The LAX/Metro Transit Center sits at Aviation Boulevard and 96th Street. Its Bus Bays 1 and 2 are where every route to the airport ends up, whether you come by train, bus, or from a Metro parking lot. A free shuttle leaves those bays for every terminal about every 10 minutes, according to Metro's guide to the Transit Center. The Transit Center opened to the public on June 6, 2025. Its elevated platform was built for the SkyLink people mover, and that train is still not carrying passengers.
For most of Los Angeles, the delay means another Thanksgiving of driving to the airport. Westchester is in a different spot. Buses on Sepulveda and Lincoln and the K Line all lead to that same shuttle. The airport's own Economy Parking garage runs a separate free shuttle to the terminals. All of them are inside or right next to the 90045 ZIP code. SkyLink would replace one transfer, and Westchester already has the rest of the trip covered.
Where SkyLink Stands in Mid-November
On October 29, 2026, the Los Angeles Times reported that the contractor, LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS), now expects the 2.25-mile train to start carrying passengers on Feb. 5. That is a month later than its earlier target of Jan. 6. The contractor's monthly progress report warned that the delay "will continue to increase on a day-for-day basis" until the Department of Water and Power and Los Angeles World Airports sign agreements on solar power for the train.
Before it can open, the system needs 30 consecutive days of testing without substantial issues, plus approvals from the airport and an independent engineer, the Times reported. In an online questionnaire quoted by the Times, LAWA tied any opening date to the contractor's testing:
"No opening date can be confirmed until LINXS, the SkyLink contractor, completes their final testing. As soon as LINXS completes their testing, we'll begin the process of putting passengers on the train."
Mayor Karen Bass told KNX News she expects the train to run by January, the Times reported. Neither the January nor the February date covers Thanksgiving or the December holidays. Through year's end, the trip from the Transit Center to the terminals runs on the shuttle.
Three Westchester Routes, One Shuttle
The Transit Center stands about where Westchester's southeast edge meets the airport. Three transit routes cross the neighborhood on the way there.
| Route | Where it runs in or near Westchester | Schedule detail |
|---|---|---|
| Culver CityBus Line 6 and Rapid 6 | Sepulveda Boulevard, with southbound stops at Westchester Parkway/Sepulveda and Sepulveda/Manchester | Line 6 runs from UCLA to the Transit Center. Rapid 6 makes limited stops on weekdays, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Big Blue Bus Route 3 | Lincoln Boulevard through the Westchester area | Every 15 minutes or better on the weekday midday trips marked frequent |
| Metro K Line | Westchester/Veterans station, Florence Avenue and Hindry Avenue | The timetable effective June 7, 2026 includes both Westchester/Veterans and the Transit Center |
Line 6 is the only one of the three that runs right down the neighborhood's main commercial street. From the Manchester stop, it heads south along Sepulveda and ends at the airport's transit hub. Big Blue Bus Route 3 does the same along Lincoln, the western edge of the area. The K Line comes in from the east side, near the Florence corridor. Each route ends at the Transit Center, and from there it's one free shuttle to the terminals.
Train hours matter on red-eye days. According to Metro, the C and K Lines run every day, holidays included, from about 4 a.m. until somewhere between midnight and 1 a.m. That covers the early-morning departures many people book to get ahead of holiday crowds. Rapid 6 stops at 8 p.m. on weekdays, so later trips on Sepulveda use the regular Line 6.
One gap affects anyone hoping to drive to the K Line. Metro's parking table for the line lists lots at Fairview Heights, El Segundo, Douglas and Redondo Beach. It lists none at Westchester/Veterans. For travelers who want to park and ride, Metro's LAX travel page suggests Aviation/LAX or Hawthorne/Lennox on the C Line, or Crenshaw/Expo on the K Line. It lists daily parking at those stations as generally $3.
The Airport's Economy Garage Is in Westchester's ZIP
The other route to the terminals starts at a garage and uses a shuttle of its own. LAX Economy Parking is at 6100 W. 94th Street, Los Angeles, 90045. It has more than 4,000 stalls, including 514 active EV chargers. A free shuttle runs between the garage and the Central Terminal Area 24 hours a day. You board on Level 1 in the southeast section of the garage, and on the return you catch it at the pink LAX Shuttle zones on the Arrivals level.
Drive-up rates at the garage are $8 for the first hour, $7 for each 30 minutes after that, and a $35 maximum for each 24-hour period. A five-day Thanksgiving trip parked at the drive-up rate tops out at $175. Five days at a Metro station lot at the generally listed $3 a day comes to $15. For a Westchester household, the garage's real advantage is the short drive. It's only a few minutes from most of the neighborhood, and the round trip never touches the Central Terminal Area horseshoe. The garage limits vehicle height on its upper levels. Level 1 allows 14 feet, and Levels 2 through 4 allow 8 feet, 1 inch. That's worth checking if you're taking a roof box or a tall van to see family.
Century Boulevard's Final Closure Nights
Anyone driving to the terminals this week runs into one more constraint. Under a LAWA advisory dated Sept. 18, 2026, westbound Century Boulevard closes completely at night between Jetway Boulevard and Vicksburg Avenue. The work installs falsework for the ATMP Roadway Improvements Project, which the airport says will help reduce congestion in and around LAX. The closures run through Friday, Nov. 13. On the day this post publishes, Thursday night's closure and the early hours of Friday are the last scheduled windows. The airport notes that work schedules can change.
During closure hours:
- Westbound Century closes Monday through Thursday nights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., and Friday nights from 12 a.m. to 7 a.m.
- Southbound Jetway Boulevard closes between 98th Street and Century Boulevard.
- You can't reach the westbound Century Departures Ramp. Signs detour drivers to the Sky Way Bridge for the Departures level.
- The westbound Century Arrivals Ramp stays open throughout.
- Pedestrians are routed along 98th Street.
The bus and rail routes in the table never use the closed stretch to reach the Transit Center. Drivers headed to the Departures level overnight do, and the closures fall in the same hours as the early-morning flights the trains are timed to meet.
What Changes When the Train Does Open
Once SkyLink opens, the Times reports, passengers can ride it between the terminals, the rental car and parking facilities, the LAX/Metro Transit Center, and a new pickup area for taxis, Uber and Lyft. The airport says that rideshare lot "will be available when the SkyLink train begins operations." The current LAX-it lot will be phased out over time, and the Times reported no timeline for that.
So this holiday season, the rideshare setup is the one most people already know. LAX-it, next to Terminal 1, is still the pickup spot for taxis, Lyft, Uber and Opoli leaving the airport, and a free shuttle runs there from the Arrivals-level stops at each terminal. Drop-off for departing passengers is still at the terminals.
When the train does open, Westchester's routes stay the same. Line 6 will still run down Sepulveda, Route 3 will still run along Lincoln, and the K Line will still stop at Florence and Hindry. The change will come at the end, where the train replaces the shuttle from Bus Bays 1 and 2. Until then, that shuttle runs about every 10 minutes and costs nothing.
If you're planning a trip around the airport and also weighing a move closer to it or farther away, Keyholder Estates knows these Westchester blocks as well as the routes that run past them. We're glad to talk through what living this close to LAX means for your home's value.
