faithful

I've flown into LAX or BUR on a weekly basis. I've gotten quite used to the convenience of BUR but, in addition to AS schedule changes making it less convenient, the flight and parking costs have increased significantly during summer months whereas LAX is still roughly the same if flying during off hours.
Wondering if any of you fly into LAX regularly during the summer. How bad does it get and what can I expect if I fly during off hours (6am or 10pm)
Trying to decide if off hours LAX is worth the savings.

NoLaGent

It depends on a number of factors, but the most important one is where in So Cal. is your final destination? Traffic patterns are the key to your question...

faithful

I've timed it from both airports in the past and it's only little longer from LAX, so it's not really a major factor in my decision.

dayone

Then I think you have your answer.

faithful

My comment above was to the previous poster in regards to traffic patterns once I'm on the ground. My mistake for not including that in my reply.

My original question is more about what to expect at LAX (crowds, delays, etc.) during the busy summer months and if anyone has had experience with that during off hours.

NoLaGent

Then I guess the question comes down to the cost differential and if you're comfortable with it.

Personally, I'd pick BUR for a number of reasons.

This is a significant one tho-

http://www.laxishappening.com/runway.../overview.aspx

Boraxo

+1 IME there are never crowds @bur and with precheck I am into the terminal within seconds. @LAX you could still backup 5-10m in precheck line behind the kettles. @bur the rental car facility is a longer hike now but still a lot faster than the shuttles @LAX (and worse from T1 side).

LAX crowds @TBIT are bad - 30 min wait at starbucks in T1 yesterday and TBIT is just as bad. DK about T6.

Personally I avoid LAX like the plague and only use it when my ultimate destination is near the coast (used it yesterday because the fare was 50% < BUR but actually took more time due to car rental).

Flight delays are also much less likely @bur and you wouldn't be restricted to early/late flights.

The only plus for LAX is the BoardRoom and maybe better concessions.

quemalo

Unless something has changed in the last few weeks, there isn't any precheck for terminal A at Burbank. That said, the line isn't usually that long, and the worst I've waited was 20 minutes. Usually it's 2-5 minutes.

And Burbank is the better airport if you're going anywhere north of downtown LA. Much easier to get in/out of than LAX, which is why I'm flying in/out of it this week.

chrisl137

Traffic is less bad during the summer, but can still be bad. Depending on where you're going from LAX, if you arrive at 6 am and it takes more than 20 minutes to get to the streets, you could be facing rush hour traffic. It really depends on where you're going - if you have to go through DTLA when coming in via LAX in the morning, I'd avoid it. 10pm is generally ok, except around holidays and friday nights, when things can clog up headed north on the 110. Northbound 110 into DTLA (from LAX) is generally worse than southbound (from Pasadena) in the morning.

LAX traffic in general has been getting steadily worse the past few years, so I avoid it as much as I can, and fly out of BUR if I can go without a connection. If I fly out of LAX, I try for flights that leave around 6-7 am so I finish the drive before traffic picks up. I'm in Pasadena, so BUR is far more convenient when it's an option-- at rush hour I can get from home to Sunnyvale or Mountain View (via BUR and SJC) faster than I can get to LAX (never mind the flight). For real.

Parking is way easier at BUR - I can park in Lot C and walk to the gates in a few minutes. It's not even worth waiting for the bus in either direction, since traffic can be slow in the loop. For pickups I usually have people meet me at the strip mall outside the airport.

I don't have precheck, but I'm pretty sure I saw a sign and open lane for it at terminal A last week at BUR. It's often not open because the lines are so short anyway - I can't remember the last time I've waited more than about 5 minutes.

acarney

Boy, sure is annoying the LA Metro stops JUST before connecting to LAX (and doesn't connect at all to BUR). I would have thought LAX and maybe BUR would have been priorities for them. I know there are ways to get from LAX to the Metro but it's not just as easy as say SEA or PDX where you can step out the doors of the light rail directly onto airport land and into the terminal.

quemalo

If I remember right the taxi union sued the city, preventing them from having the metro go all the way because it would reduce taxi income. Of course Uber happened not too many years later, hurting their revenue far more than the train would have.

jinglish

Metro Rail is going to address the poor LAX connectivity with the Crenshaw Line, but the airport station won't open until 2021. There is a Green Line station with a shuttle bus, but obviously that's not incredibly convenient.

Last time I flew into BUR I just walked across the street and took Amtrak to Union Station, but I've been told there's a free shuttle to the Red Line station at West Hollywood.

beckoa

Glad to hear there is progress there... it might open before the SEA N Flagship BR too

jackal

In the meantime, the Flyaway provides about the most convenient link possible between LAX and DTLA--way faster than the Green Line to the Blue Line to the Redple line. (There's also one to Van Nuys.) In fact, the Flyaway, at ~30 minutes on empty freeways and maybe double that even in rush hour thanks to the carpool lanes and Harbor Transitway, might still be faster than the Crenshaw Line once it's completed.

That said, BUR to Amtrak or the Metrolink is about as convenient as it gets. (Just watch for limited Metrolink service outside of peak times and on weekends--the Ventura County line isn't as frequent as some other lines, making the more expensive and less frequent Pacific Surfliner the only option at some times.)

I did not know about the free shuttle from BUR to the Red Line. That is potentially very useful information to me--I could have used it several times in the past, darn...

RhoadWarrior

I used to live in the valley. BUR was very convenient. Now I live near Century City and it just sucks going to LAX. Traffic is so unpredictable in both directions, freeway and surface streets. If that isn't bad enough, lately once I hit the terminal area it takes 20-45 minutes to make the loop. Recently a bunch of us got off the shuttle and hoofed it to the other side. Doesn't matter if I park in main parking or off site and take a shuttle, I'm still stuck in the terminal traffic mess. I don't know why this is. The construction is minimal.

I don't travel a lot but I am considering using BUR from now on. The time savings and ease of travel once I reach the airport area is significantly better even if there isn't a pre-check line. (I haven't used BUR in a long time and don't know what's available.) Getting to/from home doesn't seem like it would be any worse, and in some cases it could be better.

Anyone else using BUR or considering it even though you may live closer to LAX?