Flyaway Gets a Little Pricier for 2009
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Downtowners who traveled over the holidays may have gotten a little surprise on their return. On January 1, the one-way price for a ride on the FlyAway bus between Union Station and LAX went up 50%, to $6.
Service on the Van Nuys FlyAway saw a similar jump to $6 per trip, while the Westwood bus rose to only $5.
The FlyAway provides service from Union Station's Gateway Transit Center to all of the terminals at LAX, offering an easy way to get from Downtown to the airport. Buses run 24 hours a day, with service roughly every half-hour from 5am to 1am, with hourly service at 2am, 3am and 4am.
Love the Flyaway on January 04, 2009, at 09:18AM – #1
The Flyaway remains to be a fantastic deal, getting you to LAX without the stress of driving. I've taken it many times and I love it.
g on January 04, 2009, at 04:21PM – #2
The Flyaway certainly wasn't running ever 1/2 hour back on December 29th!
From 10:50 until 11:45, no buses to Union Station even came by. 5 Van Nuys and 4 Westwood buses did, however.
Not good, as I missed the last Red line train out of U.S. back to downtown >_<
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on January 04, 2009, at 06:17PM – #3
That wait for the bus at Union Station is certainly no fun. My wife and I walked out the baggage claim door on Friday night just in time to see a bus pulling away, and then waited a little over a half hour for the next one. Once on the bus, it took nearly 20 minutes to get from terminal 4 to the airport exit, and we ended up arriving at Union Station 3 or 4 minutes before the next bus pulled in.
But all that said, it's still the handiest way to get to and from the airport. If you end up needing to grab a cab from Union Station, it's a whole lot cheaper than one from the airport.
rob on January 04, 2009, at 08:39PM – #4
i have yet to ride it, but i can imagine its still many more times cheaper than taking a cab.
Tornadoes28 on January 05, 2009, at 08:52AM – #5
It's still worth it.
name on January 05, 2009, at 01:39PM – #6
We're LUCKY to have the Flyaway compared to most other cities and what they have to offer from their airport to downtown.
Ankur on January 05, 2009, at 04:09PM – #7
Still a good deal! Its always been on time for me!
JFA on January 05, 2009, at 06:26PM – #8
It is a great deal, however, I prefer taking the Greenline to the Blue line (for downtowners) on the way BACK from the airport so I do not have to wait on it going through the terminals, and potentially sit in traffic (if at rush hour). (This takes min. 45 mins and saves a little money) I like taking it TO the airport because it is always on a predictable time to leave.
Bert Green on January 05, 2009, at 07:41PM – #9
I take the FlyAway a least 2-3 times a month, and have done so since it first started. Every time I go to or from the airport it runs exactly on time, leaving every half hour on the half hour from terminal 1 and from Union Station. I've never had to wait more than a few minutes past the scheduled time.
At the airport, it's always amusing to watch the Van Nuys passengers panic when the bus pulls up.
JM on January 05, 2009, at 08:56PM – #10
Great service. Use it all the time. Always on time at Union Station. More difficult to time at LAX. Hopefully they'll iron out any wrinkles gradually.
Brian on January 06, 2009, at 02:02PM – #11
Same sort of experience Eric ... Took FlyAway from Union to LAX back in late November for the first time. You can't beat the price and convenience of it. The trip from Union to LAX was alright but getting back from LAX was somewhat of a pain. Missed the bus walking out of Terminal 7 (I think it was) and waited nearly 45 minutes for the next bus to arrive.
I'm sure they don't know how many people they will pick up at each terminal and because of that the time it takes to get another bus at any given baggage claim could be more than 30 minutes.