• Do not travel if you don't have to.
  
  
• Do not come to the airport if you are sick.
   
  
• Wear a face covering at all times. Face coverings are required at LAX for everyone. Most airlines also require a face covering on the aircraft, and refusal to wear one will likely result in being denied boarding. We now have Travel Safely Ambassadors working to remind guests to wear a face covering and provide a free one if needed. Click here to watch a video of the LAX Travel Safely Ambassadors in action.
  
  
• Follow public health guidance and wash your hands frequently, using soap and water for at least 20 seconds. LAX has provided 350 hand sanitizing stations for use throughout the airport. Use hand sanitizer when washing isn't possible. Avoid touching your face, mouth, nose eyes and ears. 
  
  
• Remain physically distanced. While LAX has installed signage at security screening, along jet bridges, at baggage claims and other locations to help guests remain physically separated, it is everyone's individual responsibility to maintain a distance of six feet from one another at all times. Signage on elevators will indicate whether two or three people are allowed in the elevator at a time, depending on the size of the elevator (family groups are exempt from this limit). LAX requests that those who are able to take an escalator or stairs do so, so the elevators can be reserved for those who need them.
  
  
• Check in online with your airline before you leave for the airport. This prevents the need to interact with a check-in kiosk. If you are traveling without checked luggage, you can skip the ticket counters entirely this way.
  
  
• Check parking options ahead of time. Real-time parking availability within the LAX Central Terminal Area (CTA) parking structures is available here. Parking structures could fill up at any time, so be aware of off-airport private lots as alternatives. Economy Lot E remains closed. 
  
  
• Parking and traffic updates are available 24/7 via the automated @FlyLAXstats Twitter feed.
  
  
• Picking someone up? Curbside pickup and drop-off is permitted on the Upper/Departures and Lower/Arrivals levels. All parking structures are free for the first 15 minutes, and Terminal B (Tom Bradley International Terminal) pickup area is also free to use. To access the Terminal B pickup, use the second entrance to Parking Structure 3 from World Way North on the Lower/Arrivals Level. This area is for passenger loading only with no parking allowed.
  
  
• To help speed their journeys, travelers are encouraged to enroll in the Transportation Security Administration's Pre√® or other trusted-traveler programs, such as U.S. Customs & Border Protection’s Global Entry, which improve security and reduce wait times.
  
  
• According to TSA, baked goods and other solid foods are allowed in carry-on luggage. This includes breads, cookies, candies and meat. However, jams, jellies, sauces, gravies or other liquids need to be in quantities of 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less to travel in carry-on luggage. Anything over 3.4 ounces needs to be placed in a checked bag. For additional guidance, please visit the TSA's "What Can I Bring?" website.

For more information, visit www.FlyLAX.com/TravelSafely.

LAX has implemented a number of new technologies and processes that help reduce the need to touch common surfaces along the airport journey. These include:

• LAX Order Now:  This recently launched program that allows LAX guests to browse, order, pay for and pickup food from any of the airport's terminals using an online order system. The new service is part of LAX's digital marketplace strategy to enhance the travel experience, by allowing guests to search, browse and order food and non-alcoholic beverages from any of the dozens of participating restaurants across the airport. It also provides a way for passengers to order and pick up food without having physical contact with another person. Remember, guests can remove face covering off to eat or drink, but must put them back on when finished. Click here to view a video explaining the new LAX Order Now service.
  
  
• Simplified Arrival: This new enhanced international arrival process uses facial biometrics to automate the manual document checks that are already required for admission into the United States. This process provides travelers with a touchless process that further secures and streamlines international arrivals while fulfilling a longstanding congressional mandate to biometrically record the entry and exit of non-U.S. citizens. This new technology is in use for arriving international travelers.
  
  
• ID Scanners: LAX is among 50 U.S. airports in which the TSA is using new Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) in which passengers insert their photo ID into a reader without needing to exchange documents or show a boarding pass at security screening checkpoints.
  
  
• Air quality: LAX has in place a rigorous air quality program that predates the COVID-19 pandemic. The air quality program includes MERV 8 pre-filter, charcoal filters where appropriate to remove odors and a MERV13 final filter. Most existing and all newer air handling units have UV light protection and ionization to protect against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. HVAC systems provide an average of 10 air changes per hour. Public restrooms receive an estimated 15 air changes per hour, and pet relief areas located indoors receive 30 air changes per hour.
  
  
• Personal Protective Equipment: Guests at LAX now have access to personal protective equipment (PPE) such as hand sanitizer, face coverings and gloves via convenient vending machines located in the ticketing areas of most terminals. Each machine offers touch-free payment including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. All of the items available in the machines are TSA compliant and can be brought through any of the TSA security screening checkpoints. Click here for a video of the new PPE vending machines.
  
  
• Touch-free elevators: As a pilot program, elevators in Terminal 1 are now programmed to stop automatically at every floor, preventing the need for guests to touch individual buttons.
  
  
• Touchless faucets: Hundreds of restroom faucets and a handful of drinking fountains have been converted to touchless activation. They can be turned on by waving a hand.
  
  
• UV-C Light: The airport is piloting the use of Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) lights to kill bacteria and viruses on escalator handrails and in restrooms.

In addition to new technologies, the airport has made several physical changes as well:

• COVID-19 tests: COVID-19 tests are now available for purchase inside the Tom Bradley International Terminal along Aisle C, at the information booth on the Lower/Arrivals Level of Terminal 2 and across the street from Terminal 6 on the Lower/Arrivals Level. 
  
  
• Cleaning: Cleaning crews are on site 24/7 and armed with hospital-grade cleaning products that kill bacteria and viruses. High-touch surfaces are routinely cleaned, and crews also are using advanced electrostatic sprayers to clean surfaces even more deeply.
  
  
• Barriers: To help reduce physical contact throughout the airport, LAX and its partners have installed hundreds of new Plexiglas and acrylic barriers at airline ticket counters and other locations around the airport.
  
  
• TSA dividers: As part of its national "Stay Healthy, Stay Secure" campaign, the TSA has installed new acrylic barriers and associated equipment at TSA’s security checkpoints at LAX. These installations provide additional physical barriers between TSA officers and the traveling public at document checking podiums and along conveyor belts. 
  
  
• Announcements and signs: Guests will see and hear updated signage and overhead announcements throughout the airport. Reminders include that face coverings are required, the importance of physical distancing and other tips for navigating LAX.

The public is reminded that LAX’s $14.5 billion modernization program continues. When coming to LAX, passengers should look for and follow wayfinding signage near all construction sites to ensure their safety and to enhance mobility. For more information, visit www.FlyLAX.com.

LAX is also under much heavier construction within the CTA compared to the same time last year, which means there will be additional road work and detours around certain areas. Be prepared to drive slowly and with caution around work zones. A construction moratorium will be in place on the following dates to assist with traffic flow: Dec. 24 and 25, and Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

Know Your Destination's Rules

Many destinations, both international and domestic, have implemented travel restrictions or rules for visitors. Knowing the current rules for your destination is essential this year.

For international travel, consult the U.S. State Department or individual country embassy and consulates for current restrictions and guidance. 

For domestic travel, resources on current restrictions may include state health department or individual city government websites. A list of state-by-state Thanksgiving holiday travel restrictions is being kept by the New York Times.

As of mid-December, a stay-at-home order is in effect in several regions of California, including metropolitan Los Angeles. This includes a prohibition on non-essential travel.

Guests arriving at LAX from other countries or states, as well as California residents returning from out-of-state travel, are required to complete a mandatory form acknowledging that they have read and understood the state’s travel advisory, which included a 14-day quarantine. Travelers over the age of 16 must submit this form online prior to or upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport, Van Nuys Airport, or Union Station. Failure to submit the form is punishable by a fine of up to $500. The form can be found here, or for more information click here.

Visitors should also call ahead to their intended destinations to learn about local restrictions. A comprehensive list of California travel sites is available via Visit California. Information about travel to Los Angeles is available via Discover Los Angeles.