LAX can take 45 minutes to one hour. The lines are very long, and there never seem to be enough officers to cater for the crowds. You can usually count on "sniffer dogs" to be deployed in the crowded passageways leading from the aircraft to the immigration area. There are rest rooms available in the area just before immigration. Once through immigration you find the baggage carousel just past the immigration officers. Visitors coming into the USA from outside are allowed to bring in $100 or less in items they intend to leave in the USA. Returning USA residents have various customs allotments depending on whether you are a tourist returning from a trip or a US citizen resident in a foreign country. There is also an agricultual inspection in addition to customs. If you have any raw fruit, seeds, meats, etc. you may loose them at that check point.

Baggage trolleys in the international areas can be used without charge. A nice touch since most visitors coming into the USA from outside don't usually have the pocket full of quarters required for renting the trolleys. International visitors will be shocked to discover that baggage trolleys cost U$3.00 to use if picked up outside the terminal.

Solicitors

LAX has a generous supply of individuals soliciting donations for various worthy causes. They are actually quite tame compared to twenty years ago when they could be quite insistent that a donation be made to their charity. Usually they no longer block the way, and will leave you alone if you ask them to do so.

Restaurants and Duty Free

Each terminal building has its own complement of restaurants, news stands, and duty free shops. The Tom Bradley terminal has a very spacious mezzanine floor over looking the ticket counter area with several fast-food outlets and at least one very nice restaurant. In most terminals both domestic and international flights are serviced. So, entry into the duty free shops does require you to show a boarding pass for an international flight.

Parking

There is usually plenty of short term parking for "meeters and greeters" in the parking structures. The longer term parking lots (lots "B" and "C") are a distance away and can be accessed by shuttle bus. There is a "cell phone" lot on Airport Blvd where your ride can wait away from the confusion of LAX for you to "beep" them by cell phone when you arrive.
 

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