Visiting

The American Institute of Mathematics

Travel Guidelines

Before arranging your travel to AIM, please read this page carefully. If your travel plans are unusual or if your travel expenses will exceed the guidelines below, please document the expenses and contact Harpreet Kaur (kaur@aimath.org) for approval before completing the purchase. If your expenses are significantly higher than these guidelines and you have not received approval in advance, AIM may not be able to reimburse the full cost of your trip.

Workshops and SQuaREs run Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Participants should plan to arrive on Sunday and depart on Saturday or possibly late Friday night. AIM does not pay for Saturday night lodging. If a participant does not attend four full days, the air fare reimbursement is half the total.

Air Travel

The nearest airport is the Burbank Airport (BUR). There are nonstop flights from several U.S. cities including Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, Nashville, and New York (JFK).

The much larger Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is about 30 miles from the hotel. Also serving the LA metropolitan area are the Long Beach Airport (LGB), 35 miles away, Ontario Airport (ONT), 36 miles away, and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana (SNA), 50 miles away.

Please purchase economy class tickets for air travel at least 30 days in advance. AIM cannot reimburse the cost of travel insurance, priority boarding, seat selection, economy plus, business class, or first class tickets. Guidelines for airfare (including checked bag fees):

  • within California – $350

  • within North America – $750

  • from Europe – $1400

  • other overseas travel – $1800

Because of the Fly America Act, participants coming from outside the U.S. must purchase a ticket from a U.S. flag carrier (an airline owned by an American company) or an EU (European Union) carrier, unless exempted by one of the following Open Skies Agreements:

  • Participants may use a Japanese carrier as long as the point of origin or destination is an airport in Japan.

  • Participants may use a Swiss carrier as long as the point of origin or destination is an airport in Switzerland. Likewise for Iceland and Norway.

  • Participants may use an Australian carrier as long as the point of origin or destination is an airport in Australia.

These exemptions do not include the U.K., Canada, or Mexico. All flights originating in the U.K. or North America must bear the designation of a U.S. airline. This means that the ticket must show the flight code of a U.S.-based carrier, independent of which company actually operates the flight. Normally this means that the ticket must be purchased from the U.S. airline. Tickets from British Airways and Air Canada cannot be reimbursed.

Ground Transportation

AIM will reimburse up to $250 total in ground transportation costs (this includes shuttles, mileage, and parking on both ends of your trip). Airport transit in the Los Angeles area can be quite expensive. When possible, consider sharing airport transportation with other participants in your Workshop or SQuaRE.

Important: Do not request a Lyft, Uber, or taxi directly from an LAX terminal. Instead, walk or take the free shuttle to LAX-it, and arrange your ride from there.

Public transportation to LAX or BUR airports can take longer but is of course much less expensive. You can look for options here.