8 Hours in LAX, help please!
 

Hi all,

My partner and I are flying to Hawaii from the UK. We stop in LAX, arriving at 00:45 on the 28th Dec. Our flight out to Maui is not until 07:45.

My feeling is that there's gonna be next-to-nothing to do for these 7 hours or so. We're travelling with United Airlines, so I tried to look for an airport lounge which we could pay to get into - this would surely make our lay-over more comfortable, no?! But no. Not only can I not find a UA airline lounge, but most lounges seem to close at midnight.

Can anyone recommend or have any info on how we can spend our time? Are the shops/food outlets even open at that time of the day???

Thank you for any help from anyone!

Josh.

Here is a recent thread about what to do on an 8 hour layover at LAX, which may help.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ight-hours.cfm

You want to get <b>a hotel</b> for the night. Why spend all the time and money to get to Maui from the UK but arriving like a zombie.

I would definitely get a hotel and get some sleep.

At that hour there is virtually nothing open until about 6 a.m. As rkkwan said...get a hotel room and grab a few hours sleep. Lots of choices with shuttles to/from LAX.

#1, you don't have an 8 hour layover. You may be clear of customs at about 2am. And you'll need to check in at about 6:30-6:45 am. (And if you go off site to a hotel, you'll need to leave at about 6 am). Many breakfast places open at 4:30 to 5 am. So if you are thru customs at 2 am you'll have about 2 - 3hrs before something opens. The seats are not designed for stretching out, but I don't know if I'd leave for just a few hours.

Thanks for replies guys!

My concern about the hotel:

Land @ 00:45
Out of the airport, say, approx. 01:30.
Get to hotel @ 02:00
Check in for flight to Maui (flight leaves 08:45) @ 06:45

Approx 6hrs sleep in the hotel. Do you think it's worth it?

mlgb: that's pretty much what I was going for in my head.

I think it's worth it but I am not one to sit around an empty airport in the middle of the night. When you arrive the shuttle from the airport to the closest hotel should take about 10 minutes at the most. Do you really need to check in 2 hours in advance to a flight to Hawaii? The only time I've done that is on international flights. I would think checking in 1 1/2 hours would be fine.

Even if you didn't sleep alot, you'd be able to shower and rest. I think you'll feel alot better when you arrive in Hawaii if you do that.

I'd also opt for a hotel room if only for the shower.

Or, below is a link to a restaurant in nearby Manhattan Beach that's open 24 hours. A cab would probably run about $15 each way.

http://www.thekettle.net/

When you finally exit from customs to the curb (could take as much as an hour, hard to predict) you'll wait maybe 15-20 minutes for a shuttle ( and how often do the hotel shuttles run at 2 am?) THEN maybe 10 minutes, then you get to check in, so it could be 2:30-3 am by the time your head hits the pillow. And you need to check out in the morning, wait for a shuttle back, etc, so you do need to leave the hotel 2 hours before the flight. So it's really more like 3 or 4 hours sleep... if you do sleep. But its quite possible that you can find a hotel for not much money at all especially if you can use Priceline or Hotline. Still hard to say if it's worthwhile, I'm assuming with a 10 hour flight you'll have time to sleep on the way in.

mlgb-You're right about the shuttles not running that often at 2am. I'd probably just grab a cab and it should only be $5-$6 or so. You can get the Crowne Plaza or other similar hotels through Priceline for around $40/50.

The problem with going to somewhere outside the airport that isn't a hotel is you'll have to take your luggage with you. Not something I'd like to do unless all I had was a small carry-on.

I don't think you can even get out of the airport for $5...More like $20 just to go the mile or two.

$2.85 flag drop (first 1/9th mile).
$0.30 for each additional 1/9th mile ($2.70 per mile).
$0.30 for each 37 seconds waiting/delay ($29.19 per hour).
$$2.50 surcharge for all trips originating at LAX.
$15.00 minimum fare for trips originating at LAX (In addition to the $2.50 surcharge).

I would guess hotel shuttles will be running 2 or 3 times an hour that late at night...nothing like sitting on the curb waiting waiting waiting...

There is a United "Red Carpet Lounge" in T7 but it will be closed. The Starbucks/McD's in T7 will be open before the lounge is (at 4:30 am).

mlgb-Since I can go to 7 miles to my daughter's house in Redondo for $25, I didn't think it would be much to go right down the road to a hotel. I went to taxifare finder and it said it would be $10.71 to the Crowne Plaza (or a similiar hotel).

Do they mention the $15 surcharge? My info above is from the official City of LA taxi website. So I also have no personal experience taking a taxi two miles for $20!

Could the OP just take a hotel shuttle (free) and go and sit in the hotel lounge area for a couple of hours?

There's a whole bunch of big hotels right on Century Boulevard - Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton, Crowne Plaza, and the Hyatt is now a Radisson.

With luck one or another will have a coffee shop that's open all night.

Just a thought.

I don't think a hotel is worth it. You'd have such a short amount of time, you probably would not be able to settle down and sleep. Too much stress, too little time. . .

If you feel you have to leave LAX, and you only have your carry-on luggage (other bags are probably checked through to Hawaii, right?) the idea of taking a cab to the nearest beach town is a good one.

Just make sure you have the cab ordered to pick you up again, because there aren't a lot of cabs just hanging around L.A. to be flagged down.

We've actually been to the Kettle in Manhattan Beach, and it might be a great stop, especially since not much will be open during the hours you're there.

mlgb-No mention of the surcharge so I don't know.

Some interesting points - thanks. Think I may book into the Travelodge. It's $60 for the night for the 2 of us which we don't mind paying for. They have a free shuttle. 24-hr, and a 24hr Denny's apparently.

Yeah (Peaceout), we shouldn't have our big bags with us so it wouldn't be a hassle getting to the hotel.

If you decide to get a hotel, use Priceline or Hotwire. WIth Priceline, about $50+tax will get a 4*. If you can't use Priceline because you're from the UK, use Hotwire. I punched in 12/27 for LAX, and they have 4* for $56+tax ($70.73 total). They will give you the Sheraton or Westin (or similar). Definitely with 24hr shuttle.

Oh, Josh, it's sad to think of you visiting L.A. and staying in a Travelodge with a Denny's! Two very middle of the road places. You sure you need to sleep before that long flight? Don't want to go to Manhattan Beach or elsewhere that has charm?

I really think for the short time you have, I would stay at one of the airport hotels.

Luggage is never checked straight thru to Hawaii from the UK. It always has to be collected at first point of entry in the US and then rechecked. Even when it is a connecting flight. I would suggest a hotel even for a few hours. It is such a long journey - we have done it a few times and find that getting to LAX is OK but the wait for the next flight, even if only couple hours, is a killer.

Last time we split the journey and stayed overnight at La Quinta Hotel and flew next day which made the journey much more bearable.

PeaceOut, I love my town, but the charm of Manhattan Beach would be hard for the OP to appreciate between the hours of 1:00 and 6:00 a.m. But I agree about the Travelodge and Denny's. Blech. I'd spend more and stay somewhere nicer, even the Hacienda Hotel which has 24-hour dining. I would have said the Custom Hotel in the other direction, except they don't offer shuttle services between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. or 24-hour dining.

I don't believe there are any direct flights from the UK that would arrive at 00:45am. So perhaps it's a connection eg via IAD which arrives at 00:58? In which case customs/immigration is already cleared before reaching LAX.