For Immediate Release
Nov. 7, 2019
Contact:
LAX Public Relations
(424) 646-5260
Two days of 11 minute average shuttle rides
and less than 10 minute wait time for cars
(Los Angeles, CA) Yesterday morning, Los Angeles World Airports opened the expansion to LAX-it ahead of schedule, at about 2 a.m., providing additional capacity for taxis and ride app passengers and drivers. Throughout the day, wait times were minimal, with guests waiting on average 0-5 minutes for their taxi, Uber or Lyft ride. Traffic on surrounding streets has flowed smoothly throughout the day as well.
Tuesday marked the beginning of week two of LAX-it operations. During week one, LAWA worked with its taxi and ride app partners to implement a series of improvements to the operations. Thanks to these changes, over the past few days, guests of LAX-it experienced a quick and efficient shuttle trip and short wait times at LAX-it, usually less than 10 minutes across all modes.
By the Numbers
- On Tuesday, at the start of week two of operations, wait times for taxis, Ubers and Lyfts never exceeded 10 minutes, with the vast majority of the time under 5 minutes. Cars were available for guests throughout the day. Yesterday, wait time remained minimal throughout the day as well.
- The average LAX-it shuttle trip—from leaving LAX-it to picking up passengers, loading, and returning to LAX-it—is now consistently under 11 minutes.
- The LAX-it shuttle fleet expanded to 43; shuttles are deployed dynamically based on travel schedules and traffic.
- LAX-it has been expanded by 50%; construction of the new lot was undertaken and completed within three days, and the new lot opened ahead of schedule on the morning of Nov. 6.
- A dedicated route for Lyft vehicles was created to enter the new dedicated Lyft area of LAX-it, and an additional lane was added for Ubers and taxis to enter their area of LAX-it to improve the flow of traffic into the lot.
- LAX-it has resulted in a significant reduction in traffic within the Central Terminal Area (CTA), with a reduction on average of 17,338 vehicles per day.
LAX-it has significantly impacted the speed of traffic within the CTA, which is used by 85% of the people coming into LAX, including for taxi, Uber and Lyft drop-offs. Iin the first week, speeds on the upper level have increased by 13% and on the lower level by 2%. Outside of the airport, speeds have increased by 16% from Interstate 105 to LAX. Ongoing improvements will continue to see an increase in speed and a reduction in traffic.
LAX, the fourth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX. LAX served more than 87.5 million passengers in 2018 and offers an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 109 cities in the U.S. and 1,281 weekly nonstop flights to 93 markets in 47 countries on 69 commercial airlines. LAX ranks 10th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.4 million tons of air cargo. LAX handled 707,883 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2018.
LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.
LAX was honored as having the “Best Overall Customer Service Program” by Airports Council International-North America; named the “Best Airport for Breastfeeding Moms” by Mamava; selected for the Top 10 “Best of the U.S.’s Big Airports” (Wall Street Journal) and “Most Pet-Friendly Airports in the U.S. (Mental Floss); named the second-most improved airport in the U.S. by JD Power; received an “Innovation Award” from the L.A. Better Business Challenge for its Central Utility Plant; and named a “Business Leader in Air Quality” by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
LAX is also the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.
As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.
