<p>Hello, all. I am a nervous parent posting with concern for my daughter, who will be a USC student this fall. She will be attending the orientation on June 21 & 22 by herself. There are not a huge number of flights between our home airport (Kansas City) and LAX daily, so we already have her signed up to arrive the evening of the 20th.</p>
<p>She is a very independent girl and claims that she "can handle it" (of course), and I'm sure that she can (she has visited and attended exploreUSC alone), but I worry. We read on the orientation website that students shouldn't make plans that mean they have to leave before 5 p.m. - but that will mean she may be cutting it pretty close to making her return flight home.</p>
<p>I have a few questions about the situation:
1) Is it absolutely set in stone that nobody leaves before 5? Even a 4:30 departure from the school would make me feel much more secure.
2) In that same vein, I assume that travelling in Los Angeles around 5 p.m. is a mess (I have never been). How long should she expect the trip to the airport to take?
3) I'm assuming that the most time efficient method of travel is calling a cab (please correct me if I'm wrong). Any recommendations for reliable companies? She has hailed many a cab on the streets of NYC, but I don't think she has ever called for one before.</p>
<p>Thank you so much to anyone who attempts to ease my worries!</p>
<p>4:30 should be fine. They are usually scheduling their classes that afternoon but it shouldn’t take the whole time. The airport shuttles are the cheapest but the want to pick you p at a certain time (number of hours before your flight). Depending on her flight time this may or may not work. DS uses Prime Time Shuttle.</p>
<p>This may or may not help you due to the timing, but my son is attending the same orientation June 21-22. I have scheduled a town car to pick him up at 5pm for the return to LAX, and we are looking for a couple of additional kids to share the ride for a total cost of $25 per person. Send me a PM if you (or any other posters!) are interested.</p>
<p>I’d recommend getting in on the town car split by the poster above. There is a key onramp to the carpool only lanes right by USC that the town car driver should know to take during rush hour and it will get you to the airport quickly as the carpool lanes are separated from the rest of traffic heading southbound to the airport.</p>
<p>1) Your daughter should be done before 5, probably even much earlier. They allow 4 hours for registration but it shouldn’t take more than an hour and two hours is really pushing it. The event at 3pm is cookies and coffee which is really just some cookies and coffee on a table and you can take that for what its worth.
2) Honestly, if the driver takes the carpool lanes on the 110 south and then the carpool lanes 105 east, the trip should be less than 30 minutes. If they don’t, you’ll probably be in traffic much longer (ie. driver has to pick up more people although it shouldn’t be a problem as everyone should be in the same situation, coming from orientation)
3) I’d recommend taking Super Shuttle or Prime time shuttle as it will be half the price of a cab.</p>
<p>My daughter is doing the same thing from Chicago, arriving on the 20th and leaving on 7:30 pm flight on the 22 nd. Pm me as I’d be interested in talking shared transport.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the quick and thorough responses!</p>
<p>My D has used the Prime Time Shuttles in the past, but never on a time crunch. I went on the website and put her flight time in and they recommend a 4:20 pick-up (which seems as though it might be doable, now).</p>
<p>We’re looking into sharing transport. D says I worry too much, but this is the last flight of the day on our airline of choice and I’d hate for her to be stranded in LAX for the night!</p>
<p>Not that anyone would want to be stranded in an airport but from a security standpoint, I can’t think of many safer places! I’m sure she can leave early - orientation isn’t even mandatory. My D is flying herself from Chicago but the last session.</p>
<p>D was done by 3pm last year! She knew what she wanted to register for and was done early and had to wait for me (I thought it would take longer).</p>