Chasing a low airfare is only half the game here. The other half is what it costs you to get to the right airport and then back across town when you land. I drive these routes every day, and the cheapest play in Los Angeles changes with the time of day, the airport you pick, and whether you’re traveling solo or with a couple of carry-ons and a toddler.
If your feed is telling you to book a $25-cheaper flight out of Ontario or Burbank, that can be a win. But stack it up against ground costs and time. A nonstop bus to Union Station from LAX runs $12.75 one way, the rail path from the LAX/Metro Transit Center starts at $1.75 with free transfers for two hours and a daily fare cap at $5, and Ontario’s shuttle from the Metrolink station is free with a valid train ticket. That’s the kind of math that actually moves the needle.
From LAX, you’ve got three cheap moves. The simplest is LAX FlyAway to Union Station or Van Nuys, a nonstop service priced at $12.75 per adult, seven days a week. If you’d rather pay near-Metro prices, use the free LAX/Metro Transit Center shuttle, which runs daily from 4:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., then ride Metro Rail for $1.75 with a built-in two-hour transfer window. Rideshare is easy, but every pickup or drop-off at LAX gets hit with a $4 airport fee on top of the app fare, so factor that in if you’re optimizing dollars over minutes.
If your cheapest airfare is out of Burbank, Metrolink is the quiet money-saver. The airport offers a complimentary, on-demand shuttle between the terminals and both Metrolink’s Burbank Airport–South and North stations. On weekends, a $10 Metrolink Weekend Day Pass covers unlimited rides systemwide, so a Saturday morning hop to or from BUR can cost less than your airport coffee.
Ontario is best when you can sync to Metrolink. ONT Connect, a dedicated shuttle known as Route 380, runs between the airport and Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink. It’s free with a valid Metrolink ticket or $2 if you’re riding it by itself. That trims a surprising amount off the true cost of using ONT compared to paying for curbside pickup with airport fees baked in.
Down in Long Beach, the airport’s local connection is straightforward. Long Beach Transit’s Route 111 serves LGB, and the regular single-ride fare is $1.25. That puts you within one transfer of Metro’s A Line at Downtown Long Beach, which is a cheap way to chain your trip into the regional rail network.
| Airport | Cheapest public option | One-way fare | Key detail |
| LAX | Metro Rail via free LAX/Metro Transit Center shuttle | $1.75 base fare, never more than $5 per day with fare capping | Shuttle runs daily 4:00 a.m.–1:00 a.m.; two-hour free transfers on Metro |
| LAX | LAX FlyAway to Union Station or Van Nuys | $12.75 one way | Nonstop, card or app payment accepted on board |
| BUR | Metrolink + complimentary airport shuttle | $10 on weekends with Metrolink Weekend Day Pass | Free, on-demand shuttle links terminals to Burbank Airport–South and –North stations |
| ONT | Metrolink + ONT Connect (Route 380) | $10 on weekends for Metrolink; ONT Connect is free with a valid Metrolink ticket or $2 alone | Nonstop shuttle between terminals and Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink |
| LGB | Long Beach Transit Route 111 | $1.25 single ride | Direct to Downtown Long Beach with an easy transfer to Metro A Line |
On Metro, every tap with a TAP card, contactless credit card, or a phone wallet starts a two-hour free-transfer clock. Your base fare is $1.75, but fare capping means you’ll never spend more than $5 in a day or $18 in seven days, no pass pre-purchase needed. If you’re moving between terminals and your hotel and then again to dinner and back, those taps stack toward the cap. Children under age 6 ride free with a paying adult, which is a quiet family saver.
LADOT’s neighborhood buses are priced to move. DASH rides are 50 cents cash or 35 cents with TAP. The $18 31‑Day DASH Pass covers unlimited rides across all DASH routes, and a valid Metrolink ticket or pass rides DASH for free. If you’re staying downtown, using DASH for the short hops and Metro Rail for the longer legs is usually faster and cheaper than a string of short rideshares, especially at the edges of rush hour when surge pricing pops.
South Bay riders have a solid airport connection on a budget. GTrans Line 5 links the South Bay to the LAX/Metro Transit Center with a regular fare of $1.00. It runs about every 30 minutes most of the day, which means fewer long platform waits if you’re timing a flight or a meeting near the airport.
Pick FlyAway if you’ve got a roller bag, a laptop, and a schedule to keep. The bus is a single seat to Union Station with no transfers and costs $12.75. If you’re traveling in a pair and heading downtown, that’s $25.50 total, which often undercuts a rush-hour rideshare after the $4 airport fee. It also cleanly lines up with Amtrak and Metrolink at Union Station if you’re pushing farther out.
Pick Metro Rail if you like savings and you’re fine with one or two transfers. Take the free airport shuttle to the LAX/Metro Transit Center, then ride the K and C lines as needed and connect into the A, B, D, or E lines depending on your final stop. You’ll pay $1.75, and you still won’t break $5 for the entire day if you ride more later. Cash is accepted on buses, but fare caps don’t apply to cash rides, so tap with a card or phone to unlock the daily and weekly caps.
Traveling with kids or on a work stipend that doesn’t cover rideshares? Between Metro’s free transfers and the LADOT and municipal buses that take TAP, stacking cheap segments is how locals keep a day of meetings under the cap. It’s not glamorous, but it’s consistent, which matters more at 5 p.m. when the 405 is barely moving.
Hollywood Burbank Airport is built for rail. The terminals are a short hop from two stations, and the complimentary, on-demand shuttle handles the transfer. If you’re flying on a Saturday, that $10 Metrolink Weekend Day Pass covers the whole rail leg. On weekdays the base Metrolink fare varies by distance, but it still stacks well when you factor in what a rideshare costs in the late afternoon up the 5 and 134.
Ontario International rewards anyone living east of Downtown who can ride the rails. ONT Connect’s Route 380 runs between the terminals and Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink and is free with a valid Metrolink ticket or $2 alone. If your flight is earlier than your train, you can stage at the station and roll on the next ONT Connect departure. Parking at ONT for a self‑drive is tiered: general daily lots run $20 to $30 per day, premium lots are $35, and valet posts $30 per day. That lets you price out whether a weeklong trip is cheaper with rail and shuttle or with a prepaid parking promo.
Long Beach Airport is the mellow choice with a cheap city bus. Long Beach Transit’s Route 111 serves LGB, and a single ride is $1.25. If your destination sits along the A Line or Downtown Long Beach, the combo of LBT plus Metro is hard to beat. You may give back a few minutes on transfers, but you’ll keep cash in your pocket and skip paying for curb access.
There’s one LAX-adjacent move that budget fliers use a lot: the Van Nuys FlyAway. If you live in or north of the Valley, parking at the Van Nuys FlyAway terminal is $2 per hour up to a $6 daily max, with a 30‑day limit. Then it’s the usual $12.75 for the nonstop bus to and from the LAX terminals. For a long trip, that parking cap plus a guaranteed seat on the bus beats circling the horseshoe to find a pickup where your driver can actually stop.
Weekend trips are their own math problem. Metrolink’s $10 Weekend Day Pass gives you unlimited rides systemwide on Saturdays and Sundays. That covers trips to or from BUR, connections to the Antelope Valley, Ventura County, Orange County, or the 91/Perris Valley corridor, and it sits nicely with municipal buses that honor Metrolink tickets for local transfers at no extra cost.
Fold Ontario into that plan and it gets better. Ride the Metrolink to Rancho Cucamonga with the same $10 weekend pass, then board the ONT Connect shuttle. With ONT Connect free when you show a valid Metrolink ticket, your whole airport leg is covered. That’s one reason Ontario sometimes wins out even for Westside travelers on a weekend morning, especially when the 10 and 105 are a mess with construction closures.
Use a TAP card or tap a contactless credit or debit card and your rides cap at $5 daily or $18 in seven days for regular fare. Seniors and riders with disabilities have lower caps, and students on reduced fare top out at $2.50 per day or $6 in seven days. Two-hour free transfers are built in. If you pay cash on a bus, those caps don’t apply, so don’t leave money on the table.
Metro Micro is an on-demand shuttle inside defined zones, including the LAX/Inglewood area. The fare is a flat $2.50 and includes free transfers into Metro bus and rail. If you land late and only need to bridge one or two miles to a rail station or hotel, Micro is a reliable low-cost backstop that keeps you away from surge pricing.
At LAX, rideshare companies are charged $4 for each pickup and each drop-off. Those costs flow into what you see in the app. If you’re splitting with a friend and leaving at 5 p.m., the fee plus congestion can erase most of what you were saving versus taking FlyAway or rail. Ontario’s ground rules are similar, with a $5 per pickup or drop-off charge for rideshares on-site.
Yes. The shuttle between the terminals and the LAX/Metro Transit Center is free and runs daily from 4:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.. From there, a Metro Rail ride starts at $1.75 with free transfers for two hours and a daily fare cap of $5.
FlyAway is $12.75 for a nonstop ride, which is the simplest if you want a single seat. Metro via the free airport shuttle is $1.75 for the first tap and caps at $5 per day, but you’ll make a transfer or two. If you’re traveling solo and not in a rush, Metro is the cheaper move.
Yes. Hollywood Burbank Airport runs a complimentary, on-demand shuttle between the terminals and both Burbank Airport–South and –North Metrolink stations. If it’s a weekend, a $10 Metrolink Weekend Day Pass covers your rail leg systemwide.
Take Metrolink to Rancho Cucamonga and connect to the ONT Connect shuttle. ONT Connect is free with a valid Metrolink ticket or $2 if you ride it standalone. On weekends, the $10 Metrolink pass plus ONT Connect makes the whole route budget-friendly.
To narrow your choice, start where you live and the time you’re leaving. If you can make a one-seat ride work, FlyAway and the $10 Metrolink Weekend Day Pass are hard to beat; if you’re chaining short trips, lean on Metro’s fare capping and the free airport shuttle window to keep the whole day under $5.
Published: September 9, 2026