“FAMILIES WITH DISABILITIES DAY” CONNECTS HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES WITH LAX AND AIRPORT POLICE FOR A DAY OF INFORMATION AND TRAVEL TIPS IN A FUN, FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT

            (Los Angeles, California – August 1, 2017)  From cotton candy and hamburgers to LAX Airport Police K-9 officers and carnival fun, attendees to LAX’s “Families with Disabilities Day” left with smiles on their faces, a new familiarity with the airport, and with new law enforcement officer friends.  Over 550 people, comprised of families of all types, were welcomed to the first-of-its-kind event to enjoy a pressure-free environment where they could learn about airport operations and aviation law enforcement. The July 29 event, presented by LAX’s Emergency Management Group and Los Angeles World Airports’ (LAWA) Airport Police Division (APD), also provided attendees a fun and exciting environment to meet officers from APD, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), in addition viewing demonstrations and learning about how these groups keep the airport safe and secure for travelers of all abilities.

            “We’re beyond thrilled with the response to Families with Disabilities Day,” said Lawrence Rolon, LAWA’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator. “For the first time, we’ve brought the disability community and law enforcement community together as one, so that everyone can learn from one and others’ experiences.  The kids really enjoyed it, and we really enjoyed making this experience great for them. I want to thank everyone who participated in this event, and we hope to provide this unique opportunity to families with disabilities in the future.”

            Families learned about services offered by the airport from representatives of LAX’s Emergency Management and Community Relations teams, in addition to information about other programs from other exhibitors.  Representatives from CPB educated attendees about the dangers and drawbacks of illegal counterfeit goods, and TSA representatives shared information about their programs and procedures related to passenger screening.  As one of the event’s main attractions, APD officers treated onlookers to motorcycle maneuvering demonstrations and a mock arrest, in addition to tours of APD headquarters.

            Additionally, attendees enjoyed attractions that included an inflatable bounce house, a “Test Your Strength” prop, a dunk tank, as well as free food that included snow cones, popcorn, cotton candy, and complete meals from Carl’s Jr.  LAX Airport Police’s Youth Cadets offered kids the chance to win prizes at various carnival games.

            For more information about LAWA’s ADA programs, which includes information regarding transportation, disability accommodation and more, please visit our ADA program webpage, located

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

           LAX 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.

For more information about LAX, follow on Twitter @flyLAXAirport , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport , and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/laxairport1 .  Information about LAX’s ongoing multi-billion-dollar LAX Modernization Program, as well as tips and shortcuts to help navigate LAX during construction, are available

          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.