A Burbank native and top realtor (818-237-5687) shares her expert tips!
Los Angeles is the big winner for gridlock in the WORLD! According to INRIX, a company that specializes in car services and transportation analytics, LA beat out 1,361 cities in 38 countries for the win. Woo Hoo for us, right? Probably not. Us LA drivers spent 102 hours in traffic during peak hours in 2017, compared to motorists in New York City who spent 91 hours during peak gridlock. According to INRIX’s 11th annual report, Los Angeles was ranked No. 1 for gridlock, followed by Moscow and New York.
Before this report, I was pretty sick and tired of traffic and looking for alternatives. My youngest son is attending school in Chicago and over the past three years we have had to make quite a few trips to and from LAX. Even with a transponder/Fasttrack device, it is still very stressful to navigate that drive – and the constant construction at LAX makes it even worse. I began looking for alternative ways to get to LAX. I will say that the City of Los Angeles, Metrolink, Amtrack and bus lines do not make it very easy to figure out, quickly, how to get around the city. Which is a big reason people haven’t embraced public transportation. However, once you have a few experiences with the process, you can figure it out easier.
I decided to figure out how to take public transportation to LAX. My criteria was that it couldn’t take longer than one hour in rush hour traffic, it had to make my commute less stressful, I needed to be able to take a large bag and carry on easily and it needed to be cost effective. Uber/Lyft and limo’s have cost us between $75 – $100 one way. Parking at LAX has become expensive if you want to park closer to the airport and if not, add more time to your commute because you are at the mercy of a shuttle service. Not my idea of fun.
Let’s work with Metrolink first – so all the trains heading south bound (Palmdale to Los Angeles) go directly to Union Station in Los Angeles. These trains pass through and stop at the Burbank Downtown Station and the Glendale Station. Trains pass every 15 to 20 minutes from 5:25 am to about noon going south. The cost to ride the train one way to Union Station from the Burbank Downtown Station is $3.75. Once you arrive at Union Station, you disembark and walk about the length of a football field to the Fly-Away bus terminal.
Once you are at the Fly-Away bus terminal, you can purchase a ticket (either on your phone through an app you download here: https://www.metrolinktrains.com) or in person. The ticket cost is $9.75 for adults one way. Children under 5 are free with an adult ticket purchase. Fly-Away busses at Union Station to LAX leave about every half hour from 7:00 am throughout the day. The bus driver of the Fly-Away bus asks you what airline you are flying, takes your luggage and loads it into the storage compartment of the bus by terminal. When you arrive at your airline, the bus pulls over and off loads your luggage and you roll it to the Skycap or whatever you normally do to check in for your flight. Your total cost to take the Metrolink and Fly-Away one way is $13.50!
If you are unable to coordinate a Metrolink train and your flight – you can use the Fly-Away located in Van Nuys as well. You would have to drive and park your car in the secured parking lot for $4.00 per day or get a ride to Van Nuys. The Van Nuys Fly-Away leaves every 15 minutes from about 7:00 am throughout the day. The ride is about 35 minutes to 45 minutes with traffic!
We have taken both Fly-Away’s – Van Nuys and Union Station and think it is the best kept secret in Los Angeles! Try it sometime, I am pretty sure you will like it!
Gigi Santoro is a Southern California realtor and Burbank native – so she really knows her way around the Los Angeles area! If you’re looking for Glendale area properties for sale, Gigi can help you find just what you’re looking for. She understands the area and the SoCal real estate market inside and out. Get in touch with Gigi Santoro and benefit from her real estate expertise!