Southern California travelers are getting more options, with Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) adding flights to Shanghai, Las Vegas, Merced, Calif., and other cities. Here's the 411:

* American Airlines on Tuesday started daily flights from LAX to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) in China.

* American Eagle, the regional carrier for American Airlines, added service Tuesday from LAX to Houston; Phoenix; Oklahoma City; Albuquerque; Boise, Idaho; El Paso; Salt Lake City; Sacramento; and Tucson.

* Spirit Airlines on May 5 plans to begin flying nonstop five times a day between LAX and Las Vegas.

* Great Lakes Airlines will start daily service May 15 between LAX and Merced, Calif., according to Merced Regional Airport. The flights will depart Merced at 3:25 p.m. and Los Angeles at 8:31 a.m. I checked random dates online in May and June and found the cheapest nonrefundable airfare to be $103 plus taxes and fees each way.

Great Lakes, based in Cheyenne, Wyo., also flies between Las Vegas and Merced, which is home to a branch of the University of California and a gateway to Yosemite National Park.