Airport Survival Guide: 12 Tips To Get Through LAX Quickly & Easily

Navigating LAX can be challenging, but with the right strategies, you can get through quickly and easily. This Airport Survival Guide provides 12 essential tips to help streamline your experience, reduce stress, and ensure a smooth journey through one of the busiest airports in the world.

Are you traveling through LAX any time soon? Then, check out these tips.

With nine different terminals, parking located far-away and security lines that seem to stretch forever, LAX, or Los Angeles International Airport, can be a nightmare for many travelers.

LAX is the 6th busiest airport in the world. More than 74 million passengers a year travel through LAX, according to the City of Los Angeles. Moreover, the number of passengers just keeps increasing as well.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the number of passengers flying through LAX is projected to increase to 100 million travelers by the year 2040.

In spite of the increasing number of passengers at LAX, the airport has not changed much in 30 years. The aging infrastructure is not really designed to accommodate the number of passengers that fly through LAX. The airport is currently undergoing $14 billion renovations to address this problem and modernize the airport.

This is great for future flights, but for now, this means big crowds and big headaches for travelers.

Fortunately, there are some secret travel tips from LAX insiders that can help you breeze through the airport with ease.

Here are 12 of the best tips for travel through LAX.

 

#1 Plan to Arrive Really Early

Due to the ongoing construction at LAX, plan to arrive really early for your flight.

It is best to arrive at least 90 minutes for domestic flights and 120 minutes for international.

If you are traveling between 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM or 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM, plan to arrive 120 minutes early for both domestic and international flights.

 

#2 Pack the Right Way

Do not stuff your bag so full that you have to sit on it to get it closed. If TSA chooses to open your bag, you will waste a lot of time trying to get the zipper closed as a crowd of other passengers impatiently look on.

In addition, a bag that is stuffed full of things will make it difficult for X-ray scanners to see what is in it, likely causing more time to be wasted. So, make sure that you organize your bag really well.

Neatly fold and stack your items. Packing cubes are really helpful as they keep everything contained in your luggage and maximize packing space too.

Plus, you can keep your underwear and other intimates discreetly tucked into a packing cube. This is helpful if you are ever randomly selected for TSA inspection.

In addition, do not stack books on top of one another.

Rather, spread them out in your luggage to make it easier for x-ray scanning.

#3 Follow the 3-1-1 Rule

You are probably aware of the 3-1-1 rule unless you have not flown since 9/11. Regardless, it is easy to forget and deal with a hassle at the airport.

Basically, this rule states that all gels and liquids must be in containers of 3.4 ounces or less.

In addition, these containers must be in a single quart-size zip-loc bag.

The tricky thing is remembering that everything that is a gel must be packed in the quart bag. This includes snacks that many people carry on such as peanut butter, salsa and spreadable cheese.

To avoid having to throw out your stash of snacks, make sure that they will fit with your toiletries in the bag or consume them before you pass through security.

 

#4 Be Cautious about Packing These Things

Here are some things that might be surprised to learn often set off security scanners at the airport.

Avoid packing them if you must. If you have to pack them, then learn what to do about them.

 

Underwire Bras

Although the TSA says that this is not as issue, many women swear that the metal in their bras has triggered security.

Therefore, avoid wearing an underwire bra on your flight. Instead choose a more comfortable option, a sports-bra.

 

Inhalers

Many inhalers use an aerosol product. If you use an inhaler, inform an officer in advance that you are carrying one.

Make sure that it is properly labeled with the prescription information. This will help speed up things.

 

Headbands

The metal in headbands often triggers the scanner.

Send your headband through security on the x-ray belt to avoid triggering the scanner when you go through it.

 

#5 Skip the Hassle at LAX Altogether by Booking a Los Angeles Private Jet Charter

Want to avoid dealing with all of the issues above? Would you like to skip long security lines, pack as much luggage as you want and not worry about parking?

One secret is to book a Los Angeles private jet charter.

There are lots of myths surrounding private jets, such as that you have to be as rich as Bill Gates or Brad Pitt to afford one. Although that might have once been the case, it is simply no longer true.

Many private jet charter companies offer empty leg flights at serious discounts. These unused seats on private jets can cost up to 75 percent less than a typical private flight.

Sometimes, it can be cheaper to fly via private jet when you add up all of the extra fees that commercial airlines charge.

Here are some of the other benefits of private charter flights:

• They can often fly when other airlines have to cancel or delay flights because of weather- Private jets can land at a number of smaller, nearby airports and avoid weather issues at times.
• With a private flight, you will not be required to go through long TSA lines. Forget about emptying your pockets or taking off your shoes and coat. There are no body scanners or metal detectors. This means that instead of arriving 120 minutes early for your flight, you can arrive just minutes before.

These are just a few of the benefits of a Los Angeles private jet charter. There are many other advantages to traveling via a private jet.