Flying to Hawaii out of SAT. Family of 4 with boys aged 11 and 5. We have a 6 hour layover at LAX. Is it worth trying to leave the airport and do something and if so, what is reasonably close that we could do? I don't travel much and never fly so I am completely lost on all of this.

I agree with Wes, I've always had traffic issues coming or going to LAX, no matter the time of day. For example, in October 2010 we landed there pretty late on a Friday night. Our friend picked us up and we headed to his house just off the 101 on the other side of the Hollywood Hills. The 405, after 11:30PM on a Friday night, was stacked in both directions. It took us well over an hour to go 20 miles. There was no sign of an accident or stalled car or anything else, just heavy traffic.

I wouldn't. If you decide to anyway, Manhattan Beach is close and pretty cool to see the airplanes taking off over the beach. There's an In-and-Out Burger next to the airport that is popular for aviation people because it's just before the runway so planes fly right over it on their way to land too.

That said, like Wes2006Ag said, the traffic within LAX can sometimes be its own monster.

I'd recommend going over to Manhattan Beach. Just 4-5 miles away. Grab a bite to eat, dip your toes in the ocean, teach your boys how to scope some California girls, then head back.

If all goes well, I'd say you could spend a couple of hours in Manhattan Beach. Land at 12 PM, be in Uber by 12:30, in Manhattan Beach by 1PM. I'd say by 3PM grab the Uber back and to be at LAX by 4PM for a 6PM departure.

When I was in LA in May the had set up something called LAXit which meant that all ride share picked up outside the actual airport in front of Terminal 1. It will greatly depend on which terminal you fly into as to how long it takes to get out of LAX. The ride share will still drop off at all the terminals though.

https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/sites/default/files/2024-03/LAXit-doc.pdf

Also note there is no place to store luggage so if you have any carry-on luggage you would need to bring it with you.

AustinScubaAg said:

---

Also note there is no place to store luggage so if you have any carry-on luggage you would need to bring it with you.

---

Another thing to consider is your airline. If for instance you are on an Americian eagle flight the use a remote terminal and you have to take a shuttle bus to get to the main terminal to exit. that adds even more time.

I am a leave the airport guy whenever possible. But LAX totally sucks as many have already said…walking between terminals and traffic are tragically bad. If your bags are checked all the way through and you have no carryons then I would try for Manhattan beach. If you are running behind schedule then just call an audible and head back to the airport early.

You've got time for a nice walking tour of Inglewood with a quick stop at Roscoe's

Venice Beach and Santa Monica are right next to LAX. Just walking down Venice beach is neat and there are a ton of places to eat around there. 6 hours is plenty of time to get out and back.

Airports make for great people watching.

I'd leave LAX, but my brother in law lives a couple miles from there, so I'd just go hang out with him and have a couple beers in El Segundo or something. He typically knows a couple ways to get in/out of lax without too much issue. That said, if it wasn't for that, no way I'd leave the airport and risk missing my flight to hawaii.

It once took me over an hour to get from Terminal 1 to the hotel just outside the airport. It would have been faster to walk it (which I have since seen people do). The good news was that it was the first terminal as we entered the airport.

I've been through LAX 60+ times in the last three years. It's a pain in the rear to get in and out of. If you want to leave and Uber, you have to take a bus, or pay 2-3 times for a Black Uber. You can rent a car, but you still have to take a bus. You will probable spend $200-$300 on Uber Blacks to get out of and back to the airport. The only place you would probably enjoy going to is Manhattan Beach and there are some nice places but nothing special. If you hit the return at the wrong time, you could be waiting 30+ minutes to get back into the horseshoe for the airport. That would eat up much of your free time as it is and there is not planning for it.

I'd just go to Tom Bradley and find a place to eat (nowhere is cheap) and relax for the time you have. If you were overnighting, I'd say go to the Westin, use the free Westin Bus and play Indoor TopGolf or rent a car from the Westin and enjoy the city.

With delays, that layover will be closer to 4 hours. Find a lounge you like and get out of gen pop.

Also, with the partial govt. shutdown, the TSA workers are not getting paid. No clue how many will show up for work, or how efficiently those that do will be working.

EMY92 said:

---

Also, with the partial govt. shutdown, the TSA workers are not getting paid. No clue how many will show up for work, or how efficiently those that do will be working.

---

This is the answer. And with any delay on arrival you will only have 2-3 hours out of the airport. I would think hard before leaving.

EMY92 said:

---

Also, with the partial govt. shutdown, the TSA workers are not getting paid. No clue how many will show up for work, or how efficiently those that do will be working.

---

OP didn't say when they were traveling so there may not even be a shutdown at the time.

Not to hijack the thread but after reading the posts, how does LAX handle the summer Olympics in a couple of years?

They are the fifth busiest airport in the country, and second busiest for international travelers. I think they'll be fine.

Plus there are Long Beach, Burbank and John Wayne airports around the city.

trestamu said:

---

Not to hijack the thread but after reading the posts, how does LAX handle the summer Olympics in a couple of years?

---

Take it to the Politics Board - LOL

Just this afternoon, a friend of mine from Hong Kong was heading from Austin to Melbourne and asked me what to do during his 7 hour layover at LAX.

Here's what I told him:

I can recommend a great Korean BBQ place called Gangnam Station in Koreatown.

Or, if you like Rock and Roll, "The Rainbow" on Sunset Strip has great pizza and a lot of history.

Most Australians enjoy going to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

If you want a burger, there's "In N Out", or Fatburger, or "The Habit" all near LAX.

I used to have lots of long layovers to kill at LAX on the way back home to Sydney.

I haven't been to LAX since August and yes the traffic has gotten a lot worse but, here's my general advice:

It's going to take 1 hour from the time you land to get into an Uber and out of the airport.

It's going to take you 1 hour to get where you're going.

It's going to take 1 hour to get back to the airport and you need to be there at least 90 minutes early these days. Maybe more.

So that gives you 90 minutes to do something with your family.

Rainbow on Sunset, Koreatown, Hollywood sign, In N Out, or Santa Monica. Take your pick.

Some of it depends on the ages of the kids.

I've done Manhattan beach on shorter layovers. I would t expect much of an issue. We were cruise out of Long Beach we get off the boat around 9:30. Hit the beach for an hour or 2 then LAX for early afternoon flight.