"I'm lost": Ahead of the World Cup, Los Angeles Airport remains a hassle

TJ James arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on the afternoon of May 15, 2026, after an 18-hour journey, experiencing a glimpse of the chaos expected as tens of thousands of tourists arrive for the football World Cup, which kicks off on June 11. Along with his wife, two children, and four suitcases, he found himself amidst a sea of frustrated cars moving at a crawl. Amidst the cacophony of honking horns, the family struggled to locate the bus that would take them to their rental vehicle. "There are no signs clearly indicating where I need to go," sighed James, a 47-year-old mining industry worker from Perth, Australia. "I did my research, and I'm still struggling." Having visited this airport several times already, James expressed concern for international travelers, stating, "I’m still lost and I’m American. It’s really frustrating."

LAX's notorious reputation is legendary. The previous year, Netflix compared the airport to a "torture chamber" in a promotion for "Wednesday," its spin-off series about the Addams Family. The airport sees an average of 95,000 vehicles per day, most of which must navigate a bottleneck created by a horseshoe-shaped road that circles the terminals where each passenger attempts to be dropped off or picked up as close as possible. To relieve congestion, taxis and rideshare services are prohibited from picking up passengers along this roadway.

Travelers arriving without someone to pick them up must board indistinguishable buses that go to different locations based on the color of their stops: green for taxi parking, purple for car rentals, red for select hotels, and pink for other terminals. According to Joshua Schank, a transport expert at UCLA, this "maze" illustrates why LAX "is clearly an airport that Los Angeles residents love to hate."

The World Cup in North America, where Los Angeles will host eight matches, was expected to help improve the Californian city’s image, two years before it hosts the Olympic Games. A $3.5 billion aerial train project, connecting the airport to the metro, was supposed to be operational before the tournament. However, the project has suffered numerous delays and contract disputes, and the trains are currently run empty for safety testing. They will not be ready for World Cup supporters, and authorities have ceased providing an opening date. LAX declined to comment to AFP on the matter.

Schank lamented that the aerial train “has not received the urgency it truly deserves from elected officials,” noting that Los Angeles, designed for car travel with its sprawling highways, has "a greater need" than other major U.S. cities to improve public transportation. With only six metro lines, the system remains inadequate for serving the metropolis and its 10 million residents.

To address transportation issues, Los Angeles plans to deploy 300 buses to transport fans directly to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood from a dozen locations, including the airport. The ticket price is set at just $1.75, a minor victory for fans, especially in light of New Jersey charging $98 for a round-trip train fare between New York and MetLife Stadium. Nonetheless, Schank insists that Los Angeles must do much more to modernize its airport. He recommended adding bus lines adjacent to the metro station that the train will serve to expand accessible destinations and suggested charging for vehicle access to the horseshoe area. Otherwise, traffic jams are likely to persist.

"Elected officials need to mobilize if we want the Olympics to be a success," Schank argued. Until then, Nigerian traveler Henrietta Henry, who visits Los Angeles several times a year, advised football fans landing at LAX to "get prepared." "The first time, it was really hell for me," she recalled.