Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A., sits on the west coast of America facing the Pacific Ocean in Southern California.
The most convenient route to Los Angeles is by air to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), commonly referred to as LAX (with each of its letters pronounced individually), located about 32km (20mi) southwest of downtown Los Angeles.
The following are the most convenient and quickest routes to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Within United States: American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines operate the most convenient daily flights to Los Angeles.
Atlanta to Los Angeles is 4 hrs 30 min, direct flight
Boston to Los Angeles is 6 hrs, direct flight
Chicago to Los Angeles is 4 hrs 16 min, direct flight
Dallas-Fort Worth to Los Angeles is 3 hrs 7 min, direct flight
New York to Los Angeles is 5 hrs 50 min, direct flight
San Francisco to Los Angeles is 1 hr 30 min, direct flight
Seattle to Los Angeles is 3 hrs, direct flight
From Canada: Air Canada, WestJet, American Airlines and United Airlines offer the most convenient daily flights to Los Angeles.
Toronto to Los Angeles is 5 hrs 6 min, direct flight
Montreal to Los Angeles is 5 hrs 47 min, direct flight
Vancouver to Los Angeles is 2 hrs 53 min, direct flight
From Australia: Air New Zealand, Qantas and Virgin Australia offer the most convenient daily flights to Los Angeles.
Brisbane to Los Angeles is 12 hrs 40 min, direct flight
Sydney to Los Angeles is 13 hrs 35 min, direct flight
Melbourne to Los Angeles is 14 hrs 10 min, direct flight
Adelaide to Los Angeles is 16 hrs, with connecting flightˆ
Perth to Los Angeles is 18 hrs, 25 min, with connecting flightˆ
From New Zealand: Air New Zealand and American Airlines offers the most convenient daily flights to Los Angeles.
Auckland to Los Angeles is 12 hrs 15 min, direct flight
From China: Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines offer the most convenient flights to Los Angeles.
Beijing to Los Angeles is 12 hrs, direct flight
Shanghai to Los Angeles is 11 hrs 25 min, direct flight
Hong Kong to Los Angeles is 13 hrs, direct flight
From Singapore: Singapore Airlines offers the most convenient flights to Los Angeles.
Singapore to Los Angeles is 15 hrs 45 min, direct flight
From United Arab Emirates: Emirates offers the most convenient flights to Los Angeles.
Dubai to Los Angeles is 16 hrs 20 min, direct flight
From United Kingdom: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines and United Airlines offer the most convenient flights to Los Angeles.
London to Los Angeles is 11 hrs 15 min, direct flight
Manchster to Los Angeles is 10 hrs 50 min, direct flight
From Ireland: Aer Lingus offers the most convenient flights to Los Angeles.
Dublin to Los Angeles is 11 hrs, connecting flightˆ
From France: Air France and Delta Air Lines offer the most convenient flights to Los Angeles.
Paris to Los Angeles is 11 hrs 20 min, direct flight
From Germany: Lufthansa offers the most convenient flights to Los Angeles.
Frankfurt to Los Angeles is 11 hrs 50 min, direct flight
Munich to Los Angeles is 12 hrs 35 min, direct flight
Berlin to Los Angeles is 14 hrs, connecting flightˆ
Dusseldorf to Los Angeles is 13 hrs 40 min, connecting flightˆ
Hamburg to Los Angeles is 13 hrs 50 min, connecting flightˆ
(ˆincludes transfer time.)
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is located in southwestern Los Angeles, around 32km (20mi) from downtown LA.
A shuttle service operates between the airport's nine terminals.
The A route operates 24/7 at 10-minute intervals, with pick-up and drop-off beneath the LAX Shuttle & Airline Connections sign in front of the arrivals level of each terminal.
Taxi: Taxis stop at LAX-it (pronounced LA Exit) by the terminals on the lower arrivals levels. You can take the LAX-it shuttle from outside baggage claim to the LAX-it lot or walk.
Authorised taxis serve Los Angeles International Airport and display fixed-fare tariffs to local destinations. A list of providers is available on the airport's website.
Ridesharing companies also service Los Angeles International Airport.
Note: LAX-it, which opened on 29 October 2019, is an off-site terminal where you can meet your Uber, Opoli, taxi or Lyft ride.
Shuttle: Several shuttle bus and mini-van companies operate services to destinations all over southern California, including SuperShuttle (tel: +1 800 258 3826; www.supershuttle.com) and Prime Time Shuttle (tel: +1 800 733 8267; www.primetimeshuttle.com).
The FlyAway Bus (tel: +1 866 435 9529; www.flylax.com) provides a shuttle service every 30 minutes between LAX and Downtown Los Angeles (Union Station), the San Fernando Valley (Van Nuys), Hollywood and Long Beach.
The shuttle service stops at each LAX terminal. Journey time to central Los Angeles is between 30 to 60 minutes, depending on traffic.
A free shuttle bus (bus G) connects Los Angeles International Airport to the Aviation Station on the Metro Green Line (tel: +1 323 466 3876; www.metro.net). Journey time into the city is around 40 minutes.
Bus: Public bus services are run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, information on transit routes and schedules are provided on the metro website (tel: +1 323 466 3876; www.metro.net).
Several car hire companies serve Los Angeles International Airport, with offices located off-site. Most of these operators can be contacted via courtesy telephone in the arrivals areas of all terminals.
Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, Fox, Payless, National and Thrifty run free shuttle bus pick-up/drop-off services from each terminal.
Money: ATMs are located in both the departure and arrival levels in all terminals at LAX.
ICE Currency Exchange booths can be found on the departure level after security in Terminals 2-7 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal; as well as on the arrivals level in Terminals 2-6 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal. All ICE Currency Exchange booths sell international and domestic Sim Cards.
Food: Los Angeles International Airport offers numerous bars, cafes and restaurants, from standard US and Mexican-style fast-food vendors to grill restaurants and sports bars.
Shopping: Shops at Los Angeles International Airport include newsagents, gift shops and bookshops. Duty-free shopping, for international passengers, can be found in Terminals 2, 3 and 7 as well as in the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Wi-Fi: Free Wi-Fi internet access is available for 45-minute sessions throughout all public areas of Los Angeles International Airport.
In addition to free access, passengers may opt for a premium internet service, which grants quicker connection speeds and 24 consecutive hours for up to four devices.
Business: Business services are available at the ICE Currency Exchange booth on the departures level of the TBI Terminal. Fax and photocopying are provided by an additional ICE Currency Exchange booth on the arrivals level of the same terminal.
There is a boardroom in Terminal 6, provided by Alaska Airlines and several other airlines have similar facilities in each terminal.
Other: There are no postal services in any of the terminals at LAX. There is a first aid station in the TBI Terminal (tel: +1 310 215 6000). AED units (defibrillators) are situated throughout Los Angeles International Airport at security posts. There are nursing stations in Terminals 1-8 and the TBI Terminal.
All terminals feature facilities for the disabled, including ramps and lifts, adapted toilets and wheelchair-accessible restaurants.
Each airport car park offers disabled spaces and lift-equipped shuttle buses run between car parks B and C and the terminals. Disabled passengers can be dropped off at accessible drop-off points on the departures level of each terminal. Look out for blue signs with the International Symbol of Accessibility (ISA).
Wheelchairs can be requested from individual airlines. Disabled passengers are advised to inform their airline of their requirements in advance.
A TDD line (tel: +1 310 665 0370) provides information for the hearing-impaired, and all public telephones in the airport have sound volume controls for those with hearing impairments.
A machine-readable passport valid for at least six months beyond intended period of stay as well as a ticket for return or onward travel.
Under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), nationals of Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom do not need a visa for stays up to 90 days.
The best way to get around Los Angeles is by car. Hire cars are easily available from LAX airport and at most major hotels.
Public transport is also an inexpensive and good way to get around LA. Bicycles and taxis are useful to get around individual neighbourhoods.
More information on how to get around Los Angeles…
Latest update: How to get to Los Angeles: 12 May, 2022
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