8 hour layover in LAX
Replies: 19 - Last Post: Jan 11, 2013 9:17 PM Last Post By: SuperSportsFan
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8 hour layover in LAX
Is it worth trying to leave LAX and do something in LA with my 8 hour layover? Is there anything worth doing in this time, or should I just wait it out? I hate waiting in airports (and LAX is one of the worse) and have never been to LA before, always just passed through.Thanks for any advice :)
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Get out of that miserable airport and, by all means, see something! You could easily see a numberof things in L.A. in eight hours--- the Hollywood "Walk of Fame" along with Grauman's Theater with all the
Movie Star's footprints, Pacific Ocean beaches, the La Brea Tar Pits, Movie Studios, Garment District
shopping in downtown LA------ eight hours is way to much of an opportunity to squandor it at LAX. The
arrival and departure time of your flights will determine how much you can see, but, whatever the details-
GET OUT THERE AND SEE SOMETHING!
5
If you have a visa to exit and re-enter
If you're allowed to, then get out for a few hours.
If you're allowed to, then get out for a few hours.
These are common misconceptions. Even if transiting the US, she will still need to go through immigration. And the airline can not force her to stay in the "sterile" area during a connection, she's free to leave as she pleases.
In my opinion, if this is during daytime, YES, you should leave the airport. What is your budget? A very cheap option that I did once is to go just outside the airport and take the public bus to nearby Venice or Santa Monica beach and hang out there for the day. In total I spent about $10 for the entire day and had a great time.
If you're willing to spend more money, and willing to drive, renting a car sounds like an interesting idea! Just be aware of the LA traffic...
Taking a taxi is another option, although might be the most expensive one.
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Go to Manhattan Beach, take a taxi (about $20 and 10-15 minutes south of the airport), watch the surfers and beach volleyball players, walk out on the pier, lots of cute shops and nice restaurants to eat at. I lived there for 19 years and it is a great town. Venice has gotten really gritty the last few years unless your idea of sight-seeing is marijuana paraphernalia shops and medical marijuana doctors offices.7
- Manhattan Beach would be closest. There is a bus or you can cab for about $20. Takes 15 mins.
- I would say that Venice is actually a lot more upscale now than 10 years ago. Lots of high end establishments and rent prices skyrocketed accordingly, especially anywhere close to Main Street.
- I would recommend heading to downtown Santa Monica. It will take about 25-30 mins to get there by cab and about $30 after tip. Or you can take Blue Bus #3 to Santa Monica's Promenade/downtown area in about 45 mins for 75 cents (you pick it up from parking lot B I believe, to which you take a free shuttle from the terminal). I would take a cab though to allow for more time to explore. You can easily rent a bike in Santa Monica and also explore Venice about 1.5 miles away. Check out the Main Street area specifically.
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You might actually have less than 8hrs if you arrived to LAX on an international flight. That's because you have to go through the immigration/passport control line, claim any checked items (even if they been checked through to your final destination) and another line for customs inspection. Customs usually will have someone there taking the blue declaration form (you got on the plane prior to landing) as people go out. But, you can also be re-directed to one of the inspection stations for them to actually inspect your stuff. That can be 1 or 2hrs depending on how many flights they have to process through. Than coming back you should also at least allow 2hrs to check in (especially if you're traveling on two separate tickets) and go through security screening. So worse case you may actually have 4hrs. So yes it's better to visit the places nearby such as Manahattan Beach, Venice Beach or Santa Monica as suggested in the above.9
especially if you're traveling on two separate tickets
If that's the case, she would also have to deal with luggage. If checkin for her next flight is already open, I'd advise checking in as soon as she lands. That way she'd get rid of her luggage and wouldn't have to arrive 2h before her next flight. If checkin is not yet open, I'm not sure there's any luggage storage at the airport. At least I didn't find any when I tried a while back -- I ended up leaving my luggage at a nearby hotel instead (for free).
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I don't see the point of allocating 2 hours to check back in. They'll already have a boarding pass. All they have to go is pass through security. 1 hour tops since it's best to be at the gate 30 mins prior to departure.Also, I don't know why people don't realize they can speak up whether it comes to immigration, customs or security lines. If you're at risk for missing your flight, tell an attendant and they'll have you skip the line. It has never failed me. No need to be a mute and stand in line if you're worried.
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I don't see the point of allocating 2 hours to check back in. They'll already have a boarding pass. All they have to go is pass through security. 1 hour tops since it's best to be at the gate 30 mins prior to departure.
That would only be if she does NOT have a boarding pass and has to check in again (in the unlikely case that she has two separate bookings). Otherwise, yeah 1h is more than enough.
Also, I don't know why people don't realize they can speak up whether it comes to immigration, customs or security lines. If you're at risk for missing your flight, tell an attendant and they'll have you skip the line. It has never failed me. No need to be a mute and stand in line if you're worried.
That works sometimes, not always. I once told the security line attendant I was about to miss my flight and her response was simply "well you should have gotten here earlier". I told her it's not my fault, my flight was delayed, and she said "nothing i can do about it, you have to ask other passengers if they'll let you go in front".
I once told an attendant at immigration I was concerned the line was moving too slowly and I'd miss my connection. He took a look at my boarding pass and said "you'll make it, you'll have to wait here like everyone else". I ended up missing that connection.
I usually just show people in front of me my boarding pass and ask to cut in line. Or simply cut straight to the front without asking, if the situation is dire enough.
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To clarify, you should be asking those who have a stake in you making the flight. I was in Myanmar last week for example, connecting from a flight from Bangkok. I asked the staff there and they directed me to an airline employee who made arrangements for me to skip the immigration lines. If you encounter someone who's having a bad day, find someone else. If you care enough, it's not too hard to figure it out as you pointed out. And most people in line are nice as well and will let you through if you ask nicely.13
Thanks for all of the helpful advice, given I wasn't too clear on my intentions in the original post! I will be on way from Sydney through to Anchorage, Alaska, in mid June. Flight arrives in LA at 10:30am and I depart at 6:45pm. I think I will give one of the nearby beaches a go......as I won't be encountering too many beaches on my holiday in Alaska!Cheers
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I think I will give one of the nearby beaches a goThey aren't the cleanest. I'd prefer to swim at Juhu in Mumbai than Venice or Santa Monica.
