The main airport serving Los Angeles is LAX, which handles both domestic and international traffic. It is one of the busiest airports in the world, through which more than 60 million passengers pass each year. It is also the second busiest point of entry for international travellers to the US, behind only JFK airport in New York. As the pace of air travel has grown, so have the calls to expand and renovate LAX, which hasn’t been updated since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. In fact, a master plan to reconfigure the airport has been in the works for years, with politicians and local residents sparring about the details. Add to that the delays caused by security checks that have become much more rigorous since 9/11, and braving the LAX experience can be a challenge. Still, it is the only major international airport and it has the benefit of being ideally situated in the neighbourhood of Westchester, only 26 km (16 miles) from Downtown. When leaving, give plenty of extra time to get through security, whose lines can snake across entire terminals. When you do get up to the metal detector, remember to remove all shoes, jackets, cell phones, loose change and belts, and to take your laptop from its bag. All these items must go through the x-ray machine. If you do fly in from overseas, expect to go through customs and immigration, where you will present your entry form and have your passport stamped. Be sure to have your visa, which you must obtain in your country of origin.

LAX is not the only option available in the greater Los Angeles area, which is served by a group of smaller airports that may prove more amenable to your travel plans. The largest of these are located in Burbank, Ontario and Long Beach, which may take longer to get to, but once there, the time from check-in to gate may be much shorter. From these airports, airlines fly various routes across the US and to a few international destinations, so it may be worth checking to see if one of these can serve your needs. You will still have to go through security before boarding any flight, and if you fly in from another country, immigration and customs will still be awaiting you, but you may find the experience more to your liking than the chaos of LAX.