Los Angeles - LA Flyaway Tickets

Hi all,

Whereabouts do you get tickets for the LA Flyaway bus service from LAX-Union Station? I'll be using it as my main mode of transport from my hotel into town as it looks like the most reliable option. But I've heard different stories about where you buy tickets, some say a machine some say onboard?

If it is a machine - where abouts is this machine located (I'll be walking from my hotel to LAX so I imagine the nearest terminal is T1)? As there is only seemingly 1 bus service an hour I'll want to get there with plenty of time to buy a ticket as I wouldn't want to miss it for looking for the ticket machine!

You pay before departure from Union Station or upon arrival at Union Station. As of the past year or so, they only take credit cards (no cash).

From 6AM to maybe 11PM (or even midnight), the bus runs every 30 minutes.

Are you sure you can walk from your hotel to LAX? Most of the hotels require shuttle service not due to the distance but because of the lack of sidewalks or safe places for pedestrians.

Which hotel, what day, what time, and where is your final destination? There is probably another easier, faster, and cheaper way to get to where you need to go with our extensive public transit system vs. using FlyAway, which only goes to Union station.

According to Streetview it has a sidewalk all the way from my hotel to the lower level arrivals area - I'll be walking from the Radisson LAX. Transport to the hotel with luggage is fine and arranged - its just getting into town I'm looking for the easiest option.

Most days I will have transport from my hotel into Downtown/Hollywood for tours and things to do anyway, but it is merely for the days which I don't when I need to head towards that area. Just seems a hell of a trek to walk from the hotel to Aviation/LAX Metro when I could get the Flyaway into town?

There is a sidewalk and the hotel does have a shuttle. The shuttle to Metro>Green Line>Blue line takes about an hour +/- and requires 2 changes. The Flyaway takes less if there's no traffic.

Radison is definitely walking distance to LAX. It's a very easy walk too... Don't worry about it. But it's important that you understand "going into town" in LA doesn't always mean going to Downtown LA... In order for our advise to be meaningful, you should give us some idea where you want to visit because taking FlyAway to Downtown LA may be a waste of time if you want to visit Beverly Hills or Santa Monica... two very typical tourist destinations.

You can use FlyAway if your final destination is north part of Downtown LA and/or if you plan to transfer at Union Station to subway to Hollywood. If this is what you want to do, you may want to walk to Terminal 7 to catch FlyAway rather than at Terminal 1 as the bus you pick up at Terminal 1 will make a circle of the airport that will take abour 30~35 minutes to complete. Going to Terminal 7 will let you catch the earlier bus and you will not have to spend 30 minutes circling the airport.

If your final destination is somewhere else, there maybe better options. Radisson is walking distance to LAX City Bus Center on 96th St (exit the back door of Radisson, cross 98th st and cut across the Shereton parking lot and cross 96th st). From there, you can catch buses to Santa Monica, Venice, Culver City, Westwood etc.

From the FlyAway Web site (http://www.lawa.org/welcome_LAX.aspx?id=292): "The FlyAway Network does not accept cash. Tickets may be purchased at the bus with Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit or debit cards. Riders on the Van Nuys, Union Station and Westwood FlyAways may also use the L.A. County EZ transit pass."

About a year ago we stayed at a LAX hotel for 3 nights while I had appointments at the UCLA Medical Center, since we could get lower rates through Priceline or Hotiwre near the airport than in Westwood or other areas nearby. We were first assigned the Sheraton, but then at the last minute, Pricleine informed us the Sheraton was overbooked and they put us at the Radisson.

The first day we took the hotel shuttle to LAX (even if you can walk, there's no need, as the shuttle went on a regular basis), and took the FlyAway bus to Westwood, But then we figured we could get to Westwood, and also to Santa Monica a lot cheaper, by taking a public city bus from the LAX transportation center a couple of blocks in back of our hotel (away from LAX). The center was really a large bus top, with several bays, used by Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Culver City busses. There is a free shuttle from the LAX terminals to the transportation center. Threre is a free shuttle also to the nearest station of the Metro Green Line (light rail).

See www.metro.net for info on bus and rail options. If you do take Flyaway to Union Station downtown (its only stop), you can take subway or bus from there to other locations.

Many thanks for your help!

I think I probably will stick with the Flyaway. Never been a massive fan of public bus services so to have just one stop of where (or nearby where) I want to go suits me well!

Just stick with the Flyaway Bus. It's the most direct and economical way to get to Downtown. I live near Pasadena, and I use it now and then for extended times away from home when the cost of parking (near LAX) is not affordable for longer periods of time.

If you are wanting to go to West Los Angeles or Santa Monica, there is a Flyaway Bus that goes there as well. Make sure you confirm where your bus is going from LAX, as Flyaway goes to 4 destinations from there; Union Station, Van Nuys, Irvine, and UCLA/Westwood.

I hate when people don't answer the question that is asked but I am going to do it anyway.

A taxi from LAX to any point Downtown is a $46.50 flat rate.

Just stick with the Flyaway Bus. It's the most direct and economical way to get to Downtown. I live near Pasadena, and I use it now and then for extended times away from home when the cost of parking (near LAX) is not affordable for longer periods of time.

If you are wanting to go to West Los Angeles or Santa Monica, there is a Flyaway Bus that goes there as well. Make sure you confirm where your bus is going from LAX, as Flyaway goes to 4 destinations from there; Union Station, Van Nuys, Irvine, and UCLA/Westwood.

There is a Flyaway bus to Westwood, a block or so from UCLA. There is no Flyaway bus to Santa Monica (one could take a city bus from Westwood-- we did-- but that wouldn't save much time or just going from LAX). OP seems to be going to somewhere near Union Station, so Flyaway works out fine. And, unlike Westwood (where the Flyaway bus we used was going), there are easy subway and train connections from Union Station. Union Station itself is a nice place to visit. Lots of famous movies filmed there over the years.

You can now buy FlyAway tickets online

http://lawa.org/newsContent.aspx?ID=1665

Edit: If a mod is reading, please merge this thread with the FlyAway master thread.

You can now buy FlyAway tickets online

http://lawa.org/newsContent.aspx?ID=1665

Edit: If a mod is reading, please merge this thread with the FlyAway master thread.

Do you know if you purchase tickets online you can just show the e-mail at the kiosk/driver or actually have to print the confirmation out and then get a actual receipt to get on the bus?

Thanks.

Do you know if you purchase tickets online you can just show the e-mail at the kiosk/driver or actually have to print the confirmation out and then get a actual receipt to get on the bus?

Thanks.

You will get an email confirmation if you buy ticket online. It will have a link to a bar code page. The bus driver has to be able to scan it, either on paper or on your phone.

Or you can just pay when you board (credit card only, no cash).

You will get an email confirmation if you buy ticket online. It will have a link to a bar code page. The bus driver has to be able to scan it, either on paper or on your phone.

Or you can just pay when you board (credit card only, no cash).

Thanks,I have used them before but never bought it before arriving,I did call them and said the barcode is what is needed,paper or phone screen. :)