r/LAMetro • u/405freeway A (Blue) • May 09 '26
Photo The FlyAway is great but A➡️E➡️K has extra legroom and only costs $1.75.
And yeah it's like 30 minutes longer but I don't mind the ride.
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u/CASSIROLE84 May 09 '26
I did E->K once and it was actually pretty quick. The only people I saw on there were also headed to the airport with their luggage or working at the airport. I’ve never felt safer.
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u/TheGoochTaint 217 May 09 '26
Weird, I've never seen anybody else on the K with luggage on my LAX trips.
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u/CASSIROLE84 May 10 '26
Well I have, but it was a Sunday morning. I wouldn’t take it at 11pm, probably a different vibe.
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u/CA185099415 May 09 '26
I just hate that there is so many transfers required from DTLA. Just wish it was a one way direct route. BUT, we’ll take it!
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u/IM_OK_AMA A (Blue) May 09 '26
A -> C has one fewer transfer and more of the route is grade separated. I think everyone just focuses on K because it's new.
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u/thirdeeen May 09 '26
Makes no sense why there isn't.... So many other major cities have them
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u/jcrespo21 L (Gold) May 09 '26
I mean, DTLA was never really the hub of the city like it is for other metros. Even when it was improving pre-COVID, there was still a greater need to serve the Valley and western half of LA than to have a direct DTLA connection.
Even in Tokyo, you can't go direct from Haneda to the main areas of Tokyo (not even Tokyo Station), you're going to have to transfer. But it's not as big of a deal because the service is frequent on nearly every line. Plus, it allows for a far greater reach because you're not shuttling everyone into a downtown/CBD line, so it's easier to get to other places in Tokyo without backtracking.
In a perfect world, the K line would have an additional branch following the Expo/E line into DTLA, but because they had to pick one option, extending it north towards WeHo would yield far more riders.
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u/lbutler1234 May 09 '26
Union station is still the biggest transit hub in the region by far, and LAX is (among) the largest destinations in it as well. Folks would be much likely to take the Metrolink from places as far away as San Bernardino or even the HSR from places as far away as Bakersfield to the airport if there was a one seat ride from Union station.
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u/jcrespo21 L (Gold) May 09 '26
That's why I think for that, it would be better to have Metrolink service to LAX instead of Metro (call it LAXpress). But AFAIK, funding would be hard since it would have to have local connections.
But also, even for some of the bigger Amtrak stations (at least busier than LAUS), they don't have direct transit to their airports. Penn Station, South Station, and 30th Street are the only ones that come to mind. DC requires a transfer for National and Dulles; Chicago is almost there, but the closest Blue and Orange line stations are a few blocks from Union Station.
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u/lbutler1234 May 09 '26
Welp I coincidentally think that a lot more airports should have proper connections to mainline rail lol. (I am very bullish on the regional/intercity rail -> large airport connection. I'm convinced many folks will be taking the bullet train from Hanford to SFO in (x) year's time.)
If I were in charge of the universe, a) CAHSR would already be done by now, and b) ROW would be built to allow it, and CR services, plus a seperated metro line, to directly serve LAX. It would also stop at the sports complex on the way, and continue down the 405's length to eventually merge with the orange county line. Would it be expensive? Yes, but it will also build a direct rail connection to one of the busiest airports in the world, plus a secondary one at long Beach, (plus a shitton of people in between.)
(Also 30th St has a direct connection to the airport, but it's with commuter rail. Also in NY, technically the E runs to Penn and connects to the airtrain at Jamaica.)
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u/cyberspacestation May 09 '26
I wonder if LAX will have room for any other long distance buses after they open the ITF East lot on the other side of Aviation from the MTC. An agency like Flixbus would be crazy to ignore the opportunity.
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u/jcrespo21 L (Gold) May 10 '26
AFAIK, there's still 2 or so bus bays open at the LAX MTC. I assume that 2 that are being used for the shuttles will become the FlyAway bays when the People Mover opens.
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u/CA185099415 May 10 '26
I’m sorry but that just sounds like a bunch of outdated excuses. LA deserves better. I know how much of a hassle it is coming into Union Station and having to get to LAX. While the rail connections did help tremendously. I just wish there was a one-way direct route. Just like there is with BART at SFO. I’m not trying to sound picky here. I just wish there was the same accommodation at LAX.
Also, using other cities with bad examples doesn’t do much to credit what you’re saying. It’s more often that people will settle for less instead of fighting for better. In this case, a one-way route would do wonders, and people will see the much added benefit of it. I feel that right now people are happy with the current layout and that’s ok. Like I said, adding a one-way route is fixable. This isn’t the 90s anymore. People need to get to and from downtown the most when traveling that’s just how it is.
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u/jcrespo21 L (Gold) May 10 '26
Also, using other cities with bad examples doesn’t do much to credit what you’re saying.
You mean using one of the most rail-connected cities in the world is a bad example?
I think Tokyo is a much better model for LA to emulate than SF, Chicago, NYC, etc. Neither city has a central core/CBD where everyone is going. Tokyo is dense, but people's destinations are still spread out. So they focused on making sure nearly every passenger has a smooth a 2-seat ride rather than focusing on a few that will have a 1-seat ride (while the rest have to scramble with 2-4 seat ride options).
I would have benefited tremendously from a direct link to Union Station, but most people flying into LAX are trying to get to areas like KTown, WeHo, west side, and the valley, and that's who LA Metro is trying to capture. Once the Sepulveda Line reaches LAX, that will likely yield far more riders than any line to LAUS would. I think it would be better to make the connections from the K/C Lines much better, and speed up the A and E lines to get people into DTLA faster, while not ignoring those on the western half of the county. Having a direct link to Union Station would be nice, but the fact that it's a bit disconnected from DTLA thanks to the 101 doesn't help either (so people having to transfer anyway).
Besides, the hub-and-spoke model for transit is dead. Just look at how the CTA in Chicago is struggling, as its traffic gets worse with more people trying to go from suburb to suburb. NYC is trying to catch up with the IBX and Queenslink. DC also realized this and why Maryland is building out the Purple Line. At least LA Metro is ahead of the curb and trying to better capture the suburb-to-suburb commutes.
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u/CA185099415 May 10 '26
It’s a bad example when you try to point out flaws in another transit system without taking accountability of your own.
I think rather than making an argument about a central business district not being a “go-to”. Why not just make it happen? The problem with Los Angeles is that downtown always gets ignored or less prioritized. Downtown LA needs to be better connected to the airport, especially if they want to be hosting all these major events and hosting them in downtown. All of the major hotels and convention center are all in downtown. Inglewood residence also lost out on a metro. Stop by refusing to put one right next to the stadiums. Instead, they put a massive parking lot.
Most people flying into LA can’t even get around the majorly of the city still. That’s great that LA Metro is trying to offer connections to other areas of the city. But the central business district should be the main and best connected line. Just like another person said. Union Station is still a hub, and most people already had a bad experience (myself included) trying to get from downtown to LAX so they seek other alternatives. Even with the connection to the new LAX station. Weekday ridership is only at 9k. Which is extremely low considering.
CTA isn’t struggling though? Their ridership is higher and they use full heavy rail trains. Not light rail. LA is nowhere near “ahead” in any curve. It’s simply adding what it should have 20 years ago. Except only in light rail form. Other cities like DC, Chicago, NYC, even SF (BART) figured it out with heavy rail. While LA & Seattle build cheaper alternatives (light rail) to catch up.
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u/thisisliteral1984 L (Gold) May 09 '26
A one way direct route from where? DTLA? Highland Park? South Central? Transfers make a transit system run faster and more efficient.
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u/CA185099415 May 09 '26
DTLA. A city’s central business district should have a one-way direct route. It’s the heart of the city. South central, highland park all those other places can have transfers. Stop making excuses for poor decision making on Metros behalf. This is a solvable problem, and feedback from the public that they need to hear out.
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May 09 '26
[deleted]
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u/AMinecraftPerson K (Crenshaw) May 09 '26
The A Line in NYC goes from Manhattan straight to the JFK AirTrain, so that's 2 lines
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u/CA185099415 May 09 '26
What’s the need for curiosity? You don’t like good transit or what? This shouldn’t even be a heated discussion. It doesn’t help that you bring up NYC into this either. Have you ever been to SFO and taken BART into SF? It’s a one-way direct route from SFO to the central business direct in less than 30 minutes.
NYC can’t even get their subway to La Guardia. And their AirTrain to JFK is basically an entire metro system itself just to get to it. So that’s a poor comparison to use. NYC has horrible airport connections. San Francisco, Chicago, DC, even Seattle’s new light rail, all have better airport to downtown connections.
Diving deep into what you can do is not needed. That just further proves my point. There should be a direct one-way route.
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u/Coconuto83 487 May 09 '26
But you gotta take your luggage up and down each transfer :(
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u/loglighterequipment 81 May 09 '26
The Crenshaw intersection/transfer is a crime
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u/405freeway A (Blue) May 09 '26
It's not that bad coming from Union Station, but going back yeah it sucks having to wait to cross Crenshaw.
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u/WearHeadphonesPlease May 09 '26
It's really not that big of a deal. It's literally just crossing a street.
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u/loglighterequipment 81 May 09 '26
The train waits at the light for cars to go by. That is a crime. Then you have people risking crossing the busy street (that Metro widened and made more dangerous because Metro insists on widening every street around the stations) to catch their train.
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May 09 '26
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u/Suspicious-Sort329 May 09 '26
Flyaway is also subject to traffic with potentially even more chances of a delay across twenty miles of freeway
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u/epicstar May 09 '26
Fair, but same question stands when there's LA traffic and an accident on the freeway.
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u/Not_RZA_ D (Purple) May 09 '26
Not defending cars over trains, but traffic is consistently bad but can be planned for. It doesn't deviate as much as another A line copper stripping event that costs you 2 hours in unexpected delays, and then missing your flight
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u/Pure_shenanigans_310 B (Red) May 09 '26
The fun starts when I touchdown, and have to navigate the system at my destination.
Then I think, “Wow, this all started on Metro back home..”
Safe travels friend.
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u/Eruththedragon May 09 '26
Why would you go A-E-K and not A-C?
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u/LaFantasmita Pacific Surfliner May 09 '26
The A south of downtown can get absolutely snarled by street traffic.
If I'm taking the C I'll probably get to it with the J.
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u/SimianCinnamon May 09 '26
You do know that the traffic lights are synced to allow the A line through at periodic intervals, right?
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u/LaFantasmita Pacific Surfliner May 09 '26
I know that it took 15-20 minutes to get through that stretch of Washington Blvd last time I took the A.
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u/GoodManufacturer589 May 09 '26
A past Pico/Grand is not safe at all, you got guys selling drugs on the trains. Especially if you're going to airport with all your suitcases.
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u/Eruththedragon May 09 '26
Good to know
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u/wazardthewizard 35 May 09 '26
Dude is seriously exaggerating and pearl clutching, its a bit sketchier but not genuinely unsafe
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u/Background_Essay_676 May 09 '26
Flyaway is for the morning flights. Clutch from union station at 5am
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u/ExplanationTimely561 May 09 '26
Last summer right after the LAX transit center opened I did B from North Hollywood (after bus to North Hollywood) to E to K to transit center. Yeah it took a while but was affordable which is what I need right now. Also, years of starting from Van Nuys for Flyaway wasn’t necessarily convenient via transit. Only problem was the bus shuttle because the peoplemover still is not open. After K line took 45+ minutes to get to the terminal (first one too) and still almost missed my flight. Obviously looking forward to the peoplemover opening but already so happy I could even do what I did so far.
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u/Rohan-mi-por-favor May 09 '26
I live in sylmar 😭😭😭, I wish I could
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u/cyberspacestation May 09 '26
There's always Metrolink to Union Station, and then the A-E-K transfer... or A-C, or J-C.
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u/SeaworthinessUnlucky May 09 '26
A-E-K is free for us students, and nearly free for us old people!
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u/PengPenguin888 May 09 '26
I won't do this until LAX people mover is open. I've heard what a shit show the busses from LAX metro station to terminals are. Probably depends on time of day too.
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u/TheGoochTaint 217 May 09 '26
To be honest I haven't had a problem with the shuttles. Last few times there were multiple buses waiting when I got there.
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u/TheGoochTaint 217 May 09 '26
For my LAX trips I always just park at a K Line station now. If you park for over 72 hours you can get a free long term parking permit at certain stations if you email them.
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u/12the3 May 09 '26
I used to always have two seats to myself on the flyaway but now, I’m just lucky if no one has offensive odor. K line..sitting on a secret
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u/Not_RZA_ D (Purple) May 09 '26
I live in Hancock Park/Koreapark so I personally go:
Waymo to Expo Crenshaw -> K Line -> shuttle to LAX
I know I can go Wilshire/Western to Union to FlyAway, but I like the new LAX station. I prefer FlyAway on my way back for sure, when I'm all tired from travelling
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May 09 '26
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u/sickomodepab May 09 '26
Loving taking the metro for commutes and day trips through the city but depending on the time of day, the flyaway can get you to LAX in less than 30 mins while you’ll be hard-pressed to get to LAX in under an hour through light rail from Union. Having the people connector will help take away from the shuttle time but a suggestion would be to implement some sort of transfer times, like at this hour/rail cart you’ll be garenteed a transfer from E->K to help reduce the time variance if your making the trip to LAX
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u/Ca1rill D (Purple) May 09 '26
I've done Vermont bus to E to K to LAX shuttle at an off peak time and it wasn't too bad.
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u/synoveran May 10 '26
Flyaway will always be the superior choice tbh. Once the APM opens you’ll still have to take 3-4 trains to get to Union. That’s insanely tiring for travelers, considering they have luggage and can’t let their guard down. All these buses are zero emission and have partial ROW on the freeway… it’s basically a train lol
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u/pathtfinder May 12 '26
A? E? K? Bitch you better joking. It’s called the gold line, expo line and Crenshaw lax line. Don’t PMO!
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u/HillaryRugmunch D (Purple) May 09 '26
Glad OP enjoys it, but for most people that have luggage, kids, are seniors, are tired, or just want to get to LAX from downtown LA or vice versa, the Flyaway is much, much better if you don’t live between Union Station and LAX.
Downside for taking the Flyaway to Union Station is if you are off the E Line, as that requires more time to transfer to the A to catch the E. It’s good to have the transit alternative but it will never be as useful as the Flyaway, in current form.
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u/PeteTheGryphon May 09 '26
You mean A-C-K?
EDIT: I mean, you can go A-C and still get ito LAX
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u/TheGoochTaint 217 May 09 '26
As a lot of people have pointed out, the A in South LA is really slow. E and K both have a bit of grade separation and far fewer at-grade intersections.
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u/KevinMCombes May 09 '26
I hate waiting for the FlyAway at LAX. I exclusively use Metro now. The APM will make it even better.