Vacations Blog

Check your attitude at the gate. Courtesy of Stock Xchng.

Even though there are an expected 14% less people traveling through LAX this holiday season, there will still be up to 2.35 million people doing it.  Um, that’s a lot of carry-on baggage, not to mention wait times in the security lines.

If you are flying in or out of Los Angeles over the next two weeks, pay attention to peak travel times and days:

• Friday December 19
• Monday December 22
• Friday December 26
• Friday January 2

For flight times from 6AM to 9AM, 11AM to 2PM, or 7PM to 9PM, the airport recommends that you arrive TWO HOURS before takeoff to allow time for security checks etc.  Also, the crazy weather hitting many parts of the country are causing delays, so make sure you check ahead.  There’s a cool delay ticker on the right sidebar of LAX’s website, but you can also call your airline  to be sure.

Encounter Restaurant, courtesy of IFlyLAX.com

There are a few ways to make your adventure at LAX a little bit more excellent.  Instead of taking a half hour to circle the airport 20 times waiting for your guests to emerge from baggage claim, wait at the Cell Phone Lot located at 9011 Airport Blvd.  It’s well-lit, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and offers a safe place to wait in your car texting your friends while NOT burning extra fuel.  (Personally, I enjoy waiting at Encounter, the space-age-looking bar at the center of the airport complex.)

Going somewhere?  Avoid the hassle of parking by using the LAX Flyaway bus system, with terminals in Van Nuys, Westwood, and at Union Station.  Parking at those stations is cheaper, and you get a hassle free ride to the terminal.  You can even check in bags at the station.  Word to the wise:  if you arrive at the airport’s higher numbered terminals, those Flyaway buses are filled by the time they get to you and you’ll be waiting longer.  If you can, hike down to a lower numbered terminal to avoid missing the ride.

Baby's first plane ride, by Kathleen Tracy

If you’re traveling with young children, first of all, I feel your pain, having done it too many times already.  Be mindful of security guidelines about bringing liquids on a plane (only baby formula and milk are allowed).  And just in time for the holiday travel season, the TSA recently announced the opening of special security lanes for families to make the pressure of unbuckling the kid from the stroller, removing his jacket/shoes/hat, putting the stroller on the conveyor belt, putting all your bags/sippy cups/teddy bears on the conveyor belt, passing through X-ray, and reversing all the previous steps a little easier.

Oh, and another little tip:  snow globes count as items containing liquid.  Don’t carry them on.