Los Angeles Airport
The 'City of Angels', as Los Angeles is known, has a large population. In fact, it is the most populous city in California and is ranked second in terms of population in the United States. It is also well known all over the world as a leading producer of motion pictures, television and recorded music. It is also one of the world's most important centres of science, culture and technology.
Incorporated as a municipality in 1850, five months before California became a State, Los Angeles has come a long way to become a leading business and tourist centre with its transport systems, especially the airport, catering to a large amount of human traffic. The entertainment industry has contributed to a large extent to the city's international reputation and its global status.
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport or LAX as it is popularly known by Californians, is the main airport. It handles more than sixty million passengers and over two million tons of cargo in a year. It is one of the busiest airports in the world and a very important hub for United Airlines. LAX airport is about 15 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles and occupies about 15 square kilometres of city space in the Greater Los Angeles Area.
Los Angeles Airport caters to many well known airlines such as United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines to name just a few. It also caters to destinations in Europe, Asia, North America, Oceania and Latin America. It is also a popular location for plane spotting, especially Clutter's Park and next to In-N-Out Burger restaurant, where the complete area of the South Complex can be seen including a variety of commercial aircraft from the latter area. However, being on the coastline, the airport is sometimes affected by fog, making it dangerous for flying the aircraft. Under these circumstances the planes are diverted to Ontario International Airport, 76 kilometres to the east. If you want to check out the current weather details at the LAX airport, have a look at the National Weather Service.
LAX has ten terminals; the tenth one being reserved for Chartered Flights while the ninth has the Tom Bradley International Terminal which handles around 10 million passengers a year and airlines like Air India, Aeroflot, Alaska Airlines, Air Tahiti Nui and Cathay Pacific to name just a few. Los Angeles also has other alternative airports many of which are closer to some of the well known centres like Griffith Park and Hollywood, which is closer toBob Hope Airportin Burbank.
Getting to the LAX Airport
LAXis well connected by road. It can be reached via Century Boulevard coming out on Interstate 405 and the exit at Sepulveda Boulevard on Interstate 105. The Metro Green Line light rail is connected to Aviation/I-105 by shuttle bus 'G' and also via a free shuttle service every 10 minutes. A convenient 24 hour parking facility is available at Aviation/Harbor Fwy Green Line Station. For a list of transportation services to California airports, have a look at the California Airport Access Table.
Taxis and airport shuttles
Taxis operated by city authorised taxi companies and regulated by Authorised Taxicab Supervision Inc. are available under the 96th Street Bridge at any given time and approach the Central Terminal Area by turn to pick up the passengers. There are many airport shuttle companies like Super Shuttle and Prime Time Shuttle which provide door to door transportation to the passengers. The LAX FlyAway connects the various airport terminals with the Union Station in downtown LA around the clock on an hourly basis. This station is connected to the Metro, the Metrolink, and Amtrak rail systems. Here the car parking facilities are also available and charged per day and separately if required for a longer period of time.
Los Angeles World Airports
The Los Angeles World Airports is owned and administered by the City of Los Angeles. It is these four airports - Los Angeles International (LAX), Ontario International (NT),Van Nuys(VNY) and Palmdale Regional (PMD), that help meet the increasing local demand for passenger, cargo and general aviation services. These airports with their high level security, safety and service contribute to the growth and progress of Los Angeles and Southern California.