Westwood Neighborhood Council seeks improvements to LAX FlyAway service
A student steps aboard the Westwood FlyAway shuttle, which is now facing scrutiny from the Westwood Neighborhood Council for alleged recent service problems. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Eliza Blackorby
Dec. 12, 2014 8:17 p.m.
The Westwood Neighborhood Council passed a motion Wednesday calling for improved service from the LAX FlyAway shuttle.
The FlyAway, an hourly bus service between LAX and Westwood, is popular among UCLA students traveling for university holidays.
The resolution asked L.A. city councilmember Paul Koretz to work with Los Angeles World Airports, which owns LAX and contracts the FlyAway’s bus operations, and ensure the buses run on schedule and are in good condition.
None of the 30 people at the meeting or the council’s 11 present board members spoke in opposition to the motion. Nine of the councilmembers voted in favor of the motion, and two abstained.
“The community wants FlyAway … to be run properly,” said Stephen Resnick, a homeowner representative on the Westwood Neighborhood Council and author of the resolution. “It’s a great resource for the community, but the service has gone downhill.”
Common customer complaints about the FlyAway include unreliability, lateness, unhelpful customer service and noisy, poorly marked buses, Resnick said.
Resnick said he became aware of the FlyAway’s problems through personal experience and word of mouth.
The Westwood Homeowners Association, which Resnick leads, passed the same resolution last week.
Other board members agreed with Resnick, sharing personal anecdotes of being frustrated with the FlyAway’s service when it arrived late.
Kim Fletes, FlyAway’s contract manager, said the shuttle service already has an online system that records specific complaints and allows management to see patterns in service issues.
“We encourage our customers to send their comments, questions and concerns to our website,” Fletes said. “It provides details on dates, routes, buses and bus drivers, which are then recorded.”
Corinthian, the bus operator in charge of the Westwood line, has taken on two new accounts this year and has added services in Santa Monica and Hollywood, Fletes added.
This expansion may account for some recent service issues on the Westwood line, she said.
Resnick and Fletes, along with other airport officials, plan to speak together about the resolution and ways to improve the FlyAway’s service.
Compiled by Eliza Blackorby, Bruin contributor.
