Guests are encouraged to arrive early, pre-book parking, and use cell phone waiting lots to help with increased vehicle traffic
Los Angeles, CA.- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is wrapping up the year with an anticipated busy winter holiday travel period. The airport is expecting more than 4 million passengers to use the airport between December 14 and January 3, a 12% increase compared to the same period last year.
“We are anticipating a daily average of 211,000 passengers to pass through LAX over the 21-day winter holiday travel period,” said Beatrice Hsu, Interim CEO of Los Angeles World Airports. “While our airport will be busier than usual, there are several ways to plan ahead and avoid the hassles that often accompany holiday travel. We encourage guests to arrive early, pre-book parking at FlyLAX.com, and take advantage of the LAX Order Now service to skip the wait for concessions.”
Vehicle traffic in the Central Terminal Area (CTA) is expected to be heavy, with an average of more than 93,000 vehicles expected daily during the holiday period. Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) Traffic Control Officers will help direct traffic on the airport perimeter roadways and Airport Police Traffic Control Officers will direct vehicles in the CTA roadway.
Due to increased airport traffic and parking garages approaching full capacity, guests are encouraged to reserve a parking space in advance at Parking.FLYLAX.com. The new LAX Budget Parking facility, LAX Economy Parking, and CTA garages offer pre-booking options. For savings on general and premium parking in the CTA garages, guests can use the promo code MERRY10 to receive a 10% discount. This offer is valid until December 31, 2023.
To help make the travel experience easier, LAX and its airport partners recommend the following travel tips:
Know Before You Go:
* Check your flight status with your airline for up-to-date delay or cancellation information. To expedite the airline check-in process, passengers should check-in online before arriving at LAX.
* Pre-book parking at parking.flylax.com for a guaranteed parking space in the LAX Budget Parking lot, LAX Economy Parking facility or any CTA garage. For savings on general and premium parking in the CTA garages, guests can use the promo code MERRY10 to receive a 10% discount (offer valid until December 31, 2023).
* Parking and traffic updates are available 24/7 via the automated @FlyLAXstats X (formerly Twitter) feed.
Prevent Traffic Congestion:
Picking someone up? Curbside pickup and drop-off are permitted on the Upper/Departures and Lower/Arrivals levels. All parking structures are free for the first 15 minutes.
Two cell phone waiting lots are open and provide a space for drivers to wait in their vehicles until passengers are ready to be picked up from the terminal curb. This helps reduce traffic volume around the CTA. The lots are located at 96th Street & Alverstone Avenue, and 96th Street & Vicksburg Avenue. A helpful video on how to access these areas can be found here.
Roadway Construction and Closures
The public is reminded that LAX’s multi-billion-dollar modernization program continues. When arriving at and departing from LAX, passengers should follow posted signage near all construction sites. Guests are advised to make travel plans that avoid the roadway closures indicated on the map below.
To aid with efficient roadway travel, flaggers will be on location during the holidays to assist passengers. Additionally, a new interactive airport map shows real-time traffic updates. Guests can visit bit.ly/LAX-Traffic-Map for up-to-the-minute traffic details.
Rideshare and Public Transportation:
Guests who plan to depart LAX via taxi or ride app vehicles (Uber, Lyft, Opoli) can walk to the LAX-it lot at 9610 Sky Way, across Terminal 1, or take one of the LAX-it shuttles from stops located on the Lower/Arrivals Level. In addition to LAX-it, taxis can also pick passengers up from the Terminal B Pick-Up Area within Parking Structure 3, and the Lower/Arrivals level outside of the baggage claim area of Terminal 7. Taxi and ride app vehicles may continue to drop departing guests off curbside on the Upper/Departures Level.
FlyAway® bus service is available to and from Union Station and Van Nuys, with parking available at both locations. Fares are $9.75 one way. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Union Station or Van Nuys FlyAway Terminal. For pick-up at LAX, the FlyAway buses make use of dedicated inner lanes on the Lower/Arrivals Level. For more information on FlyAway, visit www.LAXFlyAway.org.
Municipal buses from LA Metro, Beach Cities Transit, Culver City, Santa Monica (Big Blue Bus), and Torrance serve the LAX City Bus Center, located on 96th Street, and connect to the CTA via the free LAX “Lot South/City Bus Center” Shuttle, which stops on the Lower/Arrivals Level. In the CTA, the LAX “Lot South/City Bus Center” Shuttle arrives and departs from stops labeled “Employee Lot South/LAX City Bus Center.”
LAX offers a free “Metro Connector” shuttle to and from the Aviation/LAX Metro Station on the C Line (Green) at Imperial Highway and Aviation Boulevard. The C Line connects to the J Line (Silver) and A Line (Blue) for service to downtown Los Angeles. LAX shuttle drivers may ask for proof of payment/use of Metro via a TAP card for guests heading to the airport. The Metro Connector also arrives and departs from the pink stops on the lower level inner lane labeled “LAX Shuttle.”
TSA Winter Holiday Travel Tips:
* Utilize TSA resources to travel smart. To avoid bringing prohibited items in carry-on luggage, start with an empty bag or suitcase. If you aren’t sure how to travel with an item, download the MyTSA app and use the “What Can I Bring?” feature. Another option is to snap a picture of an item and send it to @AskTSA on Twitter or Facebook Messenger for real-time assistance. Travelers can also send a question by texting “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872).
* Use gift bags instead of wrapping paper. Wrapped items are screened just like any other item. If a wrapped item alarms the security screening technology, whether in carry-on or checked luggage, a security officer may have to unwrap it to determine what the item is and confirm it does not pose a security threat. Consider traveling with unwrapped items or placing them in a gift bag for easy access and resolution.
* Have a plan for traveling with holiday foods. Solid food items like fruitcakes, candy canes, and chocolates are solids and may be transported in a carry-on bag. However, liquids and spreadable foods such as eggnog, wine, champagne, maple syrup, and preserves are not solid and should be packed in checked bags. Here’s a helpful tip: If you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it, or pour it, and it is larger than 3.4 ounces, it needs to be packed in a checked bag.
Confirm your Known Traveler Number (KTN) in your airline reservation. If you have enrolled as a Trusted Traveler, make sure your KTN and correct date of birth are in your airline reservation for TSA PreCheck screening. There are more than 90 airlines that participate in TSA Precheck and TSA offers the TSA PreCheck experience at every airport nationwide. Children 12 and under can use the TSA PreCheck lane when traveling with an eligible parent or guardian on the same itinerary. This holiday season, teenagers ages 13-17 can accompany TSA PreCheck-enrolled parents or guardians through TSA PreCheck screening when traveling on the same reservation and when the TSA PreCheck indicator appears on the teen’s boarding pass.
Expedited Entry and Exit:
Guests flying out of Terminals 7 or 8 may reserve a time at TSA screening through a pilot program called LAX Fast Lane. This free program is being tested in coordination with TSA for customers traveling with United Airlines. Guests interested in this option can visit www.flylax.com/fastlane to reserve a 15-minute window to proceed through security in Terminal 7. Once a customer has selected their reservation window, they will receive a QR code to be presented upon arrival at the security checkpoint. They will then be allowed to enter a reserved TSA screening lane. Airlines are reaching out to their customers who are traveling from LAX to notify them of this option. The LAX Fast Lane is open from 5:00 a.m. to 1 p.m.
* Travelers are encouraged to enroll in the Transportation Security Administration’s Pre® or other trusted-traveler programs, which improve security and reduce wait times.
* Global Entry is a paid Customs and Border Protection (CBP) membership program that allows expedited processing for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. At LAX, Global Entry members enter the United States through upgraded facial biometrics portals, eliminating paper receipts and providing a secure, streamlined, and touchless experience while protecting the privacy of all travelers. The new portals can process a trusted traveler in a matter of seconds. After completing a four-month testing period, LAX is now the first international airport in the country to deploy this enhanced biometric processing technology.
* Simplified Arrival is CBP’s enhanced international arrival process that uses facial biometrics to automate the manual document checks that are already required for admission into the United States. This process provides travelers with a touchless process that further secures and streamlines international arrivals while fulfilling a longstanding congressional mandate to biometrically record the entry and exit of non-U.S. citizens. Simplified Arrival only uses the biometric facial comparison process at a time and place where travelers are already required by law to verify their identity by presenting a travel document.
Spread the Holiday Cheer:
*LAX Order Now allows LAX guests to browse, order, pay for, and pick up food from most of the airport’s terminals using an online ordering system. The service is part of LAX’s digital marketplace strategy to enhance the travel experience, by allowing guests to purchase food and non-alcoholic beverages from the dozens of participating restaurants across the airport from their mobile devices. The service is expanding in the Tom Bradley International Terminal with mobile ordering kiosks, where passengers can place their orders for pickup. Click here to view a video that explains the LAX Order Now service. Guests can use the promo code LAXHOLIDAY23 for 25% off all mobile orders.
*Warmed up with Dunkin’ Coffee. Visitors at LAX-it and the Cell Phone Waiting Lot had the opportunity to enjoy a warm cup of Dunkin’ Coffee during their wait for rides or pickups on select days this month. The Dunkin’ Community Cruiser made its way to the LAX-it lot on Wednesday, Dec. 19, then greeted guests at the Cell Phone Waiting Lot at 96th Street and Vicksburg Ave on Thursday, Dec. 20. Travelers were treated to free samples of Dunkin’s signature hot or iced coffee.
*Sustain with Love. The exclusive LOVE at LAX water bottles by MOBOT, with art design from well-known Los Angeles artist Ruben Rojas, are now available at select retail stores. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Airports, in partnership with Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), launched the Sustain with Love water bottle campaign in support of the airport’s move to encourage more sustainable travel. Through Dec. 31, guests who spend $75 at a specialty retail store in LAX Terminals 1, 2, 3, 6, Tom Bradley International Terminal and West Gates are eligible to receive the bottle as a complimentary gift while supplies last (terms and conditions apply).
*Did you forget someone on your holiday giving list? LAX’s retail shops offer an extensive array of gift options. A complete list of shops and services can be found on flylax.com.
*Explore LA’s vibrant art scene while at the airport: new installations debut in Terminals 1, 3, 7, and Tom Bradley International.
As passengers travel through LAX this holiday season, they will experience an inspiring range of new artworks by ten artists in nine installations. Presented by LAWA’s Art Program, the exhibitions complement recently opened and refreshed terminal spaces while showcasing the vibrancy of LA through sculpture, painting, photography, murals and multimedia. Together, these featured installations offer views of the city, whether from a bird’s eye perspective or through intimate portraits of those who call Los Angeles their home. Find out more at https://bit.ly/2023-LAX-WinterArt-Release
Here to Help:
LAX guests can find assistance at many places throughout their journey.
By phone or email: Guests may call (855) 463-5252 for assistance during business hours, or email [email protected] to receive a response within one business day.
Restroom feedback: Guests can use QR codes on new signs installed at all restrooms to provide fast feedback about the status of a restroom via a drop-down menu or open comment option. Users can also include a photo of the issue. All of this information is delivered to a maintenance dispatch center in real-time. The new service is available in all restrooms at LAX, including all-gender and nursing rooms.
Vision-impaired services: Passengers with impaired vision may use the Aira real-time navigation service, which is free to use at LAX. Guests can download Aira for free from the App Store on their Apple device or from Google Play on their Android device.
Online: An online automated chatbot is available 24/7 to help answer common questions about LAX.
