Los Angeles Airport prepares for big terminal switch
Los Angeles International Airport is gearing up for a major reshuffle starting on Friday when 15 airlines will switch terminals.
The changes will take place over five days from May 12-16 when each airline will move location overnight and resume operations in their new home the next morning.
It will be the largest airline terminal relocation in the history of the airport.
Some of the biggest changes affect the operations of Delta Airlines. Delta plans to deploy hundreds of people on site, wearing bright green vests, to help guide passengers during the week of the move.
Dedicated bright green shuttle buses will also be available to transport passengers between Terminals 2 and 3 and Terminals 5 and 6.
LAX Guest Experience Members, dressed in blue, and Volunteer Information Professionals, in red, will also be available to provide guidance to passengers needing assistance.
"We have spent months planning for this historic move and once it’s complete, the LAX experience will be even more enjoyable and convenient for our millions of passengers," said Mayor Eric Garcetti.
The airport’s CEO Deborah Flint added: "It all comes down to our guests being informed and taking the necessary actions to make sure they are in the right place at the right time to catch their flights.
"During the relocation and in the weeks following, passengers are advised to check-in online, print or download boarding passes, and check terminal and gate information before coming to LAX. They should also arrive to the airport earlier than normal.
"Once at LAX, passengers should check flight and gate status on flight information display boards in each terminal to ensure they are in the correct location".
Between May 13 and 16, Delta flights will operate from as many as four terminals (2, 3, 5 and 6.)
The airline is moving as part of planned improvements at the airport valued at up to $1.9 billion over the next seven years, when it will modernize and connect Terminals 2 and 3 to the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Social media platforms and websites will be used to raise awareness of the upcoming move, and signs will be posted in the Central Terminal Area (CTA), in terminals and on airport shuttle buses.
A total of 28 airlines are involved in the realignment, which began in January when American Airlines swapped four gates in Terminal 6 for four gates held by Delta in Terminal 5.
Copa Airlines moved its operations to TBIT in April, with passengers checking in at Terminal 3 and Hainan and Qatar Airways moved into TBIT in recent weeks.
Thomas Cook resumed its seasonal service at TBIT, but will move to Terminal 6 later this summer.
A webpage with move information and a map showing the location of each airline at the conclusion of the terminal realignment can be found here.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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