What happens when you have an increase in rideshare vehicles at an airport that’s already undergoing extensive renovations? In the case of LAX, you may have a tipping point for roadway congestion that makes getting to and from terminals increasingly more difficult — turning what should be a seamless operation into one beset by obstacles to travelers at all stages of their trips.
Los Angeles International Airport has a bold plan to improve conditions — but it might add a step for travelers taking Uber or Lyft home from the airport. In 2028, Los Angeles will host the Summer Olympics; in advance of that, LAX is undergoing a massive upgrade. That’s great in the long run, but in the short term, it means that construction may impede traffic at an already-busy airport. LAX isn’t the only airport where this is taking place — New York City’s LaGuardia Airport was beset with congestion issues this summer — but it’s one of the highest-profile examples of it.
Now, Skift is reporting that LAX will move ride-share pickups away from terminals and into a parking lot elsewhere at the airport. Travelers looking to use Uber or Lyft will need to board a shuttle bus conveying them to the new pickup spot when the new policy takes into effect on October 29. This policy will not affect drop-offs at the airport, according to the article.
As Skift’s article notes, LAX isn’t the only airport to implement such a change: their article cites airports in Boston and San Francisco as taking similar measures to reduce congestion. LaGuardia Airport has adopted a similar policy — which this writer has found does indeed make both getting a car and getting out of the airport’s roadways significantly easier.
Will LAX’s new policy be enthusiastically embraced by all travelers? Probably not — but in the long run, reducing congestion getting to and from the airport is a laudable goal.
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