OCTOBER MODERNIZATION UPDATE: PREPARATION FOR NEW TERMINAL BUILDING MEANS CHANGES AHEAD AT LAX
(Los Angeles, California – October 3, 2017) As prep work starts this month for a new building that will connect Terminals 1 and 2, part of the $14 billion in work to modernize Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), guests will want to be up to date on the latest changes to traffic patterns and walking routes. With a record number of passengers using LAX in 2017, work in the terminals and on nearby roadways means guests should plan ahead to navigate sidewalk and vehicle lane closures and in-terminal work, and arrive at least two hours before the scheduled boarding time (not the departure time) for domestic flights and three hours before the scheduled boarding time for international flights. LAX provides real-time traffic status in and around the CTA on Waze, the community-based traffic reporting app.
The Skycap area will be relocated to the front of Terminal 1 as construction begins on Terminal 1.5 in October.
Roadway Impacts in and near the CTA:
• The main construction area at Terminal 1 is located near the center of the building, with continued impact to the drop-off lane on the Upper/Departures Level. A pick-up and drop-off area for parking shuttles and the Lot C bus ONLY is open on the eastern end of the terminal. Private vehicles are not allowed to drop off in this space and should continue to the west end of Terminal 1.During busy travel times, such as early morning and midday, passenger drop-off can cause traffic backups on the roads leading into the CTA, affecting access to all other terminals. To avoid traffic congestion at LAX from early morning to 2 p.m., motorists are asked to use the Lower/Arrivals Level to drop off passengers, who can then take elevators, escalators, or stairs up to the Upper/Departures Level.
• Installation of metal panels on Parking Structures 1 and 3 may require the intermittent closure of the left-most lane on the Lower/Arrivals Level between 4 a.m. and 1 p.m., daily through October.
• Lane closures are possible on Center Way, between East Way and Circle Way near the airport’s exit, for repair of a hot water line. The work will take place daily between midnight and 3:30 p.m., and no more than two lanes will close at any one time.
• Southbound Aviation Boulevard will be closed between Century Boulevard and 98th Street from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, for utility location work.
• Westbound Century Boulevard will be closed at Aviation Boulevard from midnight to 6 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 9-Thursday, Oct. 12 to allow Metro to install framing to build stairs for the new Century/Aviation station. A detour will be posted.
Work on a $573 million renovation of Terminals 7/8 continues taking shape in October.
Terminal Construction/Renovation:
• Terminal 1: Phase 3 of Southwest Airlines’ $515-million Terminal 1 Renovation Project has shifted to the central part of the terminal, including the installation of new restrooms and a food court at the former Security Screening Check Point. With the onset of construction of Terminal 1.5, the Skycap area has been relocated to the front of Terminal 1. A new screening area opened in April, with ticketed passengers using a tunnel to bypass construction between the ticketing lobby and checkpoint. The food court in the south end of the terminal has closed, with guests directed to establishments further north in Terminal 1. A temporary coffee concession (Einstein’s) will open later this month near Gate 12.Westfield is phasing in new concessions through 2018. On the way to the baggage claim area, arriving passengers will be directed to the right when they reach the bottom of the escalators. Renovation work in the area of the escalators will take place overnight, with arriving passengers directed to the escalators in the Security Screening Check Point after 11 p.m. nightly. Gate 16 will reopen later this month, at which time Gate 10 will be permanently closed in preparation for construction of Terminal 1.5. Gate 12A and 14 are temporarily closed for renovations. The pedestrian bridge connecting Parking Structure 1 and the terminal is closed, with signs placed to direct passengers. The restrooms on the ticketing level have been temporarily replaced by all-gender restrooms on the west side of the lobby. Passengers may also use restrooms located on the Lower/Arrivals Level or in the terminal near Gates 9, 10 and 13.
• Terminal 2: Xiamen Airlines flights now arrive at Terminal 2, but continue to depart from the Tom Bradley International Terminal (B/TBIT). Delta Air Lines shuttle buses depart and arrive from near Gate 22, with service to Terminal 3 and Terminal B/TBIT.
• Terminal 3: Delta Air Lines has relocated to Terminal 3 as a precursor to its plans for a massive renovation. Delta shuttle buses depart and arrive from Gate 35, connecting Terminals 2 and B/TBIT. Passengers on Avianca, InterJet, and Copa Airlines check in at counters on the west side of Terminal 3 and walk next door to Terminal B/TBIT for their flights. A food court, including Shake Shack, LA Life, and a new Starbucks location is now open. A Nekter juice bar has opened across from Gate 30. La Familia, a restaurant and tequila spot, is scheduled to open later this month, with additional retail and dining destinations added by year’s end.
• Tom Bradley International Terminal (B/TBIT): Renumbered Gates 137, 139, and 141 are open on the north end of B/TBIT. Gate 131 is closed for construction of improvements to the baggage handling facility, and Gate 132 is closed for work related to the Midfield Satellite Concourse. Passengers using Terminals 4-8 are able to access shops and restaurants in Terminal B/TBIT without having to clear security a second time by using the Terminal 4 Connector. Work has begun to upgrade 14 of the 16 lanes in the Security Screening Check Point to Automated Screening Lanes, which processes approximately 30 percent more passengers per hour.The first of the new lanes will open later this month.
• Terminal 4: Food & Bounty has opened in the food truck in the south end of the terminal.The Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge have closed for a multimillion-dollar renovation, with guests directed to the newly opened lounge in Terminal 5, accessible by an airside connector. America Airlines is also upgrading terminal signage.
• Terminal 5: With Delta’s mid-May move to Terminals 2 and 3, Allegiant, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Spirit, and Sun Country have relocated operations to Terminal 5, which also includes four gates for American Airlines. The bus to the American Eagle terminal leaves from Gate 52.The newly renovated Admirals Club has opened on the mezzanine level. Work will take place overnight to replace carpeting in American Airlines’ gate areas.
• Terminal 6: Virgin America, Air Canada, XL Airways France, Thomas Cook, and Boutique Air operate from Terminal 6, joining Alaska Airlines. In addition, Ethiopian Airlines now departs from Terminal 6 but arrives at Terminal B/TBIT, while Austrian Airlines arrives at Terminal 6, and departs from Terminal B/TBIT – these two carriers have “split” operations.
• Terminals 7/8: United Airlines is continuing its $573-million Terminal 7/8 Renovation Project scheduled for completion in early 2018.A portion of the sidewalk on the Lower/Arrivals Level is closed. A new service animal relief area has opened near the connector to Terminal 6, while the former location closer to the middle of Terminal 7 has closed. Gate 76 has reopened following renovations while Gate 77 is closed. Gate 84 is expected to reopen later this month, with renovation work continuing at Gate 88. New men’s restrooms have opened near Gate 70A and between Gates 72 and 74 and the women’s restroom between Gates 75A and 75B has reopened as well. Water-bottle fillers are now available across from Gate 75A as well as adjacent to the women’s restroom at the north end of the concourse. The women’s restroom near Gate 84 is closed for renovation. A new pair of escalators leads passengers from the concourse to baggage claim, and two new elevators are also available to access the Lower/Arrivals Level. Construction barricades have been installed around Baggage Carousel 2, which is being replaced. Construction is scheduled until late December. Passengers can access Baggage Carousels 3 and 4 from the street level. The bridge from Parking Structure 7 has reopened.
New signs have been installed in parking stuctures to help motorists easily find entrances.
Sidewalk/Walkway/Parking Structure Restrictions and Closures:
• As part of Southwest Airlines’ Terminal 1 Renovation Project, portions of the sidewalk on the Upper/Departures Level at the eastern end of the building will be closed through June 2018 with pedestrians routed around barricades. A portion of the drop-off lane will be sectioned off to serve as a walking path while construction barricades are shifted westward.
• Construction on Terminal 1.5 will narrow the sidewalk between Terminals 1 and 2 on the Lower/Arrivals Level.
• Access to stairwells and sidewalks adjacent to Parking Structures 1 and 3 may be impacted by installation of metal panels on the elevator towers through October. Pedestrians will be routed around the work as needed.
• Utility location work may occasionally close portions of sidewalks adjacent to Parking Structure 2B and along Center Way, as well as parking spaces in Lot C.
• Overnight trailer removal may cause delays exiting Parking Structure 6.
• New signs have been posted at the entrances to parking structures in the CTA to make it easier for motorists to find the entry lanes.
Pl ease note that all dates provided in this notice are subject to change.
Motorists can help reduce traffic congestion in and around LAX by taking shared-ride public transportation to and from LAX, including the inexpensive and convenient FlyAway® bus service to and from Hollywood, Long Beach, Metro Orange Line Bus stop (in San Fernando Valley), Union Station, Van Nuys and Westwood. If picking up passengers, motorists can use the free LAX Cell Phone Waiting Lot at the intersection of 96th Street and Vicksburg Avenue, next to the entrance of LAX Economy Parking Lot C.
About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
LA X is the fourth busiest airport in the world, second in the United States, and was named one of Skytrax’ 2017 Top 10 Most Improved Airports. LAX served more than 80.9 million passengers in 2016. LAX offers 737 daily nonstop flights to 100 cities in the U.S. and 1,386 weekly nonstop flights to 88 cities in 44 countries on 73 commercial air carriers. LAX ranks 14th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.2 million tons of air cargo valued at over $101.4 billion. LAX handled 697,138 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2016.
An economic study based on 2014 operations reported LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital-improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion, $966 million in state and local taxes, and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.
LAX is also the second most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.
As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.
