How To Get to LAX for Cheap: LAX FlyAway

— by Caroline on Crack

Flickr Shot by LilHils

Flickr Shot by LilHils

So as I was planning my trip to NYC my huge dilemma was figuring out how to get to LAX for less than $50. The last time I took a taxi from my place in West LA, the fare plus tip was about $60, and no I didn’t tip big. So no taxi for me this time.

I then looked into the possibility of taking a shuttle like PrimeTime or Super Shuttle but the reviews on Yelp weren’t just complaints but full-out rants about how much these services suck. And no one wants to take a sidetrip to Reseda to drop off other passengers when they just want to go straight home.

So it was good ol’ Parking Lot C for me: $10 a day. This was just fine except for the ubercrowded shuttle getting to the terminals. And when I returned to L.A. and waited for the bus in Terminal 6 for about 20 minutes. Fuhgeddaboudit! By the time the bus got to me after going through all the other terminals first, it was packed tightly with travelers and their luggage.

As I was wedged in between two smelly guys, this LAX FlyAway ad in the bus caught my eye. LAX FlyAway now has a Westwood stop, in addition to its Union Station and Van Nuys stops! Westwood service doesn’t start until June 14, but good to know for future travel. Service to and from the airport is $8.

Apparently, you can park in UCLA Parking Structure 32 (and Structure 36 beginning July 1) over the weekend from Friday at 3pm to Monday at 7am for $6 a day. Unfortunately you can’t park there any other days so maybe get dropped off.

FYI, the buses depart every 30 minutes from 5am to 1am so that does require some thinking ahead unlike for Parking Lot C where the buses depart every 15 minutes or so. However, tickets and baggage check-in are available in Structure 32 for $5 extra (I know, boo!!) to help move things along.

So if this service was in effect in time for my New York trip it would cost me about $26 for three days of parking and service to and from the airport. My parking total for Lot C? $36 and an hour and a half worth of headaches.