LAX airport hotel or beach ?

[Antoallison]

Just wondering about suggestions for a good location for booking a mid price range hotel in LAX, so that I can easily access the shops.. Outlets rather than Rodeo Drive unfortunately !

Just thinking of having a couple of nights (for a first time visitor) flying in from Seattle - before boarding a late night LAX to SYD flight 2 or 3 days later. Hotels that run a shuttle service would be the easiest I guess.

As recommended international flight check in would be 3 hours before eg 9pm, but I have heard that LAX is crazy .. Should I aim to get there earlier ? ... Also as I don't have any chance of entry to Virgin or Qantas lounges, I was wondering if there is a Lounge that you can buy entry on the day ?

 

[RooFlyer]

Can't help with the shopping, sorry but I wouldn't call LAX 'crazy'. I'd say checking in 3 hours beforehand will be plenty of time.

Calling drron and mrs.drron to the white courtesy phone ...

 

[Antoallison]

Can't help with the shopping, sorry but I wouldn't call LAX 'crazy'. I'd say checking in 3 hours beforehand will be plenty of time.

Thks .. And as there is no customs clearance on the way out just check in bags and security .. i though 3 hours should be plenty too. The beauty of the return trip to Oz is, it does not matter if I miss the flight and have to get another, (escept for hotel costs ?) ... so little pressure there - unlike the deadline for my flight coming into the US.

 

[harvyk]

I would avoid airport hotels, esp with 2 or 3 days up your sleeve.
3 hours is more than enough time to check in at LAX. Yes LAX get's busy but it isn't insane.

I would suggest getting a car in LA. There isn't really 1 central area in LA (downtown doesn't count), and the places which may be of interest are scattered around the place. Yes LA's freeway system is "interesting", however it is easy enough to drive on if you have a half decent GPS.

 

[Antoallison]

So looking at the map hotels around Santa Monica might be nice ?

Not going to hire a car with my driving skills ! So have to utilise public transport system for daily travel to see sights from my hotel, then preferably store bags on the last day and use a shuttle to airport in the evening for late night flight.

 

[junbugging]

The beauty of the return trip to Oz is, it does not matter if I miss the flight and have to get another, (escept for hotel costs ?) ... so little pressure there

What's your reasoning there? The airline won't care about TSA delays...

 

[RooFlyer]

So looking at the map hotels around Santa Monica might be nice ?

Not going to hire a car with my driving skills ! So have to utilise public transport system for daily travel to see sights from my hotel, then preferably store bags on the last day and use a shuttle to airport in the evening for late night flight.

Sounds like you might need this: LA metro (trains and buses).

I doubt any hotel will give you a shuttle to the airport except the airport hotels. A taxi probably best for the last trip ... not expensive.

 

[Antoallison]

Thnks Rooflyer.. As LA will be the last leg of my 1month holiday ( Washington, Chicago, Seattle) it is where I will be hitting the shops to load up my bags to the max .. So a taxi to the airport sounds like a good idea.

 

[harvyk]

Thks .. And as there is no customs clearance on the way out just check in bags and security .. i though 3 hours should be plenty too. The beauty of the return trip to Oz is, it does not matter if I miss the flight and have to get another, (escept for hotel costs ?) ... so little pressure there - unlike the deadline for my flight coming into the US.

No outbound customs for US. I've never had to wait more than about 20 minutes for TSA in LAX (and that's without priority access). That said, don't push your luck, give yourself lots of time.

If you miss your return flight to AU it will be an extremely expensive exercise. Doing a dummy booking you would be looking at US$677 for the AA flight (which was cheaper than I was expecting, but still a lot of money to be spending without need), and that only gets you as far as SYD, and that's before you factor in additional costs such as hotel, and no it's unlikely the airline will cover the cost.

So looking at the map hotels around Santa Monica might be nice ?

Not going to hire a car with my driving skills ! So have to utilise public transport system for daily travel to see sights from my hotel, then preferably store bags on the last day and use a shuttle to airport in the evening for late night flight.

Santa Monica is a pretty nice area. I always do at least 1 visit to Santa Monica on every LA trip.

 

[Antoallison]

junbugging - what I meant is that on the way to the USA ...getting to the airport, checking in, connection times are crtitcal on the way over (PTH SYD LAX and then onto IAD) so that will be a little source of tension for me, as I must be in Washington by Tuesday evening 9th August.

but after 2 weeks in Washington I am free to travel where and when I want on vacation.. so not as much nervousness about my LAX to SYD or PER flights.

 

[junbugging]

Fair enough.

Anyway, I agree that three hours should be fine. I've never had a problem at LAX on the way out.

 

[Antoallison]

Thanks harvyk, yes I will leave plenty of time I am one of those flyers that always gets to check in exactly at the time it opens.

I see from your flight records that you have flown to LAX too .. Do you prefer the BNE or SYD route and timings slightly shorter time spent in the air, or feel there not a lot between them ?

I have checked online sites and it is marginally cheaper for me to fly PER BNE LAX but the BORING layover time waiting at BNE is longer

 

[Austman]

One thing when staying a distance away from LAX is the big variations in travel time to actually get there. If you want to be checking-in at 6pm, note that it can be really busy on the freeways from around 4pm. Sometimes it's a standstill. So if you are staying any distance from LAX you really need to consider the extra travel time at that time of day.

There are some quite good line-line freeway condition sites that can help.

 

[harvyk]

My next flight to LAX is booked via BNE, but that had to do with price and availability (it's part of a RTW trip) as much as anything else. There isn't a lot of difference in regards to time in the air, long haul is long haul.

In terms of transfer, both SYD and BNE are just as difficult as each other for international transfers. MEL is the easiest. Once you're air-side BNE gives you a better view of the runways and is quicker to get around. Can't really comment on the food / drink options air-side as I've had lounge access for all my trips through BNE Int thus far.

 

[Quickstatus]

Recently a passenger thought he was able to go downtown and return to LAX in time for his USA-OZ flight. He had 5 hours and missed his flight. Its mentioned somewhere in these forums but I cant find it.

3 hours to check is is plenty

However the bottleneck will be the travel from LA downtown to LAX.

 

[Antoallison]

Yes Melb is another option to fly out of or back into ...I had not thought of it so far (even though it is closer to Perth) as no one I have spoken to at Velocity or Altitude Travel, etc has suggested it.

I thought there would be more choice of flights on any airline to LAX out of Sydney and Brisbane.

I am planning on doing the trip over to the US in 1 continuous flight from PER to IAD ...so pretty arduous on the old body ..but I save the hassle of getting bags and finding transport to hotel in LA.

 

[Antoallison]

One thing when staying a distance away from LAX is the big variations in travel time to actually get there. If you want to be checking-in at 6pm, note that it can be really busy on the freeways from around 4pm. Sometimes it's a standstill. So if you are staying any distance from LAX you really need to consider the extra travel time at that time of day.

There are some quite good line-line freeway condition sites that can help.

Sorry Austman ..I am a newbie to all this and need Travelling 101 ! What is a line-line freeway condition site ?

Guessing it is an alert re possible traffic jams from hotel to LAX ?

 

[harvyk]

I thought there would be more choice of flights on any airline to LAX out of Sydney and Brisbane.

I am planning on doing the trip over to the US in 1 continuous flight from PER to IAD ...so pretty arduous on the old body ..but I save the hassle of getting bags and finding transport to hotel in LA.

There are a few direct flights to LAX from MEL, and MEL is a very easy airport to transfer at. It used to be my international port of choice.
Even if your bags are checked through to IAD, you will need to pick them up and carry them across the border at LAX, before checking them into your LAX->IAD flight.
In the US, you'll clear customs at the airport you first enter. They have no concept of in transit (and IAD would be considered a Dom flight anyway).

 

[harvyk]

Guessing it is an alert re possible traffic jams from hotel to LAX ?

Absolutely, I would allow at least a couple of hours to get from where-ever you are to the airport. Freeways turn into parking lots during peak hour, and even outside peak hour some freeways are just always slow (eg the 405, which is one you'll go on to get from Santa Monica to LAX).

 

[Antoallison]

Quickstatus - I was planning that I would be flying into LA from Seattle at the end of a vacation, to maybe spend 2 to 3 nights to see around/shop in LA, then fly out home LAX to SYD on one of those late night flights... maybe on Saturday 11th September.

I will try and find the post of the AFF member who missed his flight though.

I understand to allow plenty of time to (a) get to the airport and (b) factor in 3 hours max TSA, and check in once there. Thanks