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Few things unite Californians — or really anyone who’s ever been to LAX — quite like complaining about traffic at LAX.
Last week, though, travelers were introduced to a new part of the Los Angeles International Airport experience that has sent the usual griping into overdrive.
Search “LAX-it” on Twitter and you’d think some sort of Thunderdome had opened just east of Terminal 1. The words “chaos” and “nightmare” appear frequently.
But, no: LAX-it — pronounced, for what it’s worth, “L.A. exit” — is just the expansive new lot where you’ll have to catch your Lyft, Uber or taxi, since almost all curbside ride-share and taxi pickups are now banned.
The move, airport officials have said, is part of plans to alleviate traffic as construction continues on an automated people mover that’s set to be running by 2023 — ideally well ahead of the 2028 Olympics.
Predictably, LAX-it’s opening days were rough. The Los Angeles Times reported that travelers and drivers were enraged by hourlong wait times and mass confusion on Tuesday, the lot’s opening day.
Shortly thereafter, Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that runs LAX, apologized for the delays and announced that it was adding more shuttles, more signage and more staff members to help move the lines along.
On Sunday, after having stepped off an early-morning flight from Florida, I joined the wandering hordes. I survived.
When I was somewhere over Texas, I checked the airport’s Twitter, which has started posting average wait times for Lyfts, Ubers and taxis. Waits were just a few minutes, but lengthened as the day wore on.
Getting to the lot was straightforward enough. Outside the baggage claim doors, a green shuttle arrived within about a minute. The drive through the central terminal loop to the lot took about 10 minutes.
In the lot itself, workers chirpily offered water bottles and instructions. Two food trucks were open nearby, though most people were heading straight for the cab lines. A few lingered under lime green umbrellas on benches, charging their phones at kiosks.
I ran into Michael Christensen, the airport’s deputy executive director of operations and maintenance, near where handlers had posted up with Eve and The Dude, a pair of gorgeous English Setters working as therapy dogs.
Mr. Christensen told me that conditions had improved significantly since Thursday night, but that staff members were tracking wait times closely and adjusting traffic lanes to better keep things moving.
He emphasized that traffic was moving through the upper level drop-off areas — where ride-share drivers previously picked up passengers — about 35 percent faster.
And although LAX officials consulted with managers who had implemented similar systems at San Francisco International Airport and La Guardia Airport, Mr. Christensen said that “an operation this big is unique.”
As such, he said, frustration wasn’t unexpected.
“We’re monitoring social media,” he said, “which takes a strong stomach.”
Still, Chance Bonner, a 39-year-old from San Antonio, said that the chaos seemed more organized than the last time he’d landed at LAX about a month ago.
“This is easy compared to driving in L.A.,” he said with a grin.
By the time I’d finished talking with travelers at about 1 p.m., I stood in line for about 15 minutes before I was matched with a Lyft driver. (Unlike at SFO or La Guardia, riders are matched with a driver using a PIN — essentially allowing travelers to move through on a first-come, first-served basis.)
For his part, my driver described the situation as “a mess,” but one he said had improved since last week.
About a half an hour later, we were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the 110 freeway, anyway.
Here’s the airport’s LAX-it guide, complete with contact information if you have questions. Good luck.
Here’s what else you may have missed over the weekend
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The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the president also made a threat to withhold federal wildfire aid that was almost identical to one he made last year after the deadly Camp fire.
Mr. Newsom responded to the president on Twitter, saying: “You don’t believe in climate change. You are excused from this conversation.”
Read more wildfire coverage:
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The dust-up comes not long after Mr. Newsom described a paradox hamstringing California’s efforts to address climate change. The president, he said, “is doing everything right to respond to these disasters and everything wrong to address what’s happening to cause them.” [The New York Times]
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The Maria fire, which prompted evacuations and burned thousands of acres in Ventura County, was 50 percent contained on Sunday. And all evacuation orders were lifted. [The Ventura County Star]
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See the moment the Kincade fire exploded via a growing network of wildfire cameras. [The New York Times]
Also, here’s more about how scientists started that camera network. [The New York Times]
In other news
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After five people were killed in a shooting at a Halloween Party in Orinda last week, Airbnb said it was taking steps to remove “party houses” from the platform. [The New York Times]
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Representative Adam Schiff, who has become a kind of hero in his district stretching from West Hollywood to the San Gabriel Mountains, is finding himself in the spotlight as he leads the impeachment inquiry into the president. The president, meanwhile, has sought to make him a punching bag. [The New York Times]
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In Silicon Valley, like anywhere, real estate is power. So who owns the land? And can they fix the housing crisis? Explore those questions in this big feature. [The Mercury News]
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Lori Loughlin pleaded not guilty to new charges in the college admissions scandal case, signaling that she and her husband plan to continue fighting the accusations. By contrast, Felicity Huffman has already completed her two-week sentence in a Dublin prison known for its deluxe features. [The New York Times]
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The climate activist Greta Thunberg took fossil fuel companies to task and rallied young people to fight climate change in Los Angeles on Friday. [The Associated Press]
Reflections
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Support groups and studies have started to focus on mealtime for widows (now used by experts as a gender-neutral term) who are mourning the loss of a spouse. [The New York Times]
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Fair warning: Reading this, about the rise of Reformation, a born-in-L.A. clothing brand for a specific subset of millennial women, will make you feel both kind of bad and very seen, if you happen to be a member of that population. [The New Yorker]
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Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter, @jillcowan.
California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.