LAX MODERNIZATION UPDATE: EXCITING NEW IMPROVEMENTS AND TRAVEL TIPS TO HELP WITH HOLIDAY JOURNEYS AT LAX

(Los Angeles, California – December 1, 2016)  It may be sunny in Southern California, but at LAX, it’s a winter wonderland, minus the snow!  Themed holiday decorations greet travelers as they enter the airport which is undergoing a $14 billion modernization.  More than $3 million is spent each day on more than two dozen major construction projects.  Progress is happening!  The improvements will result in a modern airport that significantly enhances the overall guest experience for the modern traveler.  Passengers using LAX in December will need to plan ahead to navigate sidewalk and vehicle lane closures and in-terminal work.  Construction moratoriums will be in place Dec. 21-27 and Dec. 29-Jan. 4 to accommodate the higher number of passengers during the December and New Year’s holidays.  Up-to-date holiday travel tips, construction alerts showing Central Terminal Area (CTA) roadway lane restrictions and sidewalk closures, as well as a pedestrian walking map and helpful airline terminal finder,   LAX is also on Waze, the community-based traffic reporting app, to provide real-time traffic status in and around the CTA.  

Roadway Impacts:  

• Portions of the drop-off lane on the Upper/Departures Level in front of Terminal 1 are closed until March 2017 as part of Southwest Airlines’ renovation project.  During busy travel times such as early morning and midday, passenger drop-off causes traffic backups on the roads leading into the CTA, affecting access to all other terminals.  Drivers may find it easier to drop off passengers between Terminals 1 and 2.  The entire drop-off lane is closed weeknights from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. while a canopy is constructed over the sidewalk.  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 take elevators, escalators or stairs up to the departures level.
• Redevelopment of Terminal 7 has closed a 135-foot section of the passenger drop-off area on the Upper/Departures Level, which will remain in place through April 2017.
• Lanes on Center Way and Theme Way may be restricted overnight to install electrical lines for Delta’s temporary construction trailer complex in the former parking lot across from Terminal 6.
• Rotating lane closures on the Lower/Arrivals Level may occur overnight into the early afternoon hours.  The leftmost lane on the Lower/Arrivals Level, adjacent to the parking structures, is closed daily from 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. for landscaping.

  Terminal Construction/Renovation:

• Terminal 1:     Phase 2 of Southwest Airlines’ $509-million Terminal 1 Renovation Project continues in the eastern part of the terminal, including the former check-in lobby, with barricades in place.  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 unisex restrooms on the western side of the lobby.  Passengers may also use restrooms located on the Lower/Arrivals Level or in the terminal beyond passenger security screening.  A new, covered skycap baggage check-in area opened on the west side of the terminal.  Gates 16B, 17B, 18A and 18B are closed for renovations.  Deli & Co. has opened near Gate 9. Work continues in the food court area.  Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is scheduled to open near Gate 13 later in December.  Westfield is phasing in new concessions, with a total of 24 to be installed through 2017. 

As part of its $509-mllion upgrade to Terminal 1, Southwest Airlines opened a covered  curbside skycap baggage check-in area.

• Terminal 2:  Los Angeles World Airports’ $332-million Terminal 2 Modernization Project continues in the ticketing lobby, where barricades split the airlines’ check-in operations on the Upper/Departures Level.  Gate 25 is closed while a new passenger boarding bridge is installed. 
• Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT):   Planet Hollywood and Earl of Sandwich opened on the ticketing level before security screening, adding new restaurant options for passengers and visitors. 
• Terminal 4:  American Airlines’ Admirals Club is being renovated, with expected completion June 2017.  Refurbishment of the Food Court continues through January.  New Automated Screening Lane(s) will be installed at the Security Screening Check Point in early 2017 to reduce wait times.
• Terminals 7/8:  United Airlines is continuing work on its $573-million Terminal 7/8 Renovation Project scheduled for completion in early 2018.  A new Security Screening Check Point, which includes three Automated Screening Lanes (ASL), opened on the Upper/Departures Level.  Two additional ASL lanes will open in December.  Each automated lane is processing 25 to 35 percent more passengers hourly than a standard lane.  The checkpoint at the bridge level is permanently closed.  The bridge from Parking Structure 7 is closed through May 2017 for elevator demolition and construction – access to the parking structure is available on the Lower/Arrivals Level.  Two new elevators are being constructed near the bridge, and expected to open in May.  Gate 72 is closed for renovation, and Gate 80 will close later this month.  A renovated Gate 81, which will accommodate larger aircraft, will open this month.  A new women’s restroom has opened near Gate 71 while the restroom near Gate 74 has closed.  Work continues on a new Baggage Carousel 1, with temporary walls in place.  The United Baggage Service office is in a temporary location near the new restrooms on the west end of the baggage claim area, and must be accessed from the street.  Terminals 7 and 8 can be reached using East Way, a short-cut between the northside and southside terminals that eliminates the need to travel around the entire Central Terminal Area. 

United’s new Security Screening Check Point, which opened in mid-November, includes new Automated Screening Lanes that allow up to five passengers to fill their bins at the same time. (Photograph by Michael Justice)

  Sidewalk/Walkway/Parking Structure Restrictions and Closures:

• As part of the Terminal 1 Renovation Project, portions of the sidewalk on the Upper/Departures Level will be closed through 2017 with pedestrians routed around barricades.  
• The west tower elevators of Parking Structure 1 reopened.  Upgrades to the elevators in the east tower will close a portion of the sidewalk on the Lower/Arrivals Level through February 2017.
• Portions of the sidewalk at Terminals 2 and 3 on the Lower/Arrivals Level are restricted overnight while electrical conduit is installed.
• Work on the west side elevators in Parking Structure 3 has temporarily closed a portion of the sidewalk.  A detour leads passengers safely to the crosswalk to reach Terminal 3.  Signs are also posted to direct passengers to other elevators in the parking structure.
• The crosswalk between Parking Structure 3 and TBIT on the Lower/Arrivals Level will be closed through January.  Alternative routes across World Way include the crosswalk between the parking structure and Terminal 3, the Upper/Departures Level crosswalk between the structure and TBIT, and the crosswalk from the charter bus parking area south of the parking structure.
• The two elevators in the south tower of Parking Structure 4 are out of service while upgrades are performed.  Two other pairs of elevators remain in service.  Once the south tower elevators return to service, work will begin on the elevators on the east side of the garage.
• One elevator will remain available while upgrades to the elevator tower in Parking Structure 5 continue through January 2017.  The sidewalk adjacent to the elevator tower is closed.
• The elevators on the west side of Parking Structure 7 are closed through April, with passengers directed to the recently renovated elevators on the east side of the structure. The adjacent sidewalk on East Way and World Way is also closed.  
• Work to install security bollards on the Upper/Departures Level will close portions of the sidewalk in front of Terminals 5 and 6. And ADA-compliant path of travel will be maintained at all times.
• Pedestrians are routed to a bump-out sidewalk on the Upper/Departures Level at Terminal 7 while the sidewalk is widened.  A 175-foot-long barricade exists along the easternmost sidewalk on the Upper/Departures Level of Terminals 7/8 through 2017. 
• Landscaping around Parking Structures 3 and 4 may result in sidewalk restrictions.  Signs will be posted when necessary.

  Please note that all dates provided in this notice are subject to change.

      Traffic alerts and current airport conditions are posted on LAX’s social media sites at www.Facebook/com/LAInternationalAirport and www.Twitter.com/flyLAXairport .  A construction hotline at (310) 649-LAWA or (310) 649-5292 is also available.  Real-time traffic conditions in and around the airport are available at www.laxishappening.com and by following @LAAirportPDon Twitter. 

      Airport officials are asking motorists to 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 are encouraged to park and wait at 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)

LAX is the seventh busiest airport in the world and third in the United States.  LAX served more than 74.9 million passengers in 2015.  LAX offers 742 daily nonstop flights to 101 cities in the U.S. and 1,273 weekly nonstop flights to 76 cities in 41 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 2.1 million tons of air cargo valued at over $101.4 billion.  LAX handled 655,564 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2015. 

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.

 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.