LAX is among toughest airports to reach
Los Angeles International Airport is not the worst airport in the nation when it comes to transit options, drive time and the cost to get to the terminal — but it is near the bottom of the list, ahead of only Newark Liberty International, Dulles International and JFK International Airport.
The study by the travel app Travelbank ranked all major airports in the U.S. using an index that includes the time it takes during morning rush hour to get to the terminals from a nearby metro center on public transit and in a private car, as well as the cost of taking Uber and public transit for the trip.
Boston Logan and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas tied for the best airports in the country, based on the study criteria. Travelers can get to terminals in both airports in less than 15 minutes on public transit or can drive their own cars in less than 10 minutes from the nearest metro center, the study said.
But LAX — the nation’s second-busiest airport — ranked 21st out of 23 airports in the study, which found that it takes 33 minutes to get to the airport from downtown L.A. via transit and 50 minutes by private car.
An Uber ride costs $40 from downtown Los Angeles, the study said.
“To make matters worse, LAX also boasts the secondhighest public transportation price after Newark with a one-way fare costing $9.75,” the study concluded, referring to the cost of a Flyaway shuttle bus departing from downtown Los Angeles.
A similar study released in 2015 by a nonprofit New York advocacy group promoting improved public access also ranked LAX near the bottom when it comes to public transit access.
LAX officials point out that construction is expected to begin next year on an expansion of several terminals to make way for an elevated train known as a “people mover,” which will connect to the Metro Rail’s Crenshaw and Green lines. The rail connection is expected to go online by 2023.
Las Vegas still sees slump in tourism
Las Vegas tourism leaders revived the famous “What happens here, stays here” slogan three months after a mass shooting on the Strip, but gaming revenue and visitation numbers remain depressed in the tourist destination.
In January, total visitation to the city dropped 3.3%, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, while gaming revenue from the Strip slumped 8.89%, the steepest percentage drop among all Nevada gambling markets for the month — and the biggest for the Strip since the Oct. 1 shooting at a countrymusic festival that killed 58 people and wounded hundreds more.
But tourism and gaming officials attributed much of the decline to factors beyond the shooting, including the month having one fewer weekend compared with January 2017 and the shift of the Lunar New Year to February. In addition, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said there were nearly 2,000 fewer available rooms in January compared with a year ago because of construction and renovation.
A monthly report issued Wednesday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board showed revenue on the Strip declined to $554.8 million in January.
October revenue had been down 6%, followed by drops of 6% in November and 3.25% in December.
Michael Lawton, senior research analyst with the control board, said that tourism has been down since before the Oct. 1 shooting and the situation hasn’t been helped by several properties on the Strip undergoing renovation.
Larger-than-normal losses at the baccarat tables also have been a key culprit in the revenue declines.
However, gaming revenue in downtown Las Vegas was up 1.6% — a fourth straight month of increases since October, though the smallest during the stretch.