LAWA HOSTS SUMMIT BRINGING TOGETHER LEADERS IN TRANSPORTATION TO TACKLE LAX TRAFFIC

            (Los Angeles, California – May 1, 2017)  Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) hosted transportation leaders from the public and private sectors at today’s Traffic Summit at the Hyatt Regency LAX, bringing together leaders from local universities, engineering firms, transportation companies, and government agencies.  Participants collaborated and shared ideas for using current and future technologies to reduce traffic congestion at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and make getting into and out of LAX easier and more efficient.

            “There are many exciting technologies at our disposal, and the Traffic Summit gives us a valuable space in which to evaluate them and discuss their implementation,” said Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners President Sean Burton.  “By having minds from academia, industry, and government come together in one place, we’re generating invaluable insights into how we can use these technologies to reduce traffic and enhance the guest experience.”

            In 2016, nearly 81 million passengers used LAX, and on average, more than 100,000 vehicles per day clogged the airports horseshoe shaped roadway.  “Traffic is our everyday nightmare, which is why it was critical for us to bring together the brightest transportation minds from engineering firms, universities, and the private sector to build the future of transportation with current and emerging technologies,” said LAWA Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint. “Together, we will find new and innovative ways to mitigate traffic in and around the airport, and deliver the gold-standard guest experience that travelers have come to expect from a world-class city like Los Angeles.”

            Summit participants came together to identify firm concepts and ideas that would be possible today, as well as to discuss and highlight what could be expected of future technologies.  Participants were asked to consider how technologies like the Internet of Things, data analysis, personal mobile devices, vehicle automation, artificial intelligence, and others, could be used to improve the guest experience in a variety of ways, including reducing or spreading demand for parking spaces, increasing traffic capacity without significant slowdown, or increasing efficiency of existing traveler systems and accompanying traffic.

            Following introductions, break-out sessions, and presentations, solution concepts were identified for further evaluation and development by LAWA and other summit participants.

Participants were also asked to propose ideas that would work alongside the development and construction of the proposed LAX Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP), which itself is designed to mitigate traffic in LAX’s Central Terminal Area (CTA) and areas around the airport.  If approved, the LAMP project includes: an Automated People Mover (APM) system with six stations that would transport passengers between the CTA and the other main project components located east of the CTA; a Consolidated Rent-A-Car Center (ConRAC); and two new Intermodal Transportation Facilities, which include public parking and passenger drop-off and pick-up areas.  LAMP would also include planned roadway improvements throughout the LAX area.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

           LAX is the fourth busiest airport in the world, second in the United States, and was named Skytrax’ 2017 Top 10 Most Improved Airports.  LAX served more than 80.9 million passengers in 2016.  LAX offers 742 daily nonstop flights to 101 cities in the U.S. and 1,280 weekly nonstop flights to 77 cities in 42 countries on 64 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 620,610 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 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.