Los Angeles International Airport
Airport Information
Los Angeles International Airport
During the 1920s the ‘Bennett Rancho’ began to attract pioneer aviators who used a small portion of this property as a makeshift landing strip. The airplanes of that era landed and departed on roughground but soon attracted people on weekends who came “out to the country” to see the early flying machines in action. In 1927 a group of local citizens led by Inglewood Municipal Judge Frank D. Parent; Harry Culver, a real estate promoter; and George Cleaver, an oil land developer, began to push for the establishment of a major airport on this section of the Bennett Rancho.
That same year the Los Angeles City Council became interested in the creation of a municipal airport. In July 1927 real estate agent William W. Mines, representing the Martin interests, offered 640 acres of the former Bennett Rancho to use as an airport for the City of Los Angeles. Thus the site became known as Mines Field. On July 25, 1928, the City Council chose Mines Field as the location for the City’s airport, and when the lease was executed in October 1928, the forerunner of Los Angeles International Airport was born.
During calendar year 2019, on overage 693 daily nonstop flights to 113 U.S. cities and 1,205 weekly nonstop flights to 91 cities in 47 countries on 72 commercial air carriers operate at LAX.
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the fourth busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, based on number of passengers.
- In 2018, 78.5 million passengers used LAX.
- LAX is the busiest domestic O&D passenger market in the U.S. with more domestic travelers beginning or ending their trip at LAX than any other U.S. airport.
- Approximately 88 percent of travelers at LAX are origination and destination (O&D) passengers, and 22 percent are connecting.
- LAX handled 26,053,567 million international passengers in 2018; 30 percent of the airport’s total passenger volume.
- LAX ranks 10th in the world and fourth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.4 million tons of freight and mail processed in 2018 valued at more than $86.9 billion.
- Approximately 69 air carriers serve LAX, including all major airlines. In addition, there are approximately 23 cargo-only airlines.
- The airport has four east/west parallel runways: 24R/6L is 8,926 feet; 24L/6R is 10,285 feet; 25R/7L is 12,091 feet; and 25L/7R is 11,095 feet. All are 150 feet wide except 25L/7R, which is 200 feet wide.
- The Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Control Tower began operation in April 1996. It stands 277 feet above ground and utilizes state-of-the-art equipment. The old control tower, built in 1961, is 172 feet tall and served LAX for 35 years. It now serves as the Los Angeles World Airports Clifton A. Moore Administration Building.
- An economic study in 2014 reported that operations at LAX generated 620,000 jobs in Southern California with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output of more than $126.6 billion. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues.
Airport Profile
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Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP)
Los Angeles is known for many things—fun and sun, glitz and glamor, and traffic. To help remedy the latter, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has embarked on its Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which aims to relieve congestion for people traveling to and from the fourth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the U.S.
Through its various congestion-relieving elements, the LAMP is expected to enhance the traveler experience and give customers time-certain access to terminals. To accomplish all this, there are five main components that will provide a more predictable and reliable commute to and from the airport – saving time and improving the overall user experience.
Current Challenges
- Unreliable travel times to and from the airport (i.e. sometimes it takes 45 minutes to travel through the terminal loop)
- Significant traffic congestion on freeways and on surrounding surface streets
- No direct passenger connection to Metro rail
- Dispersed location of current rental car facilities with significant shuttle traffic around the terminal area
–Solutions
- APM will offer time-certain transportation options to and from the airportAPM will relieve traffic congestion in and out of the airport and surrounding area by eliminating shuttle trips to/from the terminal area
- APM allows easy access to Metro’s new 96th Street/Aviation Blvd. transit station which will connect to both the LAX/Crenshaw and Green Lines
- ITF creates new, convenient locations for passenger pick-up, drop-off and parking
- ConRAC provides easier and more efficient access to rental cars
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Automated People Mover
The Automated People Mover (APM) is an electric train system on a 2.25 mile elevated guideway with six stations total – three inside the Central Terminal Area (CTA) and three Outside.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) broke ground on the APM project in March of 2019 and anticipates that the system will be operational in 2023. Pre-construction activities—such as utility relocations, geotechnical investigations and surveying—began in 2018 and construction activities are underway at the future Maintenance and Storage Facility and within the CTA. Construction of the guideway—the elevated track along which the APM will run—will start in Fall 2019. Late 2019 will see construction begin on the six stations and the first APM car will be delivered in late 2020. Major construction will be complete in mid-2022, at which point extensive testing will begin for several months. The APM will be open for passenger service in 2023.
During peak hours (9 a.m. to 11 p.m.), the APM will run nine trains, each with four cars. Capable of carrying up to 50 passengers and their luggage, with a total of 200 passengers per train. Train speed will top out at 47 mph. Trains will be available at each station every two minutes during peak hours with a total of 10 minutes’ travel time end-to-end (from the Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility to the West CTA Station). For easy access, the APM trains will have large, wide doors and each car will have 12 seats designated for travelers in need. The APM will be FREE for all users and operate at all times. With an anticipated use of approximately 30 million passengers per year, it is estimated that the APM will result in 117,000 fewer vehicle miles traveled per day.
The APM trains, elevators, escalators and moving sidewalks provide for quick access to the terminals and stations. Passengers will be able to view real-time flight information, public art in a variety of media, and will see the iconic Theme Building from a brand new perspective as the train enters the CTA.
In addition to reducing traffic, the APM will leverage cutting-edge sustainability practices to reduce the airport area’s carbon footprint. The system’s fleet will consist of 44 cars that are fully electric, 98% recyclable and generate a portion of their own power through regenerative braking, while providing an industry-leading ride quality for users. The command center and maintenance facility generates nearly half of its power from solar energy and is designed to be LEED Gold Certified.
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Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility
The Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility will relocate over 20 existing rental car locations scattered around the airport area into one convenient location adjacent to the 405 freeway. The approximately 5.3 million square foot facility will be built in an area bordered by Aviation Blvd. on the west, Arbor Vitae St. to the north, La Cienega Blvd. on the east and the new 98th St. extension to the south. The facility will be connected to the Automated People Mover (APM) and feature 6,600 ready/return spaces, 10,000 idle vehicle storage spaces, 1,100 rental car employee spaces and Quick Turn Around (QTA) Facilities that allow for car washing, fueling and light maintenance.
Once completed and operational, rental car shuttles will no longer access the LAX Central Terminal Area as all customers will ride the APM train to get to their rental car company. With the removal of rental car shuttles, LAX will see a reduction in vehicle traffic and passengers waiting to board curbside at the airport.
LAX anticipates groundbreaking in 2019 and the facility fully operational in 2023.
The ConRAC will be built using a Private-Public Partnership (P3) contracting model. LA Gateway Partners will be designing, constructing and financing the project and will also be responsible for operating and maintaining it for a 28-year period.
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Intermodal Transportation Facility (ITF - West)
The Intermodal Transportation Facility – West (ITF-West) is Los Angeles International Airport’s (LAX) new approximately 4,300 stall parking structure, which will be located between Westchester Parkway and 96th Street. The facility will provide drop-off/pick-up locations and short and long-term parking options. The four-story parking structure will be the first component of LAX’s $5.5 billion Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP) to be completed and will open in 2021, giving travelers an alternative option to driving into the Central Terminal Area when LAX is at the height of construction. Once completed, it will be more than just a parking structure – it will be the new front door to LAX – with an express link to the terminal area via the Automated People Mover (APM) train, which will open in 2023.
The ITF-West will feature meet & greet space, valet parking, the potential for up to 5,000 square feet of concession space, Wi-Fi, and direct connection to an APM station. From 2021 to 2023, a shuttle will provide transportation to and from the Central Terminal Area.
The 1.7 million square foot facility will also house Los Angeles World Airport’s (LAWA) Security & Badging Office (SBO), which is currently located off World Way West and Pershing Avenue. By moving the SBO into the ITF-West, the over 55,000 badged employees who work at the airport will now be able to take care of their badging needs in a centralized location.
The ITF-West will also include several sustainable elements including:
- Efficient LED lighting with energy saving light controls
- Dedicated parking spaces for low emitting vehicles and car/van pool vehicles
- Use of low flow plumbing fixtures
- Drought tolerant landscaping
- Electric vehicle charging stalls
- Use of recycled water
- Use of parking guidance system that will help reduce driving circulation time and emissions
The structure will also feature the latest in Smart Parking features including:
- Parking Guidance System – identifies number of available parking spaces
- Parking Space Indicator System – directs drivers to available parking spaces through use of green and red lights
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Roadway Improvements
Several new roadways will be built concurrently with the Intermodal Transportation Facility (ITF) – West and Consolidated Rent-a-Car (ConRAC) facility to provide access to the facilities and improve traffic conditions in the surrounding area. Additional roadway improvements to alleviate traffic congestion in and around the airport will begin in 2023 and be completed by 2035.
Several new roadways will be built through 2023, creating new access points to the Intermodal Transportation Facility – West, Automated People Mover and Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) Facility. One roadway improvement includes the new four-lane road called Jetway Boulevard, which will connect Westchester Parkway to Century Boulevard. Another improvement is the extension of 98th Street. Currently ending at Bellanca Avenue, 98th Street will extend all of the way to the 405 Freeway, providing easy access to the ConRAC and on and off-ramps of the freeway.
Images
Airport News
LAX Celebrated Topping Out of Tom Bradley International Terminal Core
LAX Automated People Mover Earns Envision Gold Award for Sustainable Infrastructure
LAX Terminal 4.5 Core Opens as First Phase of $1.62 Billion Modernization Project
World-Class Dining & Retail Experiences Coming to Reimagined Terminal 3 at LAX
Contact
1 World Way
Los Angeles
United States
CA 90045
- (855) 463‑5252
