7 Hour Layover at LAX
 

The gf and myself are going on vacation in a couple weeks and we have a 7 hour afternoon layover at LAX.. Neither have us been there before and I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations on how we can waste our time? We are taking a domestic flight so at least we won't have to worry about international customs but do we actually have enough time to leave the airport?

get drunk at one of the many bars or restaurants and bang in the handi-capp stall in the bathroom

If you do leave lax, make sure you return with enough time to get through TSA.

More than enough time.

United Terminal 7 and 8 is boring and ugly as hell. Depending on where your gates are, it can be a long walk too.

I would suggest to rent a car for the day and make sure you leave AT LEAST 2 hours from the time you return the car.

Some easy and non-rushed itineraries:
- Santa Monica Beach & Pier / Third Street Promenade
- Check out Rodeo Drive if you've never been before
- Grab lunch at the Grand Central Market in Downtown LA

With the traffic and the amount of time you have in between each, you'll be good. You can probably even skip Rodeo Drive. Pro-tip: Rush hours begins at 3:30pm. Avoid going east bound at all costs.

When going to the airport and car rental returns during rush hour, do not take the 405 freeway southbound. It's a gridlock. Instead, take Sepulveda (major street) which runs adjacent to the 405 and till get you to the airport in no time. Hope that helps! :)

In n Out Burger.

Last time I flew into LAX and then took a domestic flight, I was assured that because I was taking the same airline that I wouldn't have to leave the terminal as in the States, airlines rent/operate whole terminals.

However, because I was flying international coming in, I had to retrieve my bags and then take the train to the domestic terminal, going back through security and finding my new gate. If it wasn't for the kind TSA agent that let me cut the line and save an hour, I would have missed my flight.

I would say give yourself a lot of time to get to your next flight.

YMMV

I'm flying from YVR to LAX by Air Canada and then after my layover I'm flying United. I heard it takes for ever to get through custom's so I'm very worried how long it will actually take us if I decide to leave the airport.

Well, you will clear American Customs in Canada, so that shouldn't be a worry. It's the regular TSA security traffic at LAX that is the botch to deal with.

This will help you:

Air Canada is in Terminal 2 and they've snazzed it up quite a bit. Nicer facilities, washrooms, and restaurants. It isn't as awful as it used to be.

United is literally on the opposite side of Air Canada. United occupies both Terminals 7 and 8.

When you arrive at Terminal 2, go downstairs to the baggage claim (your baggage will be transferred for you) so go outside to the shuttle buses. You want to take Shuttle Bus "A" as that is the free LAX inter-terminal transfer bus. That or you can take the shuttle bus to the car rental place of your choice and go out to enjoy your 7 hours in LA.

You "could" walk to the other terminal but it kind of sucks and you can easily get lost. Clearing the security lines at United Terminal 7 and 8 is ghetto as fuck so yes, I suggest leaving at least 1.5 hours to be on the safe side. If you're lucky, they will have 2 lines open. It's some third-world shit they operate over there. :facepalm:

when i went to LA last year customs at LAX didn't take very long at all, all lines were open and i got through fairly quickly. this was also during peak summer travel season. i honestly wouldn't bother venturing too far away from the airport, dont bother to try and go to beverly hills etc. grab an uber from the airport and go to the in n out thats right by the airport, then maybe head over to venice beach for a couple of hours. a car rental may end up being a little extra of a hassle because you're there for such a short time..

Thanks for the advice everyone, so it looks like we will be leaving the airport and hitting up in n out burger then taking a cab to Santa Moncia and checking it out for a couple hours before heading back to catch our flight to nola

United Airlines. Never again :denied:

Free flight using aeroplan points, kinda forced to go United.

murd0c,

I mentioned this already, but want to make sure you don't get screwed by the cabbies.

On the way back to the airport from Santa Monica, if it's anywhere after 3pm, don't let the cab driver take you down the 405. Your cab fare will sky rocket.

He should be taking Lincoln Boulevard or Sepulveda all the way to LAX.

customs isnt that long. as a matter of fact, i think getting through customs/security in lax is faster than YVR.

last time i flew from yvr -> LAX and return, half the airport was gutted because of renos.

Beware, bring ipad or music .

UBER!!!!!

you think I should stay away from Santa Monica to save the hassle because it will more then likely be after 3pm

I've never used Uber before

What's so bad about them?

download app, enter in all your info including cc info and thats it. then when you get there just look for the closest uber driver within the app. you'll be at LAX so theres going to be a few there already. its so easy to use.

I don't think Uber is allowed to pick passengers up at LAX anymore. The laws keep on changing, so I don't know the situation anymore (it's out of control.) Make sure you do your research before taking Uber. Pidish seems very insistent on you using it, so your mileage may vary. You could take the car rental shuttles and have the Uber pick you up there, but I'll leave that for you to decide. It isn't something I would do on a personal basis.

murd0c - It's your call, really. 7 hours is a lot of time to kill, but it flies once you're in LA traffic especially if you know it will be well over 3pm when you land in LA. In which case, I would pass on it.

If you really want to stay in the vicinity, I would at most go out for an In & Out Burger on Sepulveda which isn't far from the airport, however, I do not suggest walking there. Not going to Santa Monica isn't the end of the world, so it's best you make the judgement call.

Terminal 2 at LAX was gutted, but I can fully assure you that it's fully renovated, so you have a few restaurants to eat at or there are airline lounges upstairs (if you're allowed to buy in.)

Terminal 7 and 8 for United - You don't go through customs because you're already in the US; you go through a security check point. It's a real fucking gong show there and they operate at capacity with only 2 lines for regular folk, and 1 for TSA Pre-check qualified travelers. It can take forever because that terminal is huge and only serves United. Have you ever played "Snake" on an old Nokia phone? Yeah, that's what it's like when the line ups for the security check point are like when they're at capacity.

If your flight back home is on Air Canada at Terminal 2, security check point is relatively fast. I'm in LA very often so I know the city very well and how LAX operates. In fact, I was just there over the weekend. Hope that helps.

Since you'd be in LAX, take Uber. There should be a few $25 coupons to use if you are new user. Some taxi drivers in LAX are the worst.

I go to LAX every month or so. And I've always taken Uber when my wife can't drop me off at airport.

Sadly my flight back is through Houston and then through Calgary

Thanks again for the advice that everyone gave, ended up taking a cab to Santa Monica walked around a couple hours and hit In and Out on the way back and now i'm just waiting for my light to NOLA. I just finished In and Out as I'm typing this hahahaha

Bumping this up
Is the Car Rental facilities far away from LAX ?

We, mewife&kid, are traveling with WestJet for a 4 days vacations in LA (Disneyland).

going to rent a car with Alamo
planning:
- Santa Monica Beach
- Rodeo Drive / Beverly Hills

Anymore sightseeing for LA area ?

BU