One hour is realistic, my brother used to commute from Culver City (10 min to LAX) to Hollywood (10 min to downtown LA) and it took him about that every AM. The distance and the streets really are the same so that's a realstic guess.

If it's raining, add another half hour. BUR is technically the same distance, give or take 2 miles, but the routes are much more congested.

LAX will be a safer bet, 105 -> 110 will be alright, 110 will be pretty bad but that's a pretty wide freeway until it bottlenecks just south of downtown LA, that's going to be the best option me thinks.

I would take the UNION STATION FLYAWAY BUS from LAX and then take a cab for the 1/2 mile to your event.

7:18 into LAX will be tight to the Miyako Hotel (Little Toyko) area by 9:00....

If *I* were doing this, I'd grab the Union Station FlyAway bus from the green "FlyAway, Buses and Long Distance Vans" signs on the lower level. They run every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour. It should take you from 45-70 minutes to get to downtown (depending on traffic) from there, I'd grab a cab for the mile or so to your specific address...although there are plenty of downtown DASH buses running on 5-15 minute schedules in the downtown area that might get you there as quick....for $0.25

Interestingly, if you could get a flight into Burbank for the same hour, you could actually be much better assured of making your meeting... Why? Because the Metrolink commuter rail station is simply across the street from Burbank's terminal...and the trains into Union Station are NOT subject to the same sort of gridlock delays. I note that there's a 07:54AM train from Burbank to Downtown arriving at Union Station at 08:16AM Giving you 40 minutes to grab a cab and travel the mile or so to your meeting.

Thank you everyone who responded. I really appreciate the information you gave me!

for the BUR option, you can take metrolink to union station. but check the metrolink schedule; you'll probably need 15-20 minutes to walk from the gate to the station. driving from BUR to downtown can be very unpredictable.

Any updates?
 

I need to get from LAX to BUR on a Wed morning and was wondering if SuperShuttle or some other public transport option is the best way to get there?

thx

Rental car will be most convenient and will take 45 minutes to an hour (possibly more if traffic is bad), but SuperShuttle is certainly an option. Plan on it taking 2-3 hours to get there, though, and costing about what a one day car rental would. Many car rental companies will allow a one-way rental between LAX-BUR IME without charging a fee for the privilege.

Rental car is the easiest as kef0913 stated. In the morning, the 405 past I-10 is quite good, but once you leave it towards BUR (no matter what route) it will get worse. I would think it's do-able in 1 hour.

I drive the 405 N from LAx area every day, I would estimate if you are taking the 405 N from LAX that time of morning:

20 min from LAX to I-10
another 10 min from I-10 to 101 junction

After that I'm not sure.

A public transport alternative is the Union Station Flyaway bus to Union Station, and the Metrolink Antelope line to (very near) BUR.

Traffic on the 101 east (technically south) until about 9:30 is pretty heavy heading into Hollywood but doesn't really back up until you pass the 134 split (which the OP would take to get to BUR). After around 9:30 or 10 am the traffic evaporates going that way.

If you are JUST looking for LAX to BUR, I might seriously consider public transit rather than the hassle & cost of rental.

Take the Union Station FlyAway bus to LA Union Station ($4), which departs every 30 minutes in front of every terminal under green “FlyAway, Buses and Long Distance Vans” signs, dropping you off at Patsouris bus plaza on the East side of Union station.

Go West into the station and catch the Metrolink train to BUR (Ventura County trains), which drops you off just South & across the street from the BUR Terminal. ($5.25) There are 8 morning trains departing from Union station to BUR between 6:50 and 9:50... (schedule) And more in the afternoon.

Total time should be no more than about 2 hours, and could be as little as one.

training in Monrovia
 

I have a training session coming up and the classes are held in Monrovia. I would be flying in on a Sunday evening and leaving on a Friday afternoon (4PM flights out of BUR or ONT, or 6PM out of LAX).
Which airport should I fly into? I thought about BUR or ONT.
Are there also any recommended hotels in the area? I was thinking either SPG or HH.

I think BUR is a better choice as the baggage claim area is small and relatively quick and the rental car agencies are litterally adjacent to the terminals. That being said, ONT is pretty good as well. ONT may be a tad closer to Monrovia, but no more than five to ten min. driving time.

Arcadia is adjacent to Monrovia and has a few midrange hotels. The nicer properties are in Pasadena, about 8 miles away on the 210, which can get pretty bad during rush hours.

As long as your Friday return was not on a long weekend, I'd give a vote for ONT. I find BUR a little more congested whereas ONT is more spacious in the approach and airport terminal area.

However, you are traveling eastbound on the 210 on a Friday which may be fraught with some congestion issues.

I'd change that "may" to "will" :) Anything eastbound on the 210, 10 or 60 towards ONT in the afternoon is b-a-d.

So, BUR would be the lesser of two evils in the afternoon?