How early to leave for LAX?

[irlandaise]

Oh interesting , because in two places it said that at first but then said all flights. Though the website isn't setup the best so my mistake !

Don't feel bad about that, Astylla. I got caught on the same bad wording on the LAX website a couple of weeks ago. They really should change the wording on that airline overview page. It isn't until you click through to the Southwest details that you can see they're only referring to international passengers. (Which I didn't even think that SW had, but I checked and they do have some flights to Mexico/Central America/Caribbean.)

 

[sophy1996]

MidWilShuttle has picked us up twice now at DLR area hotels at 5 am for an airport run. I’d check with them.

ETA: for LGB and SNA, not LAX. But at least they have folks that come early. As a previous poster reported, Lansky won’t book that early.

 

[Dr.Mrs.ScroogeMcDuck]

I tried to get Lansky for our upcoming trip, but they were sold out for our arrival day. We are now booked in a private shuttle/car with MidWilShuttle. They seemed to have good reviews. They suggest 45-60 minutes to get to LAX. As my DH gets travel anxiety, we are having them pick us up early at 3 1/2 hours prior to our flight. Also, their price was much cheaper than Lansky.

 

[RoseColored97]

LAX isn't that bad, especially going early. I would definitely leave a little earlier than that, but don't stress about it. I also recommend a taxi, we've had really great experiences. Another option is Primetime Shuttle.

 

[amydew51]

I tried to get Lansky for our upcoming trip, but they were sold out for our arrival day. We are now booked in a private shuttle/car with MidWilShuttle. They seemed to have good reviews. They suggest 45-60 minutes to get to LAX. As my DH gets travel anxiety, we are having them pick us up early at 3 1/2 hours prior to our flight. Also, their price was much cheaper than Lansky.

I sent them an email to get a quote

 

[amydew51]

Midwilshuttle is available and able to take us to the airport for 150 dollars!

Do you all recommend we try to use them instead of Uber or a taxi on the way to our hotel? From what I understand Uber is usually 70ish dollars but it will be 6 pm on a Saturday, I hear Uber is pretty easy at LAX

 

[Astylla]

Midwilshuttle is available and able to take us to the airport for 150 dollars!

Do you all recommend we try to use them instead of Uber or a taxi on the way to our hotel? From what I understand Uber is usually 70ish dollars but it will be 6 pm on a Saturday, I hear Uber is pretty easy at LAX

I'll be honest as I've flown in/ out LAX a few times the last six months and uber prices were never under $100 each way for a basic Uberx. when I searched and that was mostly on weekdays.

I'm not familiar with that shuttle company but if it fits better in your schedule might be best to have a secured reservation in place.
Hopefully others can chime in too !

 

[starlite_]

Midwilshuttle is available and able to take us to the airport for 150 dollars!

Do you all recommend we try to use them instead of Uber or a taxi on the way to our hotel? From what I understand Uber is usually 70ish dollars but it will be 6 pm on a Saturday, I hear Uber is pretty easy at LAX

What's better for you? Having a guaranteed transportation method at that horrible time in the morning or the slight chance that if you find a willing uber it will save you $40?

 

[twodogs]

What's better for you? Having a guaranteed transportation method at that horrible time in the morning or the slight chance that if you find a willing uber it will save you $40?

I think they are already committed to the shuttle for the early morning return; she is asking about using the shuttle on the way from LAX to DLR when they arrive. With that large of a party, with luggage, you will need an Uber XL or even two Ubers. I would personally do the shuttle, so you are sure you have a comfortable ride with enough space and it is all pre-arranged. If you are splitting the cost of the shuttle, the difference is price is nominal per person for the peace of mind (and if you had to take two Ubers for the number of people and luggage in your party, it would cost even more than the shuttle anyway).

 

[DLgal]

Midwilshuttle is available and able to take us to the airport for 150 dollars!

Do you all recommend we try to use them instead of Uber or a taxi on the way to our hotel? From what I understand Uber is usually 70ish dollars but it will be 6 pm on a Saturday, I hear Uber is pretty easy at LAX

Do the shuttle both ways. The Uber will NOT be $70 at 6pm on a Saturday.

 

[BrianL]

LAX isn't that bad, especially going early. I would definitely leave a little earlier than that, but don't stress about it. I also recommend a taxi, we've had really great experiences. Another option is Primetime Shuttle.

Yeah, I don't feel like it should be that bad. Traffic should be low that early, so it should be an easy ride. That said, when it comes to airports, especially busy ones like LAX, earlier just can't hurt. It's better to be two hours early than one minute late! I'd probably back it up just to be safe. You can sleep when you get home.

 

[amydew51]

Can

I think they are already committed to the shuttle for the early morning return; she is asking about using the shuttle on the way from LAX to DLR when they arrive. With that large of a party, with luggage, you will need an Uber XL or even two Ubers. I would personally do the shuttle, so you are sure you have a comfortable ride with enough space and it is all pre-arranged. If you are splitting the cost of the shuttle, the difference is price is nominal per person for the peace of mind (and if you had to take two Ubers for the number of people and luggage in your party, it would cost even more than the shuttle anywa

What's better for you? Having a guaranteed transportation method at that horrible time in the morning or the slight chance that if you find a willing uber it will save you $40?

I’m not talking about the 4 am pickup

 

[amydew51]

Can my kids split the price with me
We went to Chicago this summer and Uber XL’s were never a problem and like 10 dollars more. Lots of Toyota Sienna’s to chose from.
Anyway, I was able to book the shuttle both ways.

I think they are already committed to the shuttle for the early morning return; she is asking about using the shuttle on the way from LAX to DLR when they arrive. With that large of a party, with luggage, you will need an Uber XL or even two Ubers. I would personally do the shuttle, so you are sure you have a comfortable ride with enough space and it is all pre-arranged. If you are splitting the cost of the shuttle, the difference is price is nominal per person for the peace of mind (and if you had to take two Ubers for the number of people and luggage in your party, it would cost even more than the shuttle anywa

 

[twodogs]

In my mind, I thought you were a party of 5 adults! No idea where I got that (maybe confusing with another thread!). I feel relieved that you have the shuttle arranged and that is one less thing to worry about! HAVE FUN!

 

[Gary2T]

Midwilshuttle is available and able to take us to the airport for 150 dollars!

Do you all recommend we try to use them instead of Uber or a taxi on the way to our hotel? From what I understand Uber is usually 70ish dollars but it will be 6 pm on a Saturday, I hear Uber is pretty easy at LAX

Wow. That's quite a price increase from the beginning of the month. We used MidWilShuttle the first weekend in October, 40 dollars less. For reference, they picked us up at 3:30am for a 6am flight out of T5. I too was worried about getting a ride-share at that hour . Very happy with their service.

 

[DonnerB]

Can my kids split the price with me
We went to Chicago this summer and Uber XL’s were never a problem and like 10 dollars more.

I’ve often wondered what rideshare has been like in other parts of the country since it’s truly a mess in Los Angeles right now. I’ve given up on using Lyft to get to the airport. It usually takes 10-15 minutes just to get a driver to pick up the ride, at which point the cost has doubled. I understand the economics of it; I just don’t want the anxiety of worrying if I’ll have a ride when I need one. This has also been the case for non-airport rides here.

I know you’ve decided on using MidWil, but for anyone else who is questioning transportation options - just know rideshare is definitely not as reliable as it once was

 

[DLgal]

I’ve often wondered what rideshare has been like in other parts of the country since it’s truly a mess in Los Angeles right now. I’ve given up on using Lyft to get to the airport. It usually takes 10-15 minutes just to get a driver to pick up the ride, at which point the cost has doubled. I understand the economics of it; I just don’t want the anxiety of worrying if I’ll have a ride when I need one. This has also been the case for non-airport rides here.

I know you’ve decided on using MidWil, but for anyone else who is questioning transportation options - just know rideshare is definitely not as reliable as it once was

It's not just happening in Los Angeles. I had a similar issue in Chicago in August trying to get a ride to the airport. I had to try 3 times to get someone to actually accept my ride. I guess they no longer know where they are going when they accept the ride and when they see you standing there with suitcases and realize it's an airport ride, they just drive right by and cancel the pickup. Literally watched the first 2 Ubers just drive right by me and cancel the pickup. The third time was a charm using Lyft instead.

Airport runs are not desirable, I guess.

 

[irlandaise]

I’ve often wondered what rideshare has been like in other parts of the country since it’s truly a mess in Los Angeles right now. I’ve given up on using Lyft to get to the airport. It usually takes 10-15 minutes just to get a driver to pick up the ride, at which point the cost has doubled. I understand the economics of it; I just don’t want the anxiety of worrying if I’ll have a ride when I need one. This has also been the case for non-airport rides here.

DonnerB, does it make a difference if you schedule the ride in advance? I recently flew out of town and scheduled a Lyft ride to the airport 2-3 days in advance. I didn't check that morning to see whether the instant pricing was any different, but the price I locked in in advance was typical for a rideshare or taxi ride from my house to the airport.

I chose to take a taxi when I came home a few days later. The taxi pickup area is closer to baggage claim than the rideshare area, and also I didn't have to wait at all.

 

[DonnerB]

DonnerB, does it make a difference if you schedule the ride in advance?

I’m not sure; I’ve attempted that before and gotten burned when nobody would accept the ride (as others have mentioned, scheduling a ride is basically just a reminder for the app to search for a driver). I don’t blame these drivers for waiting around for the fare to increase. I would happily pay more up front for the convenience and peace of mind. Now I do that by driving myself haha!

 

[amydew51]

DonnerB, does it make a difference if you schedule the ride in advance? I recently flew out of town and scheduled a Lyft ride to the airport 2-3 days in advance. I didn't check that morning to see whether the instant pricing was any different, but the price I locked in in advance was typical for a rideshare or taxi ride from my house to the airport.

I chose to take a taxi when I came home a few days later. The taxi pickup area is closer to baggage claim than the rideshare area, and also I didn't have to wait at all.

I just remembered to cancel the Uber ride that I had scheduled for next weekend and there WAS a driver assigned to it