Carmageddon brings good karma to LAX travelers on first morning

“Carmageddon” brought mostly good karma Saturday morning to passengers traveling to and from LAX, judging from my interviews with about a dozen who came from all corners of Southern California.

The feared area-wide gridlock from the weekend closure of 10 miles of the 405 Freeway north of one of the world’s busiest airports didn’t happen, they said. In fact, they all said traffic was better than usual.

That’s not to say some fearful fliers weren’t inconvenienced. Many left home far earlier than normal, leaving them with hours to kill at the airport. Or they paid to stay overnight at nearby hotels before their flights—if they could find rooms, which by more than one account were scarce. At least one guy got stood up by his ride.

I found Patrick Dillon, who had just arrived at the Tom Bradley International Terminal after flying in with a friend from his native New Zealand, puzzling over a map with “Oak Park” pinpointed, many miles northwest of the airport.

“We don’t know how we’re getting there,” he said.

A skittish friend, Dilllon said, who was supposed to pick them up at the airport,“didn’t want to get stuck in traffic.”

His friend needn’t have worried.

LAX spokeswoman Katherine Alvarado told me LAX operations have been going smoothly.

“You would never know ‘Carmageddon’ was going on by being at the airport,” she said. “I believe travelers heeded our recommendations to get out of their cars and use public transportation.”

Alvarado said the LAX FlyAway express bus from Van Nuys, in particular, reported an uptick in travelers and so it added some runs.

Nancy Kung, who took the FlyAway to the airport for a flight to Ottawa, Canada, said the trip from Van Nuys, which bus staff had warned her might take 2-1/2 hours, took only 45 minutes. The downside: She was left with nearly four hours to kill before her flight.

Taxicab driver Norman Berenshteyn, parked at a stand outside the Bradley terminal, had mixed feelings. Traffic was “beautiful,” with streets so deserted he was alone on the roadways for more two miles at one point Saturday morning, he said. But business was slow. He said he’d been at LAX for 90 minutes, still waiting for a fare.

And here’s an update for cab riders: The surcharge for trips originating at LAX jumped from $2.50 to $4, effective Saturday, a staffer at the cab stand told me. That pushed the minimum charge to $19 from $17.50.

Welcome to L.A.

FOR MORE INFO:

Traffic condition updates are available at here .

LAX has set up a 405 Freeway Alert page with information on transit, alternate routes and other tips.