How do I get to Los Angeles?

LAX sits 27 km southwest of Downtown LA, right where Sepulveda Boulevard meets the 405's perpetual crawl. The Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), renovated in 2013 for $1.9 billion, handles most long-haul arrivals. You'll step off the jet bridge into that particular LAX smell, recycled air and floor polish, with the low hum of moving walkways under fluorescent light. Eight other terminals line World Way. The free inter-terminal shuttle takes 15 minutes for a loop you could walk in 5. The Automated People Mover, a 3.7 km elevated train that opened in 2024, now links all terminals to a Metro K Line station and three parking structures. Before the APM, getting from LAX to the Metro meant a 20-minute shuttle ride that arrived whenever it felt like it. Over 88 million passengers moved through LAX in 2024, making it the third-busiest US airport after Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth.

Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), 20 km north of Downtown off the I-5, is the airport locals actually prefer. Southwest, JetBlue, and United fly domestic routes here, and the terminal is small enough that you walk from security to your gate in 4 minutes. If you're staying in Hollywood, Los Feliz, or Pasadena, BUR saves 45 minutes of freeway time compared to LAX. John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, 60 km south, handles 11 million passengers a year and works best if Anaheim or the coast is your base. Long Beach Airport (LGB), 35 km south, runs JetBlue and Southwest flights from a terminal so compact it feels like a bus station with palm trees. Ontario International (ONT), 60 km east in the Inland Empire, picks up overflow and is the fastest route to Palm Springs or Joshua Tree.

From New York's JFK, nonstop flights take 5 hours 30 minutes on Delta, JetBlue, American, and United at $200-450 round-trip. Six carriers compete on JFK-LAX alone, so fares drop below $180 in January and February. From London Heathrow, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and United fly nonstop in about 11 hours for £400-800 round-trip. From Tokyo Narita, ANA and JAL run 10-hour nonstops at ¥120,000-200,000 ($800-1,350). Sydney to LAX is a 14-hour haul on Qantas and United, typically AU$1,400-2,200. Worth noting, LAX receives direct service from all six inhabited continents. LATAM flies nonstop from Santiago in 12.5 hours, and Ethiopian Airlines connects through Addis Ababa from much of East Africa. Budget travelers from Europe should look at Condor and French Bee, which fly from Frankfurt and Paris-Orly for €350-650 round-trip.

Peak pricing hits from mid-June through August and again December 15 through January 5, when fares from the East Coast climb 40-60% above the annual average. The sweet spot is late January through early March. Temperatures sit around 18-22°C, skies stay clear, and round-trip fares from JFK hover near $200. LA's average January high still reaches 20°C, so there is no real off season and the discount window is narrow. If you're flying from Asia or Europe, booking 6-8 weeks ahead tends to land the best fare-to-seat balance. LAX's Terminal 1 (Southwest's home) and the Tom Bradley terminal can feel 30 minutes apart by shuttle, so give yourself a 3-hour layover minimum for international-to-domestic connections. Step outside to the arrivals curb and LA's dry heat at 25-30°C hits you immediately, carrying the faint smell of jet fuel and eucalyptus from the bluffs above Playa del Rey.

Amtrak's Coast Starlight rolls into Union Station from Seattle (35 hours, $97-200 one-way) and the Pacific Surfliner from San Diego takes 2 hours 45 minutes for $32-57. That San Diego run hugs the coast past Del Mar and San Clemente, with the smell of salt air drifting through the car when the doors open at Solana Beach. Greyhound and FlixBus connect Las Vegas to LA in 5-6 hours for $15-45, though the Mojave stretch is 3 hours of empty scrubland and truck stops. If you're driving, the I-10 from Phoenix is 6 hours, the I-5 from San Francisco is 6 hours depending on Grapevine traffic, and the I-15 from Las Vegas takes 4 hours through Barstow. The metro area stretches 120 km from Malibu to San Bernardino, so which freeway you arrive on determines which neighborhoods you hit first.