Extended travel weekend will see the most passengers since pre-pandemic,
Second cell phone waiting lot opens to help with increased vehicle traffic

(Los Angeles) Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) could exceed 218,000 daily passengers during peak travel days around the Memorial Day holiday weekend – making the days between Thursday, May 25 through Monday May, 29 the highest for passenger volume the airport has seen since early 2020. To help alleviate increased traffic around the Central Terminal Area (CTA) a second cell phone waiting lot will open for guests to wait until their passengers are ready to be picked-up.

“Memorial Day weekend is just the start of what will be a very busy summer travel season at LAX where we expect passenger traffic to reach the highest levels we have seen in the past several years,” said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). “In order to make the travel journey more enjoyable, passengers should arrive early, take advantage of our award-winning smart parking system to pre-book a parking space, and order food and beverage ahead of time for pickup or delivery to the gate.”

The busiest day of the Memorial Day travel period is expected to be Thursday, May 26, which could exceed 218,000 passengers and become the busiest day the airport has seen since March 2020. The other peak days will be Friday, May 26 with an estimated 214,000 passengers and Monday, May 29 with 205,000 passengers. The travel period from Wednesday May, 24 through Monday, May 29 is expected to draw more than 1.2 million passengers to the airport. These passenger volumes represent about 86% of the passenger volume compared to March 2019, which was a record-setting year at the airport.

Vehicle traffic in the CTA also is expected to continue increasing during the travel period with more than 90,000 vehicles expected daily on peak travel days May 25-26. With heavy traffic around the airport and parking garages nearing full capacity, guests are highly encouraged to reserve a parking space online ahead of time at Parking.FLYLAX.com, which allows guests to book a space in the LAX Economy Parking facility, as well as the Central Terminal Area garages. Pre-booking is the only way travelers will have a guaranteed space at the airport.

A secondary cell phone waiting lot will also open on Wednesday, May 24 ahead of the holiday travel period. The lot is located at 96th Street and Alverstone Avenue, and provides a space for family and friends to wait in their vehicles until passengers are ready to be picked-up from the terminal curb. This will help reduce traffic volume around the Central Terminal Area. The other cell phone waiting Lot will remain open and is located at 96th Street and Vicksburg Avenue.

Travelers also are asked to consider using alternative transportation including the LAX FlyAway, or get dropped off at the LAX Economy Parking Facility and use the free terminal shuttle there. LAX Economy Parking offers a 24-hour, frequent and free shuttle service from the facility to the terminals, and uses a dedicated lane within the Central Terminal Area to provide the fastest service possible.

Passengers traveling with United Airlines may also participate in the LAX Fast Lane program, which allows travelers using Terminals 7 and 8 to reserve a 15-minute window at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening areas for the fastest service using a dedicated lane, at no cost.

Key Tips for Success

• Check in online with your airline before you leave for the airport. This prevents the need to interact with a check-in kiosk. If you are traveling without checked luggage, you can skip the ticket counters entirely.
• Check parking options ahead of time. Real-time parking availability at LAX facilities is available here. Parking structures could fill up at any time, so be aware of off-airport private lots as alternatives.
• Pre-book parking ahead of time. Visit parking.flylax.com for the best rates and to plan your parking ahead of time. Parking options may include discounts from the drive-up rates, depending on availability and demand.
• Parking and traffic updates are available 24/7 via the automated @FlyLAXstats Twitter feed.
• Picking someone up? Curbside pickup and drop-off is permitted on the Upper/Departures and Lower/Arrivals levels. All parking structures are free for the first 15 minutes.
• To help speed their journeys, travelers are encouraged to enroll in the Transportation Security Administration's Pre√® or other trusted-traveler programs, such as U.S. Customs & Border Protection's Global Entry, which improve security and reduce wait times.
• LAX Order Now: This program allows LAX guests to browse, order, pay for and pick up food from most of the airport's terminals using an online order system. The service is part of LAX's digital marketplace strategy to enhance the travel experience, by allowing guests to search, browse and order food and non-alcoholic beverages from any of the dozens of participating restaurants across the airport. Click here to view a video explaining the new LAX Order Now service.
• The myTSA app is a trusted source for all types of travel questions. It provides 24-hour access to the most frequently requested questions about traveling with foods of all types, especially timely during the holidays. It also features a searchable “Can I Bring” database where you can type in the name of an item and the app will let you know if you should pack it in your checked or carry-on bag. The app is available from the App Store or Google Play. Travelers can also tweet or message AskTSA to get answers to last-minute questions. Live assistance is available daily including weekends and holidays from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT.

Navigating Construction

• The public is reminded that LAX's multi-billion dollar modernization program continues. When coming to LAX, passengers should look for and follow wayfinding signage near all construction sites to ensure their safety and to enhance mobility. For more information, visit www.FlyLAX.com.
• LAX is under heavy construction within the Central Terminal Area, which means there will be additional road work and detours around certain areas. Be prepared to drive slowly and with caution around work zones.

Expedited Entry and Exit

• Guests flying out of Terminals 7-8 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 time window, they will receive a QR code that they will show 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.
• Global Entry is a paid membership CBP 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 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 successfully 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.

Catching a Ride

• 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 also 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."
• Two cell phone waiting lots are open to the public at the corner of Vicksburg Avenue and 96th Street, and Alverston Avenue and 96th Street. Motorists can park and wait for up to two hours, then drive to the CTA when their guests have arrived.
• Guests who are leaving LAX via taxi or ride app vehicles (Uber, Lyft, Opoli) can walk to the LAX-it lot at 9610 Sky Way, across from Terminal 1, or take one of the LAX-it shuttles from stops located on the Lower/Arrivals Level. At the LAX-it lot, guests will find taxis as well as ride app vehicles. In addition to LAX-it, taxis can also pick up passengers from the Terminal B Pick-Up Area within Parking Structure 3 and from the Lower/Arrivals level outside of the baggage claim area of Terminal 7. Taxi and ride app vehicles continue to drop off guests curbside on the Upper/Departures Level.

Getting Help

LAX guests can find help at a number of places throughout their journey, including without having to interact in-person with a guest experience member.

• By phone: Guests may call (855) 463-5252 for assistance during business hours, or email infoline@lawa.org to receive a response within one business day.
• Restroom feedback: By pointing their smartphone camera at one of the QR codes on new signs installed at all restrooms, airport guests can provide fast feedback about the restroom via a drop-down menu or open comment option. Guests 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.