I agree with this 100%

For first time visitors to LA, LAX is probably better choice because there are a million ways to get there. If you fly out of Burbank, your transportation option is limited and cab is often the only choice.

Also, I highly recommend the FlyAway bus option to Union station and then Gold line to Pasadena. It is the most painless way of getting to Pasadena from LAX. Sheraton Pasadena is 2 minute walk from Del Mar station... couldn't get any more simple than that! Why would you want to drive in our mad traffic when public transportation takes you almost door to door?

If you want to visit other LA area attractions, buy a Metro day pass for $5 (unlimited Metro bus and rail rides for the day) and take the Gold line to Union St. From there you can get to most tourist destination with just one train or one bus ride.

Agreed!

A very big constrution project on the Sunset Blvd. bridge over the 405 has begun, and traffic on the freeway over Sepulveda Pass is supposed to be adversely impacted for a long time. You might check www.latimes.com for info, or post a question specifically about this. Leaving Burbank at 5 p.m., I'd allow a couple of hours to get to LAX. Then you need to return your rental car, etc. If you can fly into and out of Burbank, I'd do it. It's a small airport and the rental car lots are (or at least were) right next to the terminal. Considering the time it takes to get through LAX, and to the rental car facilities, and then drive to Burbank, you could save time by flying into Bob Hope Airport (Burbank), even without the construction projecte on the 405. You can get from/to BUR by taxi, rental car or, for some locations, Metrolink train (or a combination of modes, by taking Metrolink from the airport to Union Station, then light rail or subway from there).

Did some searches and couldn't find an answer. Any idea about how long it will take to get from El Segundo to an Angels game on a Monday night? Google Maps says 40-45 minutes but I have a feeling that's conservative. I was thinking 60-75 minutes but just want to be sure.

1 hour minimum from El Segundo to the Big A. You are going to be stuck in rush hour traffic so leave yourself plenty of extra time or be prepared to miss the start of the game.

LAX to Long Beach?
 

Hi

Family of 4 will arrive LAX from UK on a Thursday about 4.30pm. We are staying at Hotel Maya on Queensway Drive (near Queen Mary).

We aren't picking up or hire car until the following morning. Does anyone have any recommendations as to how to travel LAX to the hotel. It seems our options are airport shuttle (these are shared so how does this work?), cab (but will 4 plus luggage fit?) or public transport

Given that we will be tired the most efficient method would be best for us.

Thanks for any input

nickyboy

First I would contact the hotel about whether or not they have a shuttle service. If not I suggest hiring a car and driver. With four people and luggage this might cost a bit more than the cab but if you get one where the driver stands at the exit from passport control and holds up a card bearing your last name it might expedite an orderly departure from LAX.
There are cabs that will take all of your family and luggage but you will probably have a higher level of comfort it you do the driver and car routine. I don't know which service to recommend at LAX. Perhaps the hotel can recommend one to you.

DO NOT DO A SHUTTLE. I recommend a van taxi....You will find a guy with a radio who can order a van taxi. This is common route as many people take cruises out of Long Beach.

Yup. I was just thinking the same thing. All the taxi stands at LAX have guys on radio. You tell them you need a van. Should be able to fit they are used to having groups like this and not just to Long Beach. People going all over LA in groups with luggage. There are plenty of vans they should cost the same. I'm often going home in a van and it's just me and my rollerboard. That happens to be what shows up when its my turn in line. I live the other direction from LAX but similar distance guessing it should be no more than $50 to get you all to LB. Someone else on the forum probably knows exactly how much.

Thanks v much for fast feedback. Van it is!

nickyboy

I'd suggest giving ExecuCar a look. I believe they are an offshoot of Super Shuttle but they use Honda Odysseys that are dispatched to pick you up and deliver you to your destination - without trolling the airport for other fares.

Pricing is about $58 - for a party of 4, that should be a reasonable expense.

I've used them on a few occasions and they even give mileage on some airlines!

Agreed. The shared vans (Super Shuttle, etc.) are not pleasant. They won't leave the airport until they're full, which means you could spend half an hour circling the airport and loading more people in until they're crammed to the gills. And the drivers are (I've found) usually more nausea-inducing than cabbies. And since they charge per person (though there's a discount for multiple people in the same party), it's probably going to be about the same cost for a cab or car service.

Public transit to Long Beach is available and cheap, and while it's what I would do as I'm far too cheap to pay for a taxi, it'll take you at least an hour and fifteen just to get to downtown Long Beach and then another half an hour on a city bus to your hotel. That said, if money is a consideration and you want to do that, you'd follow these steps:

1) Take LAX shuttle bus G to the Green Line/Aviation Station
2) Take the Green Line to Rosa Parks
3) Transfer downstairs to the Blue Line (lift available)
4) Get off at Long Beach Transit Mall (last stop, though the train makes a loop, so it won't look like the last stop)
5) Walk one block south and board bus C
6) Ride to the Queen Mary and then back towards downtown Long Beach; get off bus at your hotel (will be on right shortly after departing Queen Mary)

Again, though, while I would do that, I probably wouldn't recommend it for your tired family of 4 with luggage.

Hi

I think the shuttles are limited to 3 loops of the airport before they have to leave or get back in line, at least thats how it was,

As far as getting to Long Beach , take a limo, it cost you already a ton of $$$ for this trip, a Limo is probably $100 or so, and something to tell your friends back home

Rally

How long to drive Irvine to LAX in rush hour?
 

I was contemplating taking a 5:00pm flight on a Monday from LAX. Will be starting in Irvine. How long do you think this drive will take in rush hour? Do you think it would be much better if I flew home on sunday rather than monday.

Would it be faster to take a connecting flight from SNA which take 100 minutes longer. What time would you leave Irvine for a 5:00pm flight on a monday from LAX assuming I normally arrive airport 1 hour before departure.

I'd leave Irvine no later than 3 pm. If I had to gas up and return a rental car, I'd say 2:30 pm would be reasonable.

I'd also check www.sigalert.com before I left and listen for traffic reports on AM 980 and 1070. You'll be taking the 405.

OP didn't state if taking a Dom or Int'l flight or what carrier. That said, you'd generally need to be at terminal no later than 3PM. I'd suggest leaving Irvine no later than 1PM. Would explore SNA option and if anyway feasible, I'd go that route as far less stress

Flying southwest to Chicago. I am more than comfortable arriving airport 60 minutes before flight.

Flight from LAX is 100 minutes shorter but will I lose all that in the drive up there.

Mostly I am just wondering how long the drive is. Google says its about 45 miles. Will this take 45-60 minutes or could it be more like 2 hours plus.

yep. 3pm on a monday "shouldn't" have traffic that's too bad, but hey, it's socal. ;D

Like, edscholl said, this isn't really rush hour. Plus, driving north on the 405 from Irvine to LAX even at rush hour is mainly against the flow. An hour should be plenty to allow for the drive, as long as you aren't one of those types who likes to pad your times to account for unexpected delays.

Check local freeway traffic map on the internet (http://www.latimes.com/news/traffic/) before you leave and consider whether the 405 / 605 / 105 route to LAX looks better.

I wouldn't even consider going later than 2:30. There are too many variables, and just getting from Irvine to Huntington Beach can take 20 minutes. Traffic starts backing up very early in that area.

I second the SNA option, because why sweat it?

You have some decent suggestions on how close you can cut things, but we don't know if there are reasons you would want to.

Yes, you could probably make your flight arriving at your terminal 1 hour before your flight, but why risk it, especially with the vagueries of L.A. traffic? You can run into unexpected delays at any hour. Plus, as you are driving you need to add the time either to return your rental car or find a parking lot for your own car. You do not state if there is a time before which you cannot leave (e.g., a meeting). Why not leave at 1 or 1:30, or even earlier, and have a relaxing lunch at LAX (e.g., at the Encounter restaurant in the middle of the airport)?

Going to Irvine with my wife to visit her sister. trying to get as much time possible to hang out with the family on the day we return. The last flight (which arrives before midnight)out of SNA is at 2:05pm arriving at 930pm. The late flight LAX is nonstop at 510pm arriving 1100pm. Takes 100 minutes less and leaves 3 hours later. The LAX flight is also cheaper by $30 per person.

If we fly from LAX, we may get a ride, have a rental car, take public transportation, or use supershuttle. If we fly from SNA then we will just get dropped off.

So I am wondering if I should just accept the fact that 2:05 pm is the latest flight and I have to deal with a connection. Or I am wondering if I can make the LAX flight work which would hopefully give us significantly more time with the family.

Public transport - there is no such thing..
Supershutlle - that will add an hour
Get a ride - i guess if someone owes you a big favor you can force them to come back from LAX around 5 pm

Rental car is the only option but you'll need to check on price

I would personally fly out of SNA in your situation but if you decide to go to LAX leave around 2-2:30 depending on where in Irvine you start from. Traffic starts turning unpleasant after 3 between 55 and 22 but the rest is usually OK. I had a pleasure of doing this commute routinely in the past and on the scale of LA traffic it is not too bad.

The sister in Irvine is the one making us all fly across the country because she doesn't want to fly with kids and leave dogs at home. So as far as I'm concerned she kind of owes us a big favor.

The third sister lives in SFO. If she decides to drive then it would be pretty easy to get a ride with them. Though I would guess that they will fly.

I am thinking that I am probably going to just book both flights home. If I decide we need a rental car then probably will fly into and out of LAX. If not then will probably fly into and out of SNA.

It seems theoretically possible to take the Orange county train to Norwalk, then transfer by bus to the green line, then green line to LAX. I'm not sure how long all this would take though.

Side question: Why didn't they extend the green line all the way to the orange county line. It looks like they are two miles apart and it would have seemed logical.

http://www.lawa.org/welcome_LAX.aspx?id=292

Public transportation to LAX from Irvine is pretty straight forward. Get your sister in law to dropped you off at Irvine Metrolink Station and take the FlyAway Bus. It's a bit pricey but it runs like clockwork using the carpool lane on I-405.

The other thing I noticed is the OP is traveling with his wife... that means you can use the carpool lane if you have a rental car.

Supershuttle is not reliable and not recommended if time is valuable.

I would definitely leave by 3pm no matter what method of transportation you use. I-405 north bound shouldn't be very congested from Irvine but there is currently construction at the 405/605 junction and traffic backs up for about 5 minutes when there is otherwise no congestion. You will encounter heavy traffic from about Artesia Blvd (route 91) to I-105 by 4pm as you make your way closer to LAX. The early shift workers at the aerospace companies in South Bay area leave their office around 3:30pm and they generally head north towards West LA or San Fernando Valley.

Edit: I just noticed FlyAway has cut back the Irvine bus frequency significantly... oh wells...

You can take the Green line but don't rely on OCTA or Metrolink to get your there. Ask your sister in law to drive you to Norwalk Station.

Green line ends in the middle of nowhere because it was paid for with funds from the I-105 construction so we only had enough money to build it where the freeway ends. It doesn't connect to Norwalk Metrolink station either...

not true.

best option: flyaway bus. they recommend being on the bus two hours before departure.
2d option: metrolink to norwalk, then take the shuttle to the green line to aviation, and then take the shuttle to the airport. they don't call it the "green line to nowhere" for nothing.

While theoretically the second option is possible (heck i can even put together a route to get me from thousand oaks to LAX by public transport), you can not seriously suggest smth of that nature to OP or any visitor to LA. :)

Flyaway bus actually may be an option if schedule works however it probably does not fall into public transport category (at least not any more than hotel shuttles or supershuttle etc). For two or more people rental car is gonna be competitive pricewise and offer far more flexibility though.

2 people in car can use the carpool lane almost all the way to the airport....

But if you do start moving to the right hand lane around Inglewood ave -Roscrans as there is no direct link from the 405 carpool lane to the 105 freeway carpool lane.....this is 3-4 miles from the airport

Rally

I hope you're not referring to Monday, May 30th, Memorial Day; Monday, July 4th, Independence Day; or Monday, Sept 5th, Labor Day. If in fact you are, then allow more time as the roads to & from the airports can get a little messy.

We've got a wedding at lake arrowhead in august. Flying in from BWI; they have suggested ONT as the best airport for flights. We are, however visiting friends in Westlake village before hand who have recommended BUR.

So here's the deal. We need to be in westlake village from Wed to Fri and Lake arrowhead from Fri to Sun.

We will be renting a car as well. Any thoughts about airport? would LAX be horribly inconvenient for these two locations? The flights are better (more convenient) to BWI and we would avoid the one way car rental. Any thoughts? Sorry this is a bit convoluted but thanks.

FDW

If you have to go to Westlake Village I would definitely go through LAX.

i have to go to Westlake Village... is it that bad? They used to live on Manhattan beach.. ahh that was convenient...

LAX it is.. Looking at a 1:09 PM arrival into LAX... between claiming luggage/renting a car etc how long should I figure it'll take me to get to Westlake (and what's the best route?)

Thanks
FDW

I don't know anything about Westlake Village other than it is in the valley. I use to live in the South Bay too...I live in DTLA now.

Any chance you can do a multi-city, fly into BUR and then leave out of ONT? What time would you have to be at LAX on Sunday if you're coming from the Lake Arrowhead area?

On a Friday afternoon, for routing from LAX to Westlake Village I would suggest N/B Lincoln Blvd. through Marina Del Rey, Venice, and Santa Monica. Go 10 West that will dump you right on Pacific Coast Hwy (PCH). Go N/B on PCH to Malibu Canyon Rd. (Pepperdine College area) then over Malibu Cyn Rd. to the 101 and out to Westlake Village. I don't think that by the time you arrive at 1:15ish, get luggage, car, etc, that you would have any hope of beating the afternoon traffic N/B 405 to 101. Just a guess but you're probably looking at about 2 hours driving time.

The difference between Lake Arrowhead to LAX and Lake Arrowhead to BUR is only about 9 miles. Even in traffic, it's such a small difference that you can consider them basically the same point from Lake Arrowhead.

The difference between LAX to Westlake Village and BUR to Westlake Village is only about 10 miles. BUR is slightly more convenient but LAX is certainly not an unreasonably further distance. Also, the least indirect way from BUR to Westlake Village involves some surface streets through North Hollywood, so while the 405 can get notoriously crowded around the interchange with the 101 (where you'd be switching to the 101), IMHO, it's pretty much a wash time-wise.

So, for your airport-to-friends'-house and wedding-to-airport drives, BUR vs. LAX is really a non-issue. The bigger issue is Lake Arrowhead to anything other than ONT.

Be sure you realize that Lake Arrowhead to either BUR or LAX is about a 90-mile drive through the heart of the Los Angeles basin. Without traffic, you're looking at a 90-minute drive (or if you're not a Southern California speeder like me, maybe 100 minutes :p), and with traffic, you could be approaching three hours of drive-time.

ONT, on the other hand, is less than an hour from Lake Arrowhead--with or without traffic. (The time is spent mostly on winding mountain roads, and once you hit the freeway, it's smooth sailing; there's not a ton of traffic on the 210 or the 15--at least not enough to significantly slow you down.)

Given that, I'd suggest reconsidering ONT as your departure airport. Check one-way rental rates; some companies offer decent deals for inter-airport drops in the Los Angeles basin.

And if one-way rates are a major factor, I'd actually consider flying both into and out of ONT. It's only about another half hour farther to go from ONT to Westlake Village than LAX to Westlake Village (given traffic, of course), and you'd save a ton of time on your return.

At 1-2 pm both LAX and BUR are OK to get to Westlake village. After 3 pm I strongly suggest BUR as 405 turns into 4-5 lanes of parking for miles and miles. The suggested Lincoln/PCH alternative usually saves a bit of time and it is definitely more scenic but still pretty slow. From BUR you can take 5 and 118 and usually bypass most mess pretty much at any hour or just take 101 when traffic is OK. I live near WV and get to deal with those options from time to time.

Lake arrowhead is on the other end of LA so make sure you drive there midday to avoid traffic (no later than 1-2 pm on friday). From westlake village it's a straight line on 101/134/210 and then some local roads.
Sunday return to LAX or BUR should be OK but if you can fly back from ONT it will definitely save you time.