The airport occupies some 3,500 acres (5 sq mi; 14 km²)^[1] of the city on the Pacific coast, about 15 mi (24 km) southwest of downtown Los Angeles. LAX is one of the most famous locations for commercial aircraft spotting, most notably at the so called "Imperial Hill" area (also known as Clutter's Park) in El Segundo from which nearly the entire South Complex of the airport can be viewed. Another famous spotting location sits right under the final approach for runways 24 L&R on a small grass lawn next to the Westchester In-N-Out Burger restaurant, and is noted as one of the few remaining locations in Southern California from which spotters may watch such a wide variety of low-flying commercial airliners from directly underneath.^[3] The airport's coastal location exposes it to fog, during which flights are occasionally diverted to LA/Ontario International Airport in Ontario, San Bernardino County 47 mi (76 km) to the east.

 

History

In 1928, the Los Angeles City Council selected 640 acres (1.00 sq mi; 2.6 km²) in the southern part of Westchester as the site of a new airport for the city. The fields of wheat, barley and lima beans were converted into dirt landing strips without any terminal buildings. It was named Mines Field for William W. Mines, the real estate agent who arranged the deal.^[4] The first structure, Hangar No. 1, was erected in 1929 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mines Field was dedicated and opened as the official airport of Los Angeles in 1930, and the city purchased it to be a municipal airfield in 1937. The name was officially changed to Los Angeles Airport in 1941, and to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in 1949.^[5] Prior to that time, the main airport for Los Angeles was the Grand Central Airport in Glendale.

Until this time, the entire airport was located east of Sepulveda Boulevard. As the airport expanded westward to meet the Pacific Ocean, a tunnel was completed in 1953 so that Sepulveda Boulevard would pass underneath the airport's runways. It was the first tunnel of its kind.^[5]

In 1958 the architecture firm Pereira & Luckman was contracted to design a master plan for the complete re-design of the airport in anticipation of the "jet age". The plan, developed along with architects Welton Becket and Paul Williams, called for a massive series of terminals and parking structures to be built in the central portion of the property, with these buildings connected at the center by a huge steel-and-glass dome. The plan was never fully realized, and shortly thereafter the Theme Building was constructed on the site originally intended for the dome.

The distinctive white "Theme Building", designed by Pereira & Luckman architect Paul Williams and constructed in 1961, resembles a flying saucer that has landed on its four legs. A restaurant that provides a sweeping view of the airport is suspended beneath two intersecting arches that form the legs. The Los Angeles City Council designated the building a cultural and historical monument in 1992. A $4 million renovation, with retro-futuristic interior and electric lighting designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, was completed before the "Encounter Restaurant" opened there in 1997.^[6] At one time, tourists and passengers were able to take the elevator up to the roof of the "Theme Building", but after the September 11 attacks, the rooftop was closed off to everyone for security reasons. It was once said the rooftop would reopen for public use, but that was determined to be a rumor.

The first jet service appeared at LAX in 1959, transporting passengers between LAX and New York. The first wide-bodied jets appeared in 1970 when TWA flew Boeing 747s between LAX and New York.^[5]

In 1981, the airport began a substantial $700 million expansion in preparation for the 1984 Summer Olympics. To streamline traffic flow and ease congestion, the U-shaped roadway leading to the terminal entrances was given a second level, with the lower level dedicated to picking up arriving passengers and the upper level dedicated to dropping off departing passengers. Two new terminals (Terminal 1 and the International Terminal) were constructed and Terminal 2, then two decades old, was rebuilt. Multi-story parking structures were also built in the center of the airport.^[5]

On July 8, 1982, groundbreaking for the two new terminals were conducted by Mayor Tom Bradley and World War II aviator General James Doolittle. The $123 million, 963,000-square-foot (89,500 m²) International Terminal was opened on June 11, 1984 and named in Bradley's honor.^[5]

In 1996, a new 277 foot (84 m) tall air traffic control tower, with overhanging awnings that shade the windows and make the building vaguely resemble a palm tree, was constructed at a cost of $29 million.^[5]

In 2000, prior to Los Angeles hosting the Democratic National Convention. fourteen acrylic glass cylinders, each up to ten stories high, were placed in a circle around the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Century Boulevard, with additional cylinders of decreasing height following Century Boulevard eastward. The cylinders, lit from inside, slowly cycle through a rainbow of colors, and provide an additional landmark for visitors arriving by air at night. This was part of an overall facelift that included new signage and various other cosmetic enhancements.

At various points in its history, LAX has been a hub for TWA, Air California, Continental, Delta, PSA, USAir, Western Airlines, and the Flying Tiger Line.

Starting in the mid-1990s under Los Angeles Mayors Richard Riordan and James Hahn modernization and expansion plans for LAX were prepared only to be stymied by a coalition spearheaded by residents who live near the airport angry at noise, pollution and traffic impacts of the existing facility. In late 2005 newly elected L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was able to reach a compromise allowing some modernization to go forward while efforts are made to encourage future growth be spread among other facilities in the region.

On July 29, 2006, Runway 7R/25L was closed for reconstruction until March 25, 2007. The reconstruction was to move the runway 55 feet (17 m) south to prevent runway incursions and prepare the runway for the next generation of Airbus A380. The newly moved runway also has storm drains, and enhanced runway lighting, something that the other 3 runways do not have. The reconstruction of runway 25L made way for a central taxiway in between runways 25L and 25R. The central taxiway between runways 25L and 25R was completed in 2008.

On September 18, 2006, Los Angeles World Airports started a $503 million facelift of the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Improvements include installing new paging, air conditioning and electrical systems, along with new elevators, escalators, baggage carousels and a digital sign that will automatically update flight information. Also a large explosives-detection machine will be incorporated into the terminal's underground baggage system, in which the federal government will fund part of the system.

According to the Los Angeles Times, in February 2007, many airlines flying outside of the United States have reduced flights to LAX and moved to other airports, such as San Francisco International Airport and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada due to outdated terminals. Airlines flying out of the Tom Bradley International Terminal have reduced flights because the International Terminal is 22 years old and has not been upgraded.^[7]

In response to the report, the $500 million Tom Bradley International Terminal project began immediately.^{[citation needed]}

On March 19, 2007, the Airbus A380 made its debut at LAX, landing on runway 24L. LA city officials fought for the super-jumbo jet to land at LAX, in addition to making its US debut in New York's JFK airport.^[8]

On August 15, 2007, the Los Angeles City Council approved a $1.2 billion project to construct a new 10 gate terminal to handle international flights using the A380.^[9] Adding the first new gates built since the early 1980s, the new structure is to be built directly west of the Tom Bradley International Terminal on a site that is occupied mostly by aircraft hangars with passengers ferried to the building by an underground people mover extending from the terminal.^[9] It is expected to be completed in 2012.

On March 31, 2008, the Los Angeles Times reported that international airlines were once again flocking to LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal and have added or are announcing several flights to a variety of existing and new destinations. The weak dollar has caused a surge in demand for US travel, and among the new airlines at LAX are V Australia and Emirates Airlines. In addition, Korean Air, Qantas, Air China, and Air France are all adding new routes, and Brazilian carriers TAM Airlines and OceanAir are planning to begin service, as is a new British airline that will be offering all-business-class round trip flights on the busy Los Angeles-London route. Most of the new flights will start in mid to late 2008 and will raise the number of travelers to the airport to pre-9/11 levels. The influx of new flights comes amidst the renovation of the airport and underscores LAX's status as the international gateway of the US West Coast.^[10]

Qantas launched service with the Airbus A380 on October 20, 2008, using the west side remote gates. The select day service goes to/from Melbourne and Sydney to Los Angeles.

Before the 1930s, existing airports used a two-letter abbreviation based on the weather station at the airports. So, at that time, LA served as the designation for Los Angeles International Airport. But, with the rapid growth in the aviation industry, the designations expanded to three letters, and LA became LAX. The letter X does not otherwise have any specific meaning in this identifier.^[11] Portland International Airport in Oregon and Jacksonville International Airport in Florida also have similar codes: PDX and JAX. "LAX" is also used for the International Port of Los Angeles located in San Pedro and for the Amtrak-serving Union Station in downtown. All three along with the Atlanta (ATL) and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) designations have become culturally eponymous and are often used in shorthand as an indicator of identity by local residents.

LAX handles more "origin and destination" (i.e. not connecting) passengers than any other airport in the world.^[12] It is the world's fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic^[13] and eleventh-busiest by cargo traffic,^[14] serving over 60 million passengers and more than two million tons of freight in 2006. It is the busiest airport in the state of California, and the third-busiest airport by passenger traffic in the United States based on final 2006 statistics.^[15] In terms of international passengers, LAX is the second-busiest in the U.S. (behind only JFK International Airport in New York City),^[16] and 26th worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

LAX connects 87 domestic and 69 international destinations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania. Its most prominent airlines are United Airlines (18.24% of passenger traffic, combined with United Express traffic), American Airlines (14.73%) and Southwest Airlines (12.62%). Other airlines with a presence on a lesser scale include Delta Airlines (7.33%), Alaska Airlines (4.74%), Northwest Airlines (3.79%), and Continental Airlines (3.76%).^[17] Mexicana operates the most flights of any non-American airline.^{[citation needed]}

LAX has nine passenger terminals arranged in a "U", also called a "horseshoe." The terminals are served by a shuttle bus.

United Airlines/United Express operates the most departures from the airport per day (210), followed by American Airlines/ American Eagle (126), and Southwest Airlines (123).^[17]

United Airlines operates to the most destinations (61), followed by American Airlines (34), and then Alaska Airlines/Horizon (29). Qantas operates the most international trans-Pacific destinations (4), with direct services to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland. Lufthansa, Air France, and United each serve two destinations in Europe for the most there, and Alaska Airlines and Mexicana Airlines have the most destinations in Latin America (11).^[17]

In addition to these terminals, there are 2 million square feet (186,000 m²) of cargo facilities at LAX, and a heliport operated by Bravo Aviation, Continental Airlines^{[citation needed]} and Qantas^[18] each have maintenance facilities at LAX although neither carrier operates a hub there.

Terminal 1 has 15 gates: 1-3, 4A-4B, 5-14. Terminal 1 was built in 1984 and is the largest of all the terminals in number of gates.

Airlines	Destinations
Southwest Airlines	Albuquerque, Austin, Chicago-Midway, Denver, El Paso, Houston-Hobby, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, Oakland, Phoenix, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Tucson
US Airways	Charlotte, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh [ends August 18][19]
US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines	Phoenix

Note: Some TACA/LACSA arrivals are processed at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Terminal 2 has 11 gates: 21-21B, 22-22B, 23, 24-24B, 25-28. Terminal 2 was built in 1962 and was the original international terminal, it was completely torn down and rebuilt in 1984. Terminal 2 has CBP (Customs and Border Protection) facilities to process arriving international passengers.

Airlines	Destinations
Air Canada	Calgary, Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver
Air Canada Jazz	Edmonton
Air China	Beijing-Capital
Air France	Papeete, Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Air New Zealand	Apia, Auckland, London-Heathrow, Nuku'alofa (Tonga), Rarotonga
Avianca	Bogotá
Hawaiian Airlines	Honolulu
KLM	Amsterdam
Northwest Airlines	Detroit, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Tampa, Tokyo-Narita
TACA	San Salvador
TACA operated by LACSA	Guatemala City, San José de Costa Rica
Virgin Atlantic Airways	London-Heathrow
Volaris	Toluca (begins July 1)
WestJet	Calgary, Edmonton

Note:: Northwest Airlines' operations will be moved to Terminal 5 with Delta Airlines by June 2009.

Note: V Australia's and Alaska Airlines' international arrivals from airports without United States border preclearance are processed at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Terminal 3 has 12 gates: 30, 31A, 31B, 32, 33A, 33B, 34-36, 37A, 37B, 38, [gate 39 was removed to make room for V Australia 777 operations at gate 38]. Terminal 3 opened in 1961 and was Trans World Airlines' terminal. It formerly housed some American Airlines flights after acquiring Reno Air and TWA in 1999 and 2001, respectively, then moved all American flights to Terminal 4.

Airlines	Destinations
Alaska Airlines	Anchorage [seasonal], Cancún, Guadalajara, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, La Paz, Loreto [seasonal], Manzanillo, Mazatlán, Mexico City, Portland (OR), Puerto Vallarta, San Francisco, San José del Cabo, Seattle/Tacoma, Vancouver, Washington-Reagan
Horizon Air	Boise, Eugene, Eureka/Arcata, Flagstaff, La Paz, Loreto, Mammoth Lakes [seasonal], Medford, Portland (OR), Prescott, Redding, Redmond/Bend, Reno/Tahoe, Santa Rosa, Sun Valley [seasonal]
V Australia	Brisbane, Melbourne [begins September 15], Sydney
Virgin America	Boston, New York-JFK, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, Washington-Dulles

Note: American Eagle commuter flights operate from a remote terminal 0.3 mi (500 m) west of Terminal 4. "Gate 44" serves as the shuttle bus stop at Terminal 4. The Eagle terminal is also connected by shuttle buses to Terminals 2 (Gate 22A), 3 (Gate 35), 5, and 6, because of Eagle's codesharing with Northwest/Hawaiian, Alaska, Delta, and Continental respectively.

Terminal 4 has 14 gates: 40, 41, 42A, 42B, 43, 44 (bus to American Eagle satellite terminal), 45, 46A, 46B, 47A, 47B, 48A, 48B, 49B. Terminal 4 was built in 1961 and in 2001 was renovated at a cost of $400 million in order to improve the appearance and functionality of the terminal. An international arrivals facility was also added in the renovation serving American Airlines flights.

Airlines	Destinations
American Airlines	Austin, Boston, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Honolulu, Kahului, Kona, Las Vegas, Lihue, London-Heathrow, Miami, Nashville, New York-JFK, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco, San José del Cabo, San Juan, San Salvador, St. Louis, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson, Vail/Eagle [seasonal], Washington-Dulles
American Eagle	Fresno, Monterey, San Diego, San Jose (CA), Santa Barbara
Midwest Connect operated by Republic Airlines	Kansas City
Qantas	Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne

Terminal 5 has 14 gates: 50B, 51A-51B, 52A-52B, 53A-53B, 54A-54B, 55A, 56, 57, 58A, 59. Western Airlines had occupied this terminal since its opening in 1962, and then Western was merged with Delta Air Lines on April 1, 1987. Terminal 5 was re-designed, expanded to include a connector building between the original satellite and the ticketing facilities, and remodeled from 1986 through early 1988. It was unofficially named 'Delta's Oasis at LAX' with the slogan 'Take Five at LAX' when construction was completed in the summer of 1988. Many of these gates are no longer used due to the economic crisis of 2008 and Delta's reduced flight schedule. Northwest Airlines, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, will move its operations to Terminal 5 from Terminal 2 to be adjacent to Delta by June 2009 [2].

Airlines	Destinations
Aeroméxico	Guadalajara, León, Mexico City
Aeroméxico Connect	Culiacán, Hermosillo
Delta Air Lines	Acapulco [seasonal], Atlanta, Cancún, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Fort Lauderdale, Guadalajara, Guatemala City, Honolulu, Kahului, Kona, Liberia (Costa Rica), Lihue, New Orleans, New York-JFK, Orlando, Puerto Vallarta, Salt Lake City, São Paulo-Guarulhos [begins June 30], Sydney [begins July 1][20]
Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines	Salt Lake City

Terminal 6 has 14 gates: 60, 61, 62-62A, 63-66, 67A-67B, 68A-68B, 69A-69B. This terminal has changed little from its opening in 1961; in 1979, new gates were expanded from the main building, as is obvious from the rotunda at the end. Four of these gates have two jetways, which can accommodate large aircraft.

Terminal 6 hosts airline tenants with a variety of relationships with the Airport. Continental built and owns the Connector Building (which links the Ticketing and Satellite buildings), and leases much of the space in the Ticketing Building. Continental in turn leases some of its Connector gates to Delta, supplementing its base at Terminal 5. United leases space from the Airport in Terminal 6, in addition to its base at Terminal 7. Most of the Satellite gates can feed arriving passengers into a sterile corridor that shunts them to Terminal 7's customs and immigration facility. Other airlines, such as AirTran, Sun Country, Frontier, and Spirit, lease space and operate at Terminal 6 under a monthly tariff agreement. Also, one foreign-flag airline, Copa, departs from Terminal 6.

Airlines	Destinations
AirTran Airways	Atlanta, Baltimore, Indianapolis [seasonal], Milwaukee
Allegiant Air	Bellingham, Billings [begins May 22], Des Moines [begins May 24], Fargo [begins May 23], Fayetteville (AR) [begins May 22], Grand Junction, McAllen [begins May 24], Medford, Missoula, Monterey, Sioux Falls [begins May 23], Springfield (MO), Wichita [begins May 23][21]
Continental Airlines	Cleveland, Honolulu, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark
Copa Airlines	Panama City
Delta Air Lines	Departure/arrival gates; see Terminal 5
Frontier Airlines	Denver
JetBlue Airways	Boston [begins June 17], New York-JFK [begins June 17][22]
Spirit Airlines	Detroit, Fort Lauderdale
United Airlines	Departure/arrival gates, international arrival processing and Premier check-in only; see Terminal 7

Terminal 7 has 11 gates: 70A-70B, 71A-71B, 72-74, 75A-75B, 76, 77. This terminal opened in 1962. Five of these gates have two jetways, which accommodate large aircraft. Terminal 7 is the home to United Airlines, which operates a major hub at the airport. The terminal has been renovated and has the United Red Carpet Club and International First Class Lounge.

Airlines	Destinations
United Airlines	Baltimore, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Boston, Cancún, Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Honolulu, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Kahului, Kona, Las Vegas, Lihue, London-Heathrow, Melbourne, Mexico City, New Orleans, New York-JFK, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh [begins September 2], Puerto Vallarta, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San José del Cabo, Seattle/Tacoma [seasonal], Sydney, Tokyo-Narita, Washington-Dulles

Terminal 8 has 9 gates: 80-88. This terminal was added for smaller jets and turboprops in 1988 and formerly served Shuttle by United flights. In 2002, United moved all non-Express flights to Terminals 6 and 7. United Express is the regional division of United Airlines operating flights generally under 2 hours long.

Airlines

Destinations

United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines

Albuquerque, Aspen [seasonal], Bakersfield, Boise, Bozeman (MT), Carlsbad, Colorado Springs, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fresno, Imperial, Inyokern, Monterey, Montrose [seasonal], Oklahoma City, Oxnard, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Portland (OR), Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose (CA), San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Seattle/Tacoma, St. George, Tucson, Tulsa [begins June 4], Vancouver, Yuma