Landing at LAX: a first-time visitor's guide to getting to your hotel

Short version: LAX is big and busy, and for a first-time or international visitor it can be genuinely confusing on arrival. The easiest way from the plane to your hotel is a pre-arranged private chauffeur with meet & greet. Someone waits for you at baggage claim with your name on a sign, helps with your bags and drives you straight to your hotel, at a price you locked in before you flew. No struggling with a rideshare app before your phone works, no taxi line and no working out which level the pickup is on.

This LAX arrival guide explains how arriving at LAX works, and how to make it easy.

What arriving at LAX is really like

Most international flights land at Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT, Terminal B). After you leave the plane, you clear immigration, collect your bags and pass through customs, and on a busy day that can take anywhere from 45 minutes to well over an hour. Then you step out onto one of the busiest curbs in the world, where rideshare pickup has moved to a separate lot (LAX-it) that requires a shuttle or a long walk.

Those last 100 feet are where a first visit can go wrong. You are tired, possibly in a new time zone, your phone may not be on a local network yet, and you are pushing a luggage cart through a crowd. It is exactly the moment you do not want to be opening an app or haggling over a fare.

Why meet & greet changes the arrival

With meet & greet, your chauffeur parks and walks into the terminal to meet you at baggage claim, holding a sign with your name. They help with your bags and walk you to the car, with no scramble at the curb, no LAX-it shuttle and no app. For a first-time or international arrival, it is the single biggest upgrade to the trip. (Curbside pickup is included on every transfer, and meet & greet is a small add-on. Our meet & greet guide explains when it is worth it.)

Working out a ride while you read this? Get your price. Flat rate, gratuity included, locked when you book.

Getting to your hotel, wherever it is

From LAX, we drive visitors to every part of the region: Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Santa Monica and the beaches, Downtown LA, West Hollywood, and out to Anaheim and Disneyland. You ride in a Cadillac Escalade ESV with room for your group and your luggage, and you arrive at the front door, not a corner two blocks away.

A few first-timer tips

• Save your hotel's full address before you land. Your chauffeur will confirm it, but it helps if your phone is not online yet.
• If you are coming for a specific event, such as a concert or a game, book the ride to it at the same time, because event nights book up fast.
• Traveling with children? Ask for child seats when you book; they are available on request.
• Want the airport handled both ways? Book the round trip and your departure pickup is timed to your flight automatically.

The bottom line

Your first impression of a city is the ride from the airport. Arrive to a chauffeur holding a sign with your name, hand over the bags, settle in and watch Los Angeles roll by on the way to your hotel, at a price you already knew. That is how a great trip starts.