NOW AN EVEN EASIER WAY TO FLY AWAY: LAX FLYAWAY® BUS SERVICE TO ACCEPT TAP CARDS AND EZ TRANSIT PASSES BEGINNING NOVEMBER 1ST

(Los Angeles, California – October 31, 2017) Just in time for the upcoming holiday travel season, the FlyAway® non-stop bus service, which provides direct transportation to and from each of Los Angeles International Airport’s (LAX) terminals, will begin accepting LA Metro’s Transit Access Pass (TAP) card and EZ Transit Passes as payment options beginning Wednesday, November 1. Riders who use a TAP card or EZ Transit Pass to pay for their FlyAway® trip may enjoy reduced fares depending on the route, loaded EZ Pass zone, and method of payment.

This initiative, which will make it easier to access public transportation to LAX, is in line with the sustainability goals set forth by Mayor Eric Garcetti in his “Sustainable City pLAn,” which includes the goal of expanding high-quality transit options across the city. It also is in line with the goals laid out in Los Angeles World Airport’s Strategic Plan, as presented by CEO Deborah Flint and approved by the Board of Airport Commissioners.

“Adding TAP cards and EZ Transit Passes as accepted payment options make the FlyAway service a convenient choice for millions of card-carrying riders across the Los Angeles area, and we’re ready to welcome them,” said Keith Wilschetz, Deputy Executive Director for Operations and Emergency Management for Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). “With a simple ‘tap’ of a card, Metro and LAWA are improving the LAX guest experience by making non-stop access to LAX on the FlyAway easier than ever.”

Instead of purchasing tickets online using a credit card, holders of active TAP cards and TAP-EZ Transit Passes with sufficient stored value will be able to complete transactions for any FlyAway® route via TAP card readers. For riders at Union Station and Van Nuys, customer service representatives will assist customers with using TAP readers at each routes’ respective FlyAway® ticket counter. For riders of the Hollywood, Long Beach, and Westwood routes, TAP readers will be located inside the FlyAway® shuttle.

The new payment options will also provide discounts for some TAP card and EZ Transit Pass holders. Riders on the Westwood and Long Beach FlyAway® routes who pay using a TAP card’s stored value will pay only $8, a discount of from the routes’ regular price of $10 and $9, respectively.Pricing for the Hollywood, Orange Line, Union Station and Van Nuys routes will remain the same whether the transaction is completed with TAP card stored value or by credit or debit card.

Riders using an EZ Transit Pass will pay an upcharge that varies depending on the EZ zones loaded onto the TAP card. Depending on which zone is loaded onto the TAP card, EZ Transit Pass users may be able to ride the FlyAway® service for no additional upcharge. More information on upcharges and zones can be found by visiting http://www.laxflyaway.org .

TAP cards with insufficient stored value will be registered as invalid, and will require purchase with a valid debit or credit card. Though no advanced purchase or reservation is required when purchasing FlyAway® with a TAP card, seating is determined on a “first come, first served” basis.

The FlyAway® service operates non-stop, direct service to and from each terminal at LAX, and serves six locations:Hollywood, Long Beach, Metro Orange Line (Woodley Station, San Fernando Valley), Union Station, Van Nuys, and Westwood.More than 1.6 million people used the FlyAway® bus service in 2016, and the service improved air quality by reducing CO2-equivalent emissions by over 6,900 metric tons.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX is the fourth busiest airport in the world, second in the United States, and was named one of Skytrax’ 2017 Top 10 Most Improved Airports. LAX served more than 80.9 million passengers in 2016. LAX offers 737 daily nonstop flights to 100 cities in the U.S. and 1,386 weekly nonstop flights to 88 cities in 44 countries on 73 commercial air carriers. LAX ranks 14th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.2 million tons of air cargo valued at over $101.4 billion. LAX handled 697,138 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2016.

An economic study based on 2014 operations reported LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital-improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion, $966 million in state and local taxes, and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX is also the second most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.

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