LAX vs Burbank vs Long Beach: Best LA Airport for Business

For Century City, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and the rest of the Westside, LAX is usually the right airport, and it is the only one of the three with a full long-haul international schedule. Hollywood Burbank is often faster door to door for the studios, Hollywood, Glendale, Pasadena and the San Fernando Valley, while Long Beach suits Long Beach itself and the harbor area; for Irvine and the rest of Orange County, John Wayne (SNA) usually beats all three. Downtown can go either way: LAX has the flights, but Burbank is a similar distance away and worth checking.

Here is how we look at the choice when we book chauffeured airport transfers across Los Angeles, with typical drive-time ranges, the LAX-it rules and what to expect when you land.

LAX vs Burbank vs Long Beach at a glance

Drive-time ranges are typical door-to-curb figures from our Los Angeles airport transfer guide and city pages. Los Angeles has no reliable off-peak: the lower figure means quiet roads, usually before about 6 a.m. or after about 8 p.m. on weekdays, so treat the ranges as planning figures, not guarantees.

LAX: the most flights, and the busiest curb

LAX has the long-haul flights, the most nonstops and the most rebooking options when plans change. Its terminals, numbered 1 through 8 plus the Tom Bradley International Terminal, sit around a single horseshoe loop with an upper departures level and a lower arrivals level. Terminal 5 is closed for rebuilding, with reopening anticipated in 2028, and ongoing modernization work means construction and detours, so we confirm your terminal against your flight number on the day. Most international arrivals clear customs at Tom Bradley, although Terminals 2 and 7 also have customs halls.

LAX-it and the rules for pre-arranged cars

Taxi pickups and standard ride-app pickups, such as UberX and Lyft, no longer happen at the LAX terminals. They use LAX-it, a dedicated lot east of Terminal 1 that you reach on foot or by a free shuttle from the green-signed stops on the lower arrivals level. According to LAX, LAX-it does not affect limousine or executive car pickups: pre-arranged cars pick up at the outermost curb on the lower level, outside baggage claim.

The rules for those cars are strict: drivers need an airport transponder, must check in at a holding lot first, may stop at the curb only briefly and cannot leave a car there unattended, so a chauffeur who meets you inside parks in a garage. For you, that means a name sign at baggage claim and a short walk to the car, with no shuttle or LAX-it line.

Burbank: the studio and Valley airport

Hollywood Burbank is small and close to the studios. It currently has two terminals, A and B, and its replacement terminal is scheduled to open in October 2026, so pickup points will change around the move; we confirm the current meeting point with your booking. For the studios, Pasadena and the Valley it is usually faster end to end than LAX. Burbank to Pasadena typically runs 20 to 30 minutes off-peak, against 40 to 55 minutes from LAX, and at peak the difference often grows to half an hour or more each way.

The trade-off is choice. Burbank has fewer airlines and nonstop destinations and no long-haul international flights, so a cancellation leaves fewer same-day alternatives.

Long Beach and John Wayne: the southern options

Long Beach Airport is compact, with a single terminal built around its restored 1941 terminal building and a much smaller schedule than LAX. For Long Beach, the port and the harbor area it is the easy choice, but it is not a shortcut to Downtown LA: that drive typically takes 30 to 40 minutes off-peak and 60 to 85 minutes at peak.

For Irvine, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and the rest of Orange County, look at John Wayne (SNA) first. It has three terminals, A, B and C, and sits beside Irvine’s business district, with Newport Beach typically 10 to 15 minutes away off-peak. Flying into LAX instead means a long run down the 405, and the reverse holds too: John Wayne to Downtown LA is 45 to 60 minutes off-peak and 85 to 120 minutes at peak.

Van Nuys and private aviation

Van Nuys, in the San Fernando Valley, is the region’s main private-aviation field, and Los Angeles World Airports, which owns and operates it, ranks it among the world’s busiest general-aviation airports. It has many fixed-base operators (FBOs) spread across a large site, so the FBO name matters more than the airport name when a car is dispatched. It is well placed for the studios and the Valley, and Beverly Hills is typically 25 to 35 minutes away off-peak and 45 to 65 minutes at peak. Burbank, Santa Monica, Long Beach and John Wayne also handle private flights. Give us your tail number and FBO when you book: we track the aircraft rather than a schedule, coordinate directly with the FBO and meet you planeside where the operator allows it. Our Los Angeles private aviation page covers each field.

Where your chauffeur meets you

Our default is a meet-and-greet: your chauffeur waits inside near baggage claim with a name sign, then walks you to the car. At Burbank, Long Beach and John Wayne, a quick curbside pickup usually works well if you prefer it. For international arrivals, clearing immigration and customs can take a while; your 60 minutes of free waiting time starts when you land, and we monitor the flight, so a slow customs line does not mean a missed pickup. If fog or weather diverts your flight, for example to Ontario, we re-plan the pickup where you actually land.

Practical tips for business travelers

• Respect the 405. A Santa Monica or Century City run that takes 25 minutes at dawn can take an hour in the late afternoon, so plan departures with margin.
• Book studio days hourly. Early calls and long days run better with a car held on site than with a string of transfers.
• Choose the right vehicle. The Executive Sedan takes 3 passengers and 3 bags; the Executive SUV takes 6 and 6.
• Keep plans flexible. Cancellation is free up to 2 hours before pickup.

Executive Black Car books, prices, dispatches and invoices every ride; the driving is done by vetted independent chauffeur operators who work Los Angeles roads every day. Quotes are all-inclusive and confirmed in writing, with a 20% chauffeur gratuity and known airport fees built in, and no surge pricing at any hour. Teams that travel regularly can set up corporate accounts for consolidated billing. See our full Los Angeles black car service coverage, or get an instant all-inclusive quote now. Dispatch is available 24/7 at 1-866-EXEC230.