Los Angeles City Guide - Getting There By Air

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Tel: (310) 646 5252.
Website: www.lawa.org

Located on Santa Monica Bay, 24km (15 miles) from the city centre, LAX is the world's fifth-busiest airport, handling almost 58 million passengers in 2005. It is particularly important as the US gateway to the Pacific.

Airport facilities: Facilities include foreign exchange and banking services, ATMs, baggage storage, medical and first aid, language assistance and a variety of shops and restaurants. Visitor information booths are located outside the main arrivals building, where staff can advise visitors of the best route to their destination within the city. Car hire is available from all the major operators, including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty, as well as many local operators. Business services are available at the ICE Currency Exchange Booth. Travel Right Cafe in Terminal 4 Departure Level and Neptune Networks kiosks provide Internet access, and public telephones throughout the airport offer Internet data port access. Centres are located in Terminals 3, 7, 8 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Transport to the city: Taxis can be found at the lower level. Passengers are presented with a ticket stating typical fares to major destinations. There is a flat fee of US$35 from Downtown to the airport, but the taxi fare from the airport to Downtown Los Angeles is at a metered rate.  Several private shuttle services will drop airport passengers at the door of their hotel or other destinations. These include Super Shuttle (tel: (310) 782 6600 or 1 800 258 3826; website: www.supershuttle.com), Xpress Shuttle (tel: (310) 323 7222 or 1 800 427 7483; website: www.xpressshuttle.com) and Prime Time Shuttle (tel: (310) 536 7922 or 1 800 733 8267; website: www.primetimeshuttle.com). Charges are reasonable and vary depending on the destination.

A free shuttle bus runs between terminals and from the airport to Parking Lot C, where passengers can connect with MTA (tel: 1 800 266 6883/COMMUTE; website: www.mta.net) buses, which run to most places in the city. There is also a free shuttle to Aviation Station on the MTA Metro Green Line. Pick-up is on the lower arrival level under the LAX Shuttle sign.

Ontario International Airport (ONT)
Tel: (909) 937 2700.
Website: www.lawa.org

Located 56km (35 miles) east of Downtown Los Angeles, Ontario International is the city's newest airport (opened 1998) and served over 7 million passengers in 2005. It handles international and domestic flights and is the closest airport for the heavily settled Orange County.

Airport facilities: Facilities include information kiosks, ATMs, foreign exchange, and a variety of shops and restaurants. Car hire is available from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National. There is no business centre at the airport.
Transport to the city: Taxis and several shuttle bus services (see above under LAX) provide transportation throughout the region.

Bob Hope Airport (Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport) (BUR)
Tel: (818) 840 8840.
Website: www.burbankairport.com

Bob Hope Airport is served by six domestic airlines only, serving some 5.5 million passengers in 2005. It is the closest airport to Downtown LA (20km, or 13 miles, away), Hollywood and the Valley.

Airport facilities: Facilities include shops and restaurants, ATMs and tourist information. Car hire is provided by Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz and National. There are no business facilities at the airport.

Transport to the city: Metrolink (Monday to Friday only), MTA Bus lines and Amtrak (see Rail) have nearby stations at Burbank and there are free connecting shuttles to/from the airport. The airport is also connected by many MTA bus lines. Taxis are readily available.

John Wayne Airport (Santa Ana, Orange County)
Tel: (949) 252 5200.
Website: www.ocair.com

Located about 67km (42 miles) south of downtown Los Angeles, John Wayne Airport served more than 9 million travellers in 2005. No fewer than 11 domestic airlines use this passenger-friendly airport.

Airport facilities: Facilities include shops and restaurants, ATMs and tourist information. On-site car hire is provided by Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty. There are no business facilities at the airport.

Transport to the city: Taxis, limousines and shuttles (see above under LAX) provide service to the city.

Approximate flight times to Los Angeles: From London is 10 hours 15 minutes; from New York is 5 hours 20 minutes; from Chicago is 4 hours; from Toronto is 5 hours 30 minutes and from Sydney is 14 hours on non-stop flights.