LAX terminal shuffle is off to a flying start
Big move for Delta and 14 other carriers is going ‘extremely well,’ officials say, and will be done midweek.
Work continued Saturday on a massive reorganization of airline terminals at Los Angeles International Airport, the nation’s secondbusiest commercial airport.
Officials said that the first day of the terminal relocations, which began late Friday and will continue over the next four days, went smoothly. The moving involved towing aircraft to new locations, installing new signage and moving computers, furniture and ground service equipment.
“It went extremely well. There was an army of people out there,” said Mary Grady, a spokeswoman for LAX. “It was unbelievable how quickly people were working. We said it would be wellchoreographed and it was. All in all, it is going well.”
The reorganization involves moving Delta Air Lines’ operations from Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3 and shifting 14 other carriers into the facilities vacated by Delta. Among the airlines involved in the move this weekend are Virgin America, Virgin Australia, Allegiant, Boutique Air, Frontier, Sun Country and Volaris.
Delta, the largest operator affected by the move, will take three days to complete its relocation effort. Its flights arrived and departed Saturday morning from Terminals 3, 5 and 6.
The largest terminal move in LAX history will allow the Atlanta-based airline to expand its local operations, adding seven passenger gates, and allow better access to Tom Bradley International Terminal for itself and its partners: Aeromexico, Virgin Atlantic and WestJet.
Delta will pick up the $60million tab for all of the relocations.
Though the first night of the terminal relocations was uneventful, airport officials said there were some minor problems with the accuracy of flight information provided by some travel websites unaffiliated with the airlines and the airport.
They also said additional signage was needed in certain terminal areas to inform passengers of the changes. LAX had put out about 1,000 signs for the relocation.
Charles Pannunzio, an airport spokesman, said both problems were being addressed Saturday.
LAX officials estimated that 176 movers, 30 volunteers, 1,100 dollies and 3,500 boxes were involved in the effort.
About 300 computers were moved along with the furniture, office equipment and aircraft. An estimated 600 computers were relocated in the days leading up to Friday night.
The first phase of the move involved eight airlines. It began about 10 p.m. Friday and was largely completed about 4:40 a.m. Saturday, a few minutes ahead of schedule, Grady said.
On Saturday morning, volunteers were in place to help passengers reach their flights and neon greenpainted shuttles were operating to move them between terminals.
As the affected airlines resumed operations Saturday, airport officials said there were no flight delays related to the move and few complaints from passengers who had trouble finding their planes.
“There were just a handful of travelers who needed to be transferred by shuttle to terminals,” Grady said. “Passengers have apparently gotten the message.”
Seven airlines have completed their moves to new terminals. Delta will shift to the second phase overnight Sunday and into Monday. At the same time, Avianca and Interjet airlines will move from Terminal 2 to the Tom Bradley International Terminal (with check-in at Terminal 3), and Spirit Airlines will move from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5.
The next phase will occur overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday. The affected airlines include Delta, Air Canada, Hawaiian and Southwest International. XL France will move from Terminal 2 to Terminal 6 on June 4.
Airline and LAX officials advised passengers to arrive earlier than usual at the airport and consult their airlines’ websites.
Additional information about the move can be found on Delta’s mobile app and LAX’s website. dan.weikel@latimes.com