SkyLink Won't Be Running This Holiday Season. Here's How Westchester Gets to LAX Instead.

LAX's $3.3 billion SkyLink train won't carry passengers this year. The Daily News reported on Sept. 24 that passenger service is now aimed at early January 2027. That date could still move. So every Thanksgiving flight, every December trip and every airport pickup for visiting family will run on the system LAX has been using in the meantime.

For Westchester, that's a fair setup. The LAX/Metro Transit Center at Aviation Boulevard and 96th Street is now the airport's main transit hub. Several bus lines that already run through the neighborhood end there. From there, a free shuttle covers the last stretch to the terminals. Meanwhile, the streets you'd drive into the airport are under heavy construction through the holidays. That makes the two-step ride by bus and shuttle a real option this year.

The train is close to done, but it isn't open yet

The current timeline has several steps that have to happen in order. In a Sept. 16 filing reported by the Daily News, the contractor, LAX Integrated Express Solutions, set Dec. 8 as the completion date for the 2.25-mile train. After that come 30 days of testing, an independent review and a final assessment by Los Angeles World Airports. If each step goes smoothly, that brings you to early January. If any step slips, opening day moves with it.

This isn't the first delay. A LAWA news release from July 2024 forecast passenger service in January 2026. The new target lands about a year after that forecast, which means this whole holiday season runs without the train.

The bus you already pass may be your ride to the airport

Here are the lines that end at the LAX/Metro Transit Center and the streets they use in and around Westchester. The corridors come from LAWA's route summaries. That page has no publish date, so check the current timetable with each agency before you leave.

Some details matter here. Culver CityBus says Line 6 runs on Sepulveda all the way to the Transit Center. Rapid 6 runs on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the agency's page lists its last stop as LAX City Bus Center, not the Transit Center. If you're carrying luggage, it's worth knowing which bus you've boarded. Big Blue Bus's current schedule guide shows Route 3 on Lincoln stopping at the Transit Center, and that guide is valid through Dec. 12, 2026.

Metro's guide to the Transit Center lists other city bus lines that stop there as well: Torrance Transit T8, GTrans Line 5 and Beach Cities Transit 109. That can help if you're coordinating with guests coming from elsewhere in the South Bay.

From the Transit Center to the terminals

The connection between the Transit Center and the terminals is called the Metro Connector Shuttle. It's free. Metro says it runs about every 10 minutes from Bays 1 and 2 and stops on the lower Arrivals level of the terminals, at the pink columns. The headsign reads "Metro" or "Metro Connector." LAWA's ground transportation page says it runs daily from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Those hours matter for early flights. A 6 a.m. departure is possible with the shuttle. Coming home on a flight that lands after 1 a.m. is not, so a late arrival needs a different plan.

The shuttle is a stopgap. Metro has said that LAWA shuttles serve as the terminal link only until SkyLink opens, and the Transit Center was built to connect to the train. The route for this season is a bus to the Transit Center, the free shuttle, and then you're at the curb.

Coming home, and picking up the people you love

The return trip works differently. LAX-it, next to Terminal 1, is still the standard pickup area for taxis and rideshare. You can walk there, or take a free shuttle from the green signs on the lower Arrivals level outside baggage claim. LAWA says those shuttles run 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Its own FAQ gives two different wait times, though: about every seven minutes in one place and every three to five minutes in another. Expect a short wait, but don't count on an exact one.

Some rides skip LAX-it. LAWA says private vehicles, limousines, town cars, Uber Black, Uber Black SUV, Lyft Lux Black and Lyft Lux Black XL can still pick up at the terminals. If a neighbor is picking up family in their own car, the terminal curb is still allowed.

Pickup may change once SkyLink opens. In March 2026, LAist reported on proposed fees of $6 at a planned ground transportation center and $12 for direct curb access. LAWA said any increases would wait until the people mover opened. This is still a proposal. Nothing in this season's research shows a fee change in effect.

Why driving in is harder this fall

The construction behind SkyLink is the main reason the bus route looks good right now. The roadwork is on the streets Westchester drivers use to get into the airport.

• Westbound Century Boulevard is fully closed overnight between Jetway Boulevard and Vicksburg Avenue through Nov. 13, 2026. Closures run 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Thursday and midnight to 7 a.m. on Fridays. The westbound Century departures ramp is closed during those hours, and traffic is detoured to Sky Way. Southbound Jetway is also closed between 98th Street and Century during work hours.
• 96th Street has ongoing lane restrictions west of Alverstone Avenue through March 16, 2027, and more restrictions between Sepulveda Boulevard and Vicksburg Avenue for SkyLink staging.
• Sepulveda at World Way has a work restriction on Nov. 20 from 1 to 6 a.m. It affects the southbound Sepulveda off-ramp to Century and two slow lanes. It's listed as a restriction, not a full closure.

The late-night Century closures overlap with red-eye drop-offs and early-morning departures. That's also when the Metro Connector Shuttle is running from its 4 a.m. start.

This won't end with the holidays. The Daily Breeze reported in June that the larger roadway project around the Sepulveda and Century pedestrian bridge is reworking 4.4 miles of road, with more intermittent closures through 2030. LAWA posts its roadway bulletins weekly, and the one cited here is valid only until 3 p.m. on Oct. 13. Check the live alerts on flylax.com in the week you fly.

The parking lot on 94th Street

If you need to drive, LAX Economy Parking is at 6100 W. 94th Street. It has more than 4,000 spaces. Drive-up rates are $8 for the first hour, $7 for each additional 30 minutes and $35 maximum per 24 hours. A free shuttle runs to the terminals around the clock. LAWA says booking ahead can save up to 60% off drive-up rates and warns that posted rates may change. At the maximum rate, a five-day Thanksgiving trip comes to $175 before any online discount. Compare that with a round-trip bus fare before you pick.

For visiting relatives flying in from the Valley or downtown, the FlyAway runs between the LAX terminals and Union Station or Van Nuys for $12.75 each way. It doesn't take reservations.

We couldn't find a 2026 holiday passenger forecast from LAWA when we checked. Last year, it expected nearly 2.5 million travelers between Nov. 20 and Dec. 1, 2025, with more than 230,000 on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. If this year's crowds are similar, the free shuttle from Bays 1 and 2 may be busy that weekend.

Living next to LAX means the airport's construction schedule shapes how you get around, and our team keeps track of it. If you have questions about how the SkyLink work, the Century closures or the 96th Street restrictions affect a particular Westchester block, Nicol Real Estate is happy to talk it through. Start your South Bay search with people who follow these updates closely.