Letters to the Editor: Getting to LAX on public transportation is easy; coming home is another matter

To the editor: It seems almost scandalous that the two largest cities in the U.S., New York and Los Angeles, should have among the most antiquated and least efficient airports in the country. At the main airports for Dallas, Denver and Atlanta, passengers enjoy easy and well-organized access and are transported between terminals by sleek rail systems.

I, for one, find the LAX FlyAway bus from Union Station great for getting to the airport, but coming home is another matter. I often wait at LAX for an hour or more for a return bus, during which time several buses going to Van Nuys or Hollywood pass by.

Yes, the FlyAway bus program has been poorly promoted, but it also seems to be very poorly managed.

Norwood Paukert, Mt. Washington

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To the editor: The pictures of LAXit in the L.A. Times barely capture the chaos.

We were among the hordes of passengers unloaded from over-packed shuttle buses, barely moving through crosswalks that went from the middle of one line to another, only to be told we had to go to another line — lines that had no beginning, no end, and went round and round. At least some personnel were wearing hot pink vests and visible, though everyone working seemed to be just trying to contain the masses and prevent a fight. This was 8:30 p.m. in chilly night air.

Two hours after leaving baggage claim, we were standing by a number for the next ride home. Thank goodness it wasn’t raining.

Rebecca and Joel Okada, El Segundo

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To the editor: We are so spoiled in Southern California. We are living in a climate crisis, yet people are incensed that they can’t just walk off a plane and into a private car.

It’s time to get out of our cars and embrace public transportation, as other major cities have done. Come on people, give public transportation a chance.

Kristen Kessler, Ventura

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To the editor: As LAX approaches 100 million passengers a year, travelers who have no choice but to use this airport will be faced with greater obstacles to traveling.

Los Angeles World Airports, the city department that operates LAX, has instituted a traffic management plan that essentially moves the legendary congestion within the terminal areas to the surrounding streets. Yes, traffic is moving a bit better within the airport, but just try to enter the facility in any wheeled vehicle.

LAX has been operating beyond its capacity for many years. Where, oh where, LAWA, is the planned Palmdale relief airport?

Michael Heffernan, Los Angeles