Los Angeles (LAX) Airport

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LAX Airport Status Overview
  • Los Angeles LAX Airport is currently not experiencing any delays more than 15 mins.
Information current as of: Nov 21 at 04:06:37 PDT
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  • LAX Airport Overview
    Los Angeles International Airport LAX is located 15 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles, in southern California, and is accessible via Hwy 1, I-405 & I-105. The Airport is first in rank as international gateway to the Pacific Rim and Asia, and is also ranked sixth in the world for passenger numbers--59.8 million in 2008! The Airport has four runways and is served by a multitude of domestic and international airlines offering flights across the U.S. and around the world, particularly long-haul flights to/from Asia, Australasia and Latin America. Nearly 50 hotel/motels are located right on-Airport property.

    The Central Complex at LAX: Comprised of nine passenger terminals connected by a U-shaped two-level roadway, Terminals 1, 2 & 3 are at the right, and Terminals 4 through 8 on the left, with the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at the end (and parking garages in the middle); TBIT is the busiest of all terminals. Curbside baggage check-in is available on the upper departure level, while baggage claim is on the lower level. Within the terminals you find every type of restaurants, cocktail lounges, and bars, gift shops and duty-free shops, newsstands and telephones, as well as Wi-Fi hotspots and a business center. Special services include the volunteer Ambassadors, USO facility, Travelers Aid, as well as telephones connected to hotels/motels, rental car agencies and bus/limos serving most Southland areas. The Encounter Restaurant is located 70 ft. above the ground in the center of the historic Theme Building complex. The restaurant, topped by an observation deck, features a space-age interior design. All terminals are accessible. Persons with disabilities can find special parking spaces, rampways and elevators, a free shuttle equipped with a lift for wheelchair-bound passengers operates between Lot C and passenger terminals. Each terminal also provides TDD phones for the speech-impaired.

    Parking: If you pick up an arriving passenger, use the free Cell Phone Lot on Airport Blvd. & Arbor Vitae St.--stay with your car until your party has picked up luggage and calls you to be picked up at the curb. The Airport has a total of 21,144 parking spaces are available; Valet parking is offered across from Terminal 4. The Airport's parking lots do not accept parking reservations. Extensive parking options are available in the Central Terminal Area, including parking garages across from passenger terminals, and in two economy perimeter lots B & C. Lot B at $8/day is at 111th St. & La Cienega Blvd. Lot C at $10/day is at 96th St. & Sepulveda Blvd. Free shuttle buses run between both economy perimeter lots B & C and the passenger terminals 24/7, every 12-15 minutes. You can tune in to the LAX Travelers Information Service radio station at AM 530.

    Rental Cars: About 40 rental car agencies operate at LAX Airport, with off-Airport vehicle rental sites, and many of them provide phone links inside the Lower/Arrival Level area of the passenger terminals to request a shuttle pick up to the rental car sites; ten of which are permitted to make pick-ups/drop-offs directly from the terminals via courtesy shuttles: Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, Fox/Payless, National and Thrifty. Their shuttle pickup area is designated under the purple sign 'Rental Car Shuttles' on the Lower/Arrival level islands outside baggage claim. If you choose one of the other rental car agencies, contact your choice directly by using the Ground Transportation Telephone Boards in the baggage claim areas of each terminal to arrange for pick-up. You can use the free LAX Shuttle Bus to reach the Off-Airport Rental Car Terminal to meet your chosen rental car courtesy shuttle. The LAX Shuttle Bus 'Lot C' is on the Lower/Arrivals level island under the sign for LAX Shuttle to the rental car terminal.

    Transportation: To get from the Airport to your destination, you have a choice of renting a car, taking a taxi, using a shared ride van, or taking the bus. A. Taxis can be found curbside on the Lower/Arrival Level islands in front of each terminal under the yellow taxi sign. You will get a ticket stating typical fares to major destinations. Only authorized taxis with an official LADT seal are permitted in the airport.
    B. Two shared ride van companies, Prime Time Shuttle and SuperShuttle, operate out of LAX and are authorized to serve all Southern California counties, and pick up passengers on the Lower/Arrival Level islands in front of each terminal under the orange sign Shared Ride Vans.
    C. Scheduled buses provide service from LAX to various parts of Los Angeles and some surrounding regions. Contact your individual choice directly. The following buses pick up passengers on the Lower/Arrival Level islands in front of each terminal under the green sign Buses & Long Distance Vans:
    1. Airport Bus to Pasadena - about 28 miles northeast of LAX; to Anaheim (where Disneyland is located), about 32 miles southeast of LAX; and to Buena Park, about 28 miles southeast of LAX.
    2. Airport Bus of Bakersfield - to Bakersfield, a two hours' drive north of Los Angeles.
    3. Antelope Valley Airport Express - to Newhall, Palmdale and Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, with Lancaster (the furthest location) about 75 miles north of LAX. 4. Metropolitan Express - to downtown Los Angeles and to Union Station, about 19 miles northeast of LAX.
    5. Santa Barbara Airbus - to Santa Barbara, plus nearby Goleta and Carpinteria. The drive to these areas (located northwest of LAX, along the sea coast) from the airport usually takes 1.5 to 2 hours.
    6. Ventura County Airporter - to Ventura and Oxnard, on the sea coast about one hour to one hour and a half northwest of LAX.

    NOTICE: From mid-September 2009 through the end of January 2010, the Tom Bradley International Terminal will be partially closed at its north side lower arrivals level, due to the scheduled renovation of the Meet and Greet area. During this time, there is no access to either the north patio door or the elevators in that area. As this area included Mexicana Airlines ticketing, it has been relocated to the departures lobby. Renovations include new glass paneling, curved LED media and entertainment zones, and modern storefronts.


  • Main Terminal / Concourses at Los Angeles LAX Airport
    The central complex features nine passenger terminals connected by a U-shaped two-level roadway.