Flights Resume Regular Schedule at LAX

Flights out of Los Angeles International Airport have resumed their regular schedule after a “ground stop” was issued yesterday afternoon. The reason behind the delays was a “computer issue,” according to statements made by Federal Aviation Administration officials in an article by KTLA. This glitch in the system, although apparently rare, was serious enough to ground flights throughout the region. In addition to LAX, other airports affected included Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Long Beach Airport, and Ontario International Airport. They were also delays at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City International Airport.

The ground stop was initially announced via Twitter at 2:13 p.m. on Wednesday. A spokesman for the FAA announced that the system was being restored around 3:30 p.m. Although the problem was being addressed in a little over an hour, it was long enough to cause numerous disruptions to the flight schedule. Approximately 27 inbound flights were diverted, 27 were cancelled, and 212 flights were delayed as a result of the glitch. More than 30 flights out of LAX were held on the ground, in some cases spending up to two hours on the tarmac. 23 outbound flights were cancelled altogether.

Although flight delays can be a real inconvenience, it’s always important to make sure you arrive at the airport on time for your scheduled flight. Most of the time, flight delays are announced shortly before the scheduled departure time. Fortunately, Hilton LAX Parking’s shuttle service can get you to the airport on time, every time. Although we can’t control unscheduled air traffic control issues, we can make sure that you don’t miss your flight. With shuttles departing every 15 minutes, you can be sure that you’ll arrive on time, even if your flight doesn’t.

PUPS Relieve Travel Stress at LAX

At LAX Hilton Parking, we are continually looking for ways to make the whole process of traveling by plane easier for everyone. It’s why we offer complimentary shuttle and concierge services to our customers. So, as you can imagine, we were delighted to hear that officials at LAX have been running a new program to alleviate the stress associated with flying out of the airport.

The program, known as Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUPS), is currently celebrating its one-year anniversary. Through the PUPS program, 29 service dogs of all breeds – including an Irish wolfhound named Finn – greet passengers after they go through security screenings. The dogs and their handlers are identifiable by the red vests they wear. The goal of the program is to take advantage of the calming effects that dogs can have on travelers.

The use of service dogs for their calming abilities is already a fairly well-accepted practice for individual travelers. If you have flown out of LAX recently, chances are you have encountered at least one other passenger going through the terminal with a service dog. Since many people experience anxiety when flying, holding a dog can be a great source of comfort.

The dogs used in the PUPS program are registered with Therapy Dogs, a national organization with the goal “to provide registration, support, and insurance for members who are involved in volunteer animal assisted activities.” Dogs registered with this program usually visit people in hospitals, nursing homes, and special needs centers, among other places. The therapeutic benefits of having these dogs around have been proven, with new benefits discovered all the time.

When it comes to LAX, keeping passengers calm with these service dogs seems like a no brainer. The therapeutic effects of petting and interacting with these dogs are seen every day in the terminals at LAX. The next time you travel, keep an eye out for the dogs in the red vests to see if they can alleviate your travel stress.

Utility Upgrade Underway at LAX

Los Angeles International Airport has broken ground – or concrete, anyway – on the construction of a new Central Utility Plant as of this past Tuesday. The process has begun with the demolition of the old Central Utility Plant, which has been providing heating, air conditioning, and lighting to travelers since 1961. The new facility promises to provide improved climate control within the airport and boasts of improved energy efficiency.

The renderings of the new plant, linked above, depict a modernized facility that blends well with the existing architecture of LAX, including the famous Theme Building. All LAX buildings will remain open throughout the construction process, meaning travelers will not have to put up with delays once inside the airport. Traffic conditions, on the other hand, may degenerate as temporary lane closures and detours are enacted throughout the process. In other words, getting dropped off and picked up from the terminal may be more trouble than it’s worth.

Fortunately for travelers with their own vehicles, the Hilton Airport Parking service will be in full effect throughout construction of the new Central Utility Plant. Our shuttles will continue to run every 15-20 minutes to ferry you to the terminal and back. Just arrive 30 minutes prior to when you have to be at the airport and you’re all set. Lane closures or not, our shuttle service will continue to run on time so you can avoid delays.

The new Central Utility Plant will offer you improved utility services and safety during your time in the terminal. And it’s being built with an eye toward sustainability, so you can enjoy the comforts of climate control while knowing that it’s being provided with excellent energy efficiency. Construction is set to be completed by September 2014.

The Best Times to Fly out of LAX

The worst days to fly may be during the holiday season, but do you know what the worst times of the day to book a flight out of LAX are? If you are planning a trip out of Los Angeles, the last thing you want to encounter is a long wait in the security lines before boarding your flight. For this reason, the airport provides a list of peak travel periods when lines tend to be the longest. You check-in process will generally take longer if you schedule your flight during the following times of day:

• 6:30 am to 9:00 am
• 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
• 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm

According to this information, it looks like the best times of day to fly are very early in the morning, the middle of the afternoon, or on the redeye. However, it is important to take Los Angeles traffic into account before scheduling your flight.

Los Angeles is one of the worst cities for traffic in the entire country. Rush hour is relatively predictable, but it can last for hours at a stretch, especially on the congested 405 and 105 freeways. Even on the weekends, traffic can double or triple your travel time to the airport. However, traffic patterns will still usually dovetail nicely with the ideal travel times recommended by LAX.

If you park at the Hilton LAX, you will need to arrive at the hotel at least half an hour before you need to be at the airport. When combined with the recommended arrival times at the airport, this means you should be at the Hilton two hours before your domestic flight is scheduled to take off, with an extra half hour allotted for international flights.

When you combine all of this information, you get a pretty good idea of the best time to schedule your flight in order to avoid traffic and long lines at the airport.

• The middle of the night, between 11:00 pm and 6:30 am. You will want to schedule your flight later in the night the further you live from the airport to avoid rush hour traffic.
• Between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm, meaning you would need to arrive at the Hilton between noon and 3:00 pm. Midday traffic tends to be lighter, although it gets heavier as you approach the end of the workday.

Midmorning, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, can be problematic, as you would need to arrive at the parking lot during peak morning rush hour. Fortunately, our airport shuttle can have you to the terminal in no time.

A Novel Solution to Invasive Species at LAX

Los Angeles International Airport occupies a huge tract of land in El Segundo. There are more than 40,000 feet of runways alone, and contained within the confines of the airport is a sea of coastal dunes. What many people don’t know is that the El Segundo Dunes are a protected nature preserve, one under threat from invasive non-native species. Of particular interest to environmentalists and airport officials has been the encroachment of acacia trees, which dot the landscape. Thanks to a joint effort between LAX and the Los Angeles Zoo, a novel solution has been found for disposing of these acacias.

In a recent story from the Los Angeles Times, they reported on an agreement between LAX and Zoo officials to feed these nuisance trees to some of the more exotic animals at the zoo. Although acacias are native to Australia, they are a favorite among many herbivores from Africa. These include giraffes, rhinos, elephants, and other animals, according to the story.

Every week, workers from the zoo make the trek across town to the El Segundo Dunes to trim the acacia trees and remove leafy green branches. The food is brought back to the zoo and fed to the animals, saving Los Angeles landfills from having to store this biodegradable but bulky refuse. It’s a win-win deal for officials at both Los Angeles institutions, helping in the restoration efforts of the fragile dune environment.

The 48-acre dune site sits at the northwest corner of the airport. It is not open to the public, as officials hope to return the region to its natural state. Right now, LAX is in the midst of a $3-million renovation of the region. Following a successful rehabilitation of the coastal dunes, the airport hopes to remove acacias from more than 300 additional acres at LAX.

LAX Pickup Halted by Taxi-ish Services

Private rideshare services that compete with traditional taxi companies have been gaining traction in recent years. You've probably heard of one or more of them: Lyft, Uber, Sidecar. But if you were looking to one of these companies for a ride to LAX in the near future, you may be out of luck. Sidecar and Uber recently announced that they would no longer be picking passengers up from the airport.

The issue for these companies is the "aggressive" ticketing they accuse LAX authorities of engaging in while citizen-drivers wait to pick up passengers for the airport. Uber spokesman Andrew Noyes said the citations issued to Uber drivers constituted an "unwarranted action" during his announcement that they would temporarily suspend airport pickup by their citizen-drivers, who work under the uberX banner. UberBLACK and UberSUV, which both utilize licensed commercial drivers, will continue to provide LAX pickup services.

Meanwhile, Sidecar has advised its citizen-drivers to avoid making LAX pickups because of the increased enforcement.

Airport officials have denied singling out rideshare companies like Uber and Sidecar for special enforcement.

These companies work by connecting passengers with ordinary people willing to act as unlicensed cabbies. More and more people are turning to services like these over traditional cab companies. However, this recent issue with LAX pickup highlights the limitations of services like these.

This story makes us thankful to be able to provide our customers with free shuttle service to and from the airport. For our customers, there's no need to call, wait, or worry about your driver getting a ticket. Instead, you can just sit back and enjoy the ride.