LOS ANGELES AIRPORT EXPERIENCE GETS POSITIVE RATING FROM PASSENGERS

(Los Angeles, California -- April 5, 2002) The overall experience at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) was rated positive by 77 percent of departing passengers, according to a survey released today that was conducted at the airport throughout the month of February.

The survey of 600 adult travelers using LAX in February found that more than half (52 percent) said their experience at the airport was better than they expected. "The survey results indicate the majority of passengers at LAX are coping well with today's air travel environment following the tragic events of September 11," said Lydia H. Kennard, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports. "The results are a tribute to the hard work performed by the airport, airlines, concessionaires and law enforcement agencies in balancing implementation of the new federally mandated security measures with passenger service and convenience."

George D. Kirkland, president and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau, said LAX is working hard to ensure that the 61 million people who use the world's third busiest airport can have as positive an experience as possible in light of new and changing travel restrictions. "People who use the airport are telling us that their actual experiences are much better than what they expected," said Kirkland. "Clearly LAX is rising to the occasion.''

One in five of the surveyed passengers obtained their tickets and checked their baggage using curbside check-in, while two-thirds used the check-in counter. More than 75 percent reported spending 30 minutes or less checking in their bags and processing their tickets at the airline counter.

Following the guidelines and recommendations put in place by airlines passengers are arriving well before their scheduled departure time. Over 83 percent reported arriving at LAX at least two hours prior to their flight in anticipation of long lines at check-in and security.

The enhanced security screening process was rated positive by 66 percent of those surveyed. And over 70 percent expressed the opinion that the amount of security at LAX was "just right."

Sixty-one percent reported taking less than 10 minutes to pass through security. Only four percent reported taking more than one hour to pass through security.

Of surveyed passengers, 26 percent arrived more than three hours before their scheduled departure time and 58 percent between two and three hours in advance.

Of the passengers who arrived at the airport more than three hours prior to departure, 82 percent said they had allowed themselves "too much time." Of those who arrived two to three and one to two hours early, 70 percent and 44 percent, respectively, said it was "too much time."

Airport officials continue to stress the need for passengers to allow sufficient time for departure, especially if their departure times are during the airport's three daily peak travel periods from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Travelers should remember that departures will vary and, when in doubt, they should check with the airlines to confirm the status of their flights.

Passengers departing on international flights through Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) were somewhat less satisfied than passengers departing LAX on domestic flights. Although still strong results, 64 percent of international passengers departing through TBIT rated their overall experience at LAX as positive.

Overall, 76 percent of surveyed passengers said that with a choice of other airports in Southern California, they would have still chosen to fly out of LAX.

The profile of surveyed passengers indicates that 61 percent were traveling for pleasure and 39 percent said their travel was for business. Seven in 10 of those surveyed were domestic travelers. Thirty-five percent were taking their first flight out of LAX since Sept. 11 and 25 percent were on their second.

The 600 adults, selected through a systematic random sampling, were surveyed at boarding gates throughout the month of February following implementation of a new federal requirement to screen 100 percent of all checked luggage. The sample was designed to capture a representative cross-section of departing air travelers by time of day, departure terminal, airline and domestic versus long-haul flights. The results have a statistical precision of plus or minus five percentage points.