Los Angeles International Airport: Difference between revisions

Los Angeles International Airport
File:Laxlogo.svg
IATA: LAX ICAO: KLAX FAA LID: LAX
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Los Angeles
Operator	Los Angeles World Airports
Serves	Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location	Los Angeles, California
Hub for	Alaska Airlines American Airlines Great Lakes Airlines[1] Horizon Air United Airlines
Focus city for	Air New Zealand Allegiant Air Qantas Southwest Airlines Virgin America Volaris
Elevation AMSL	126 ft / 38 m
Website	www.lawa.org
Maps
FAA airport diagram
LAX Location within the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 6L/24R 8,925 2,720 Concrete 6R/24L 10,285 3,135 Concrete 7L/25R 12,091 3,685 Concrete 7R/25L 11,096 3,382 Concrete
Helipads
Number Length Surface ft m H3 63 19 Concrete
Statistics
Passengers (2011) 61,859,523 Aircraft operations (2011) 601,416
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[2]

Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX, FAA LID: LAX) is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually. LAX is located in southwestern Los Angeles along the Pacific coast in the neighborhood of Westchester, 16 miles (26 km) from the downtown core and is the primary airport of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), an agency of the Los Angeles city government formerly known as the Department of Airports.

In 2011, LAX was the sixth busiest airport in the world after Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport, London Heathrow Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, and Tokyo Haneda International Airport with 61,862,052 passengers.^[3] The airport holds the claim for "the world's busiest origin and destination (O & D) airport" in 2011 that involves non-connecting passenger traffic.^[4] It is also the only airport to rank among the top five U.S. airports for both passenger and cargo traffic.^[5]

LAX is the busiest airport in the Greater Los Angeles Area, but other airports including Bob Hope Airport, John Wayne Airport, Long Beach Airport, LA/Ontario International Airport, and Palm Springs International Airport also serve the region. LAX is also the busiest airport in California and the West Coast of the United States in terms of flight operations, passenger traffic and air cargo activity, leading it to be referred to as the "Gateway to the Pacific Rim".

History

In 1928 the Los Angeles City Council selected 640 acres (1.00 sq mi; 260 ha) 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.^[7] The first structure, Hangar No. 1, was erected in 1929 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[8]

Mines Field was opened as the airport of Los Angeles in 1930, and the city purchased it to be a municipal airfield in 1937. The name was changed to Los Angeles Airport in 1941 and to Los Angeles International Airport in 1949.^[9] Until 1946 the main airline airports were Burbank Airport (then known as Union Air Terminal, and later Lockheed) in Burbank, California and the Grand Central Airport in Glendale. By 1940 most airlines served Burbank only; in late 1946 most airline flights moved to LAX, but Burbank always retained a few.^[10]

Mines Field did not extend west of Sepulveda Boulevard;^[11] Sepulveda was rerouted c. 1950 to loop around the west ends of the extended east–west runways (now runways 25L and 25R), which by November 1950 were 6,000 feet (1,800 m) long.^[12] A tunnel was completed in 1953 allowing Sepulveda Boulevard to revert to straight and pass beneath the two runways; it was the first tunnel of its kind. For the next few years the two runways were 8,500 feet (2,600 m) long.^[9][13]

On July 10, 1956 Boeing's 707 prototype (the 367–80) visited LAX. The Los Angeles Times said it was its first appearance at a "commercial airport" outside the Seattle area.^[14]

The April 1957 Official Airline Guide showed 66 weekday departures on United Airlines, 32 American Airlines, 32 Western Airlines, 27 TWA, nine Southwest, five Bonanza Air Lines and three Mexicana Airlines; also 22 flights a week on Pan American World Airways and five a week on Scandinavian Airlines (the only direct flights to Europe).

American Airlines' 707-123s flew the first jet passengers out of LAX to New York in January 1959; the first wide-body jets were TWA's Boeing 747s to New York in early 1970.^[9]

In 1958 the architecture firm Pereira & Luckman was contracted to plan the re-design of the airport for the "jet age". The plan, developed with architects Welton Becket and Paul Williams, called for a series of terminals and parking structures 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 realized and the Theme Building was built on the site intended for the dome.

In the new terminal area west of Sepulveda Blvd that started opening in 1961, each terminal had a satellite building out in the middle of the tarmac, reached by underground tunnels from the ticketing area.^[15] United's satellites 7 and 8 were first to open, followed by 3, 4 and 5; satellite 2 was the international terminal several months later and satellite 6 was to be the last to open.^[16][17]

From the 1920s onward, there had been a neighborhood called Surfridge on the coastline to the west of the airport, which formed part of the larger community of Palisades del Rey along with the neighborhood to the north now known as Playa del Rey. When the airlines switched to jet airliners during the 1960s and 1970s and Surfridge's residents began to complain about the resulting noise pollution, the city government used its eminent domain powers to condemn and evacuate Surfridge. The government bulldozed the homes but did not bulldoze the streets, thereby leaving a network of fenced-off "ghost" streets to the west of LAX which remains to the present day.

In 1981 the airport began a $700 million expansion in preparation for the 1984 Summer Olympics. To streamline traffic flow the U-shaped roadway leading to the terminal entrances was given a second level, with the lower level for arriving passengers and the upper level for departing. Connector buildings between the ticketing areas and the satellite buildings were added, changing the gate layout to a "pier" design. 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.^[9]

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 opened on June 11, 1984, and named in Bradley's honor.^[9]

On April 29, 1992 the airport closed for violence and cleanups after the 1992 Los Angeles Riots over the Rodney King beating.

The airport closed again on January 17, 1994 due to the Northridge earthquake.

In 1996 a $29 million, 277-foot-tall (84 m) air traffic control tower was built near the Theme Building.^[9]

In 2000, before Los Angeles hosted the Democratic National Convention, fifteen glass pylons up to ten stories high were placed in a circle around the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Century Boulevard, with more pylons of decreasing height following Century Boulevard eastward, evoking a sense of departure and arrival. Conceived by the designers at Selbert Perkins Design, the towers and 30-foot "LAX" letters provide a gateway to the airport and offer a welcoming landmark for visitors.^[18] Illuminated from the inside, the pylons slowly cycle through a rainbow of colors that represents the multicultural makeup of Los Angeles and can be customized to celebrate events, holidays or a season. This was part of an overall face-lift that included new signage and various other cosmetic enhancements that was led by Ted Tokio Tanaka Architects. The LAX pylons underwent improvements in 2006, as stage lighting inside the cylinders was replaced with LED lights to conserve energy, make maintenance easier and enable on-demand cycling through various color effects.^[19]

At various times LAX has been a hub for TWA, Air California, Braniff International, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Pacific Southwest Airlines, US Airways, Western Airlines, and the Flying Tiger Line.

Starting in the mid-1990s under Mayors Richard Riordan and James Hahn, modernization and expansion plans for LAX were prepared, only to be stymied by a coalition of residents who live near the airport. They cited increased noise, pollution and traffic impacts of the project. In late 2005, newly elected Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was able to reach a compromise, allowing some modernization to go forward while encouraging future growth among other facilities in the region.

It is illegal^{[dubious – discuss]} to limit the number of passengers that can use an airport; however, in December 2005 the city agreed to limit their construction of passengers gates to 163. Once passenger usage hits 75 million, a maximum of two gates a year for up to five years will be closed, which theoretically will limit maximum growth to 79 million passengers a year. In exchange, civil lawsuits were abandoned, to allow the city to complete badly needed improvements to the airport.^[20]

On March 25, 2007 Runway 7R/25L reopened after being shifted 55 feet (17 m) south to prevent runway incursions and prepare the runway for the Airbus A380. Additional storm drains and enhanced runway lighting were added. Runway 25L is now 800 feet (240 m) south of the parallel runway centerline to centerline, allowing a parallel taxiway between the runways; the taxiway 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, and the federal government will fund part of the system.

According to the Los Angeles Times, in February 2007, many Pacific Rim carriers began reducing flights to LAX in favor of more modern airports, such as San Francisco International Airport, due to the aging facilities at Tom Bradley International Terminal.^[21]

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.^[22] 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 to be ferried to the building by a people mover extending from the terminal.^[22] It is expected to be completed in 2012.

On March 19, 2007 the Airbus A380 made its debut at LAX, landing on runway 24L. Though LAX was originally supposed to be the first US city to see the A380, Airbus later decided to forgo LAX in favor of New York's JFK. After city officials fought for the super-jumbo jet to land at LAX, the A380 landed simultaneously in New York's JFK airport and LAX.^[23]

On March 31, 2008 the Los Angeles Times reported that foreign carriers were once again flocking to LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal. The weaker dollar caused a surge in demand for US travel, resulting in airlines either adding new destinations or increasing frequencies to existing routes. New airlines that introduced flights to LAX are Virgin Australia and Emirates Airlines. Emirates has operations to Dubai. In 2011, nonstop service to Istanbul's Atatürk International Airport was inaugurated by Turkish Airlines, providing the first nonstop service between Los Angeles and Turkey, while Iberia Airlines reinstated nonstop Los Angeles-Madrid flights as part of its inclusion in the Oneworld alliance. Meanwhile, Korean Airlines, Qantas, Air China, and Air France have all augmented their services to Los Angeles by adding new flights to existing routes. The influx of new flights comes amidst the renovation of the airport and consolidates LAX's status as the premiere international gateway to the Western United States.^[24]

Qantas launched service with the Airbus A380 on October 20, 2008, using the west side remote gates. Though initially deployed between LAX-SYD, Qantas' A380 service was extended to the popular LAX-Melbourne route. In July 2011, Singapore Airlines began service with the Airbus A380 on a Singapore-Tokyo-Los Angeles routing, followed shortly by Korean Airlines, which initiated nonstop Seoul-Los Angeles service with the Airbus A380 in October 2011. Air France has launched A380 flights between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Los Angeles in May 2012. In Addition, China Southern launched A380 service to Guangzhou in October 2012, representing an increase in capacity of 78% on the route. With the addition of these services, LAX boasts six daily flights on the Airbus A380. British Airways has announced that Los Angeles will be its first A380 route, starting October 15.^[25]

Today, LAX is in the midst of a $4.11 billion dollar renovation and improvement program to expand and rehabilitate the Tom Bradley International Terminal to accommodate the next generation of larger aircraft, as well as handle the growing number of flights to and from the Southern California region, and to develop the Central Terminal Area (CTA) of the airport to include streamlined passenger processing, public transportation and updated central utility plants. The multi-year projects are expected to be completed by 2014 and is the largest public works project in Los Angeles history.^[26][27]

The airport is also a major hub for United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines,^[28] and a focus city for Southwest Airlines, Allegiant Air, Air New Zealand, Qantas, Virgin America and Volaris. It also serves as an international gateway for Delta Air Lines.

Aircraft spotting

The "Imperial Hill" area (also known as Clutter's Park) in El Segundo from which the South Complex of the airport can be viewed is a prime location for aircraft spotting. Another spotting location sits under the final approach for runways 24 L&R on a lawn next to the Westchester In-N-Out Burger. This is 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 a flightpath.

Space Shuttle Endeavour

At 12:51 pm on Friday, September 21, 2012, a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft carrying Space Shuttle Endeavour landed at LAX on runway 25L.^[29] It is heard^{[by whom?]} that over 10,000 people saw the shuttle land in person. Interstate 105 was backed up for miles at a stand still. Imperial Highway was shut down for spectators. Along the way it passed many landmarks in the Los Angeles area including the Santa Monica Pier, Getty Center, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Griffith Observatory, Malibu coastline, the Hollywood Sign, Universal Studios Hollywood, the Disneyland Resort, and Los Angeles City Hall. It was quickly taken off the Boeing 747 and was moved to a United Airlines hanger. The shuttle spent about a month in the hanger while it was prepared for transport to the California Science Center.

On Friday, October 12, Endeavour left the hangar at 2:00 am It moved eastward on Manchester Blvd on its way to the California Science Center. The shuttle transport vehicle (STV) was constructed of over 60 individual wheels and weighed over 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg). It was designed to move the shuttle at a speed of 2 miles per hour (3.2 km/h). This was both for safety concerns on the shuttle and so people could take many photos. Although the entire planned route was only 12 miles, it should have only taken 6 hours to complete. Instead, the shuttle arrived in one piece on the morning of Sunday, October 14, 2012.

Theme Building

The distinctive white googie "Theme Building", designed by Pereira & Luckman architect Paul Williams and constructed in 1961 by Robert E. McKee Construction Co., resembles a flying saucer that has landed on its four legs. A restaurant with a sweeping view of the airport is suspended beneath two arches that form the legs. The Los Angeles City Council designated the building a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural 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.^[30] Visitors are able to take the elevator up to the roof of the "Theme Building", which closed after the September 11 attacks for security reasons and reopened to the public on weekends beginning on July 10, 2010.^[31] Additionally, a memorial to the victims of September 11, 2001 is also located on the grounds of the Theme Building, as three of the four hijacked planes were originally destined for LAX that day.^[32]

Terminals

LAX handled 28,861,477 enplanements, the total number of passengers boarding an aircraft, in 2008. This makes LAX the third busiest airport in the U.S. in terms of enplanements.^[33] It was the world's sixth-busiest airport by passenger traffic^[34] and eleventh-busiest by cargo traffic,^[35] 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.^[36] In terms of international passengers, LAX is the second busiest in the U.S. (behind only JFK in New York City)^[37] and 26th worldwide.^[38] The airport also claims to be "the world's busiest origin and destination (O & D) airport"in 2011^[4] — i.e., the busiest airport as measured by the number of passengers who are not changing planes. The number of aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs) has steadily increased to 603,912 in 2011, up from 575,875 in 2010.^[3]

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 Air Lines (11.12%) and Alaska Airlines (4.74%).^[39]

LAX has nine passenger terminals arranged in a "U", also called a "horseshoe". The terminals are served by a shuttle bus. Terminals 5, 6, 7 and 8 are all connected airside via an underground tunnel between Terminals 5 and 6 and above-ground walkways between Terminals 6, 7 and 8. There are no physical airside connections between any of the other terminals, although an airside shuttle bus operates between Terminals 4, 6 and the American Eagle remote terminal.

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).^[39]

United Airlines operates to the most destinations followed by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines/Horizon. The largest international carriers at LAX include Qantas, Air New Zealand, Air Canada, Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways, and Korean Air.

In addition to these terminals, there are 2,000,000 square feet (190,000 m²) of cargo facilities at LAX, and a heliport operated by Bravo Aviation. Qantas^[40] has a maintenance facility at LAX even though it is not a hub.

Most inter-terminal connections require passengers to exit security, then walk or use a shuttle bus to get to the other terminal, then re-clear security. A few LAX terminals provide airside connections, which allow connecting passengers to access other terminals without having to re-clear through security. The following airside connections are possible:^[41]

• Terminals 6, 7, and 8 are all connected airside via walking corridors allowing arriving domestic passengers a seamless connection.
• Terminals 5 and 6 are connected via an airside underground walkway. Terminal 4 was previously connected via this underground walkway but it is currently closed off.
• Some airlines provide an airside shuttle bus connection between terminals. For example, Qantas offers a late afternoon/evening shuttle bus for passengers arriving in Terminal 4 to connect with flights departing from the Tom Bradley International Terminal.^[42]

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 has 15 gates: 1–3, 4A–4B, and 5–14, and houses AirTran Airways, Southwest Airlines and US Airways. AirTran Airways moved from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 on April 11, 2012 in an effort to combine operations with Southwest. Terminal 1 was built in 1984, it is the largest of all the terminals in terms of number of gates. It was announced that Southwest and Los Angeles World Airports would fund about $400 million in Terminal 1 improvements under a plan approved Monday, January 14, 2013, by the Board of Airport Commissioners. Though the improvements have already begun, the plan must be approved by the City of Los Angeles. As part of the deal, US Airways agreed to move its operations to Terminal 3, giving Southwest its own terminal.^[43]

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 has 11 gates: 21–21B, 22–22B, 23, 24–24B, and 25–28. It hosts most foreign airlines not using the Tom Bradley International Terminal along with a couple of domestic airlines: Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air China, Air France, Avianca, KLM, Air New Zealand, Alitalia, Hawaiian Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Volaris and WestJet. Former tenants of the terminal include Northwest Airlines, Pan American World Airways, and Taca International Airlines.

Terminal 2 was built in 1962 and was the original international terminal. It was completely torn down and rebuilt in stages between 1984 and 1988 at a cost of $94 million.^[44] The rebuilt terminal was designed by Leo A Daly.^[45] Terminal 2 has CBP (Customs and Border Protection) facilities to process arriving international passengers.

Air New Zealand will be moving to the Tom Bradley International Terminal in 2014. ^[46]

Note: Air France's A380 flight will utilize the International Terminal's A380-capable gates, which are lacking in Terminal 2.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3 has 12 gates: 30, 31A–31B, 32, 33A–33B, 34–36, 37A–37B and 38 (gate 39 was removed to make room for Virgin 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 that airline acquired Reno Air and TWA in 1999 and 2001, respectively. Eventually, all American flights were moved to Terminal 4. As of April 2012, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, Virgin Australia and Virgin America use Terminal 3.

Frontier Airlines relocated to Terminal 3 on May 8, 2013.^[47]

Note: Virgin America uses Terminal 2 for arrivals from Cancun and Virgin Australia uses Terminal 5 for arrivals from Australia.

Terminal 4

Terminal 4 has 14 gates: 40–41, 42A–42B, 43–45 (Gate 44 is for the bus to the American Eagle remote terminal (Gates 44A-44L)), 46A–46B, 47A–47B, 48A–48B, and 49A. 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 facility. The renovation was designed by Rivers & Christian.^[48] It is home for American Airlines, which operates its West Coast hub at the Airport, and for its subsidiary commuter carrier, American Eagle. American is the only tenant at T4, other than daily Qantas departure to Brisbane. An international arrivals facility serving American Airlines flights was also added in the renovation in 2001.

Note: American Eagle flights operate from the "American Eagle Terminal" which is located just east of Terminal 8. Gate 44 serves as the shuttle bus stop at Terminal 4. The remote terminal is also connected by shuttle buses to Terminals 6 and TBIT, because of Eagle's codesharing with Alaska and Qantas.

Terminal 5

Terminal 5 has 15 gates: 50A–50B, 51A–51B, 52A–52B, 53A–53B, 54A–54B, 55A, 56–57, 58, and 59. Western Airlines occupied this terminal at its opening in 1962, and continued to do so until Western was merged with Delta Air Lines on April 1, 1987. Terminal 5 was re-designed by Gensler,^[49] 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. Northwest Airlines moved all operations to Terminal 5 and Terminal 6 alongside Delta Air Lines June 30, 2009 as part of their merger with the airline.

Terminal 6

Terminal 6 has 14 gates: 60–63, 64A–64B, 65A-65B, 66, 67, 68A–68B, and 69A–69B. Parts of this terminal have 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 Airlines originally built the Connector Building (which links the Ticketing and rotunda buildings). United uses the connector gates, supplementing its base at Terminal 7. Delta leases space from the Airport in Terminal 6, in addition to its base at Terminal 5. Most of the rotunda gates can feed arriving passengers into a sterile corridor that shunts them to Terminal 7's customs and immigration facility. Also, one foreign-flag airline, Copa Airlines, departs from Terminal 6, as a result of its long relationship with Continental and now United.

Alaska Airlines in April 2011 agreed to a deal with Los Angeles World Airports to renovate Terminal 6. The airline moved its flights to Terminal 6 on March 20, 2012, and Spirit Airlines was relocated to Terminal 3.^[50]

Both United and Alaska operate lounges in Terminal 6.

Former tenants of the terminal include Continental Airlines until its merger with United Airlines in 2011 and Eastern Air Lines, which went bankrupt in 1991. The terminal also originally housed Pacific Southwest Airlines.

Terminal 7

Terminal 7 has 11 gates: 70A–70B, 71A–71B, 72–73, 74A–74B, 75A–75B, 76A, and 77A–77B. This terminal opened in 1962. Four of these gates have two jetways, which accommodate large aircraft. Terminal 7 is the home to United Airlines. The interior of the terminal was renovated between January 1998 and June 1999 at a cost of $250 million and was designed by HNTB and constructed by Hensel Phelps Construction. Added were new gate podiums, increased size of gate areas, relocated concessions, expanded restrooms, new flooring and new signage.^[51] Also, the roof of the terminal was raised and new, brighter light fixtures were added in order to provide more overall lighting.^[52] As of 2012, Terminal 7 is undergoing another facelift, with significant changes to concessions. The terminal also contains a United Club and International First Class Lounge.

Terminal 8

Terminal 8 has nine 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. However, Terminal 8 is now used once again for mainline United flights.

Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT)

The Tom Bradley International Terminal has 12 gates, including six on the north concourse and six on the south concourse. In addition, there are nine satellite gates for international flights located on the west side of LAX. Passengers are ferried to the west side gates by bus. The terminal hosts most of the major international airlines, with the exception of those housed in Terminal 2.

This terminal opened for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games and is named in honor of Tom Bradley, the first African-American and longest serving (20 years) mayor of Los Angeles, and champion of LAX. The terminal is located at the west end of the passenger terminal area between Terminals 3 and 4. Tom Bradley International Terminal hosts 27 airlines, and handles 10 million passengers per year.

In 2010, modernization efforts resulted in additional space for inline baggage screening, three large alliance-aligned lounges plus one unaffiliated lounge (to replace the multiple airline specific lounges) and cosmetic upgrades in the departures and arrivals areas.

On November 17, 2008, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveiled design concepts for LAX's Bradley West and Midfield Concourse projects. Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), along with city officials, selected Fentress Architects in association with HNTB to develop a design concept for the modernization of LAX. The emphasis of the modernization is to improve the passenger experience and to keep Los Angeles competitive with other global cities.

On February 22, 2010, construction began on the $1.5 billion Bradley West project, part of the multi-year $4.11 billion LAX improvement and redevelopment projects. The project will add over 1,250,000 square feet (116,000 m²) of shops, restaurants, and passenger lounges, as well as new security screening, customs and immigration, and baggage claim facilities. The terminal's existing two concourses will be demolished and replaced with a larger pair with 18 gates, nine of which will be able to accommodate the larger A380. The terminal is expected to open in phases beginning on September 2012, until the entire Bradley West extension completes in 2014.^[53]

Airlines and destinations

LAX handles more "origin and destination" (i.e. not connecting) passengers than any other airport in the world.^[54] It is the world's fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic as of 2011.^[3] In terms of international passengers, LAX is the third-busiest in the U.S. (behind only New York-JFK and Miami International Airport) and 26th worldwide as of October 2011.^[38]

Passenger

United Airlines/United Express operates the most departures from the airport followed by American Airlines/American Eagle and Southwest Airlines. United also operates to the most destinations, followed by American and Alaska Airlines/Horizon. Delta, Qantas, United, and Virgin Australia all operate nonstop services to the most trans-Pacific destinations (three). Air Canada serves the most destinations in Canada (four). Lufthansa serves the most destinations in Europe (two), while Alaska Airlines/Horizon serve the most destinations in Mexico (nine).

This table lists passenger flights served with a nonstop or direct flight with no change of aircraft carrying passengers originating in Los Angeles according to the airlines' published schedules, unless otherwise noted.

Notes

• ^1 Air France's Boeing 777 flights use Terminal 2 while its Airbus A380 flights use the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT).
• ^2 Air New Zealand will relocate operations to the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) in early 2014.^[65]
• ^3 Qantas flights to/from New York–JFK are only for non-domestic, connecting traffic. The airline does not have local traffic rights to transport passengers solely from LAX to JFK.
• ^4 Virgin Australia flights arrive at Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) for immigration and customs processing, but depart from Terminal 3 (same terminal as Virgin America).^[66]

Cargo

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Traffic and statistics

Busiest International Routes from Los Angeles (2011)^[70]

Rank	Airport	Passengers	Carriers	Change YoY (%)
1	London (Heathrow), United Kingdom	1,300,010	Air New Zealand, American, British Airways, United, Virgin Atlantic	00.1
2	Tokyo (Narita), Japan	1,282,414	ANA, American, Delta, JAL, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, United	01.2
3	Sydney, Australia	1,100,542	Delta, Qantas, United, Virgin Australia	00.3
4	Seoul (Incheon), South Korea	955,522	Asiana, Korean Air, Thai Airways International	01.1
5	Taipei (Taoyuan), Taiwan	905,670	China Airlines, EVA Air	00.7
6	Vancouver, Canada	804,000	Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, United, Westjet	00.1
7	Guadalajara, Mexico	700,928	Aeroméxico, Alaska Airlines, United, Volaris	05.4
8	Mexico City, Mexico	696,657	Aeroméxico, Alaska Airlines, United, Volaris	07.6
9	Toronto (Pearson), Canada	576,360	Air Canada, American	013.5
10	Paris (Charles de Gaulle), France	531,000	Air France, Air Tahiti Nui	01.0

Airport lounges

• Terminal 1 (US Airways Club)
• Terminal 2 (Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, Air New Zealand Koru Club, Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club, Air France Affaires/ Premiere Lounge)
• Terminal 3 (Virgin America LOFT)
• Terminal 4 (American Airlines Admiral's Club, American Airlines Flagship Lounge, Qantas Club)
• Terminal 5 (Delta Air Lines Sky Club)
• Terminal 6 (Alaska Airlines Board Room, United Club)
• Terminal 7 (United Airlines GlobalFirst Lounge, United Club)
• Terminal 8 (None)
• TBIT (Star Alliance Lounge, SkyTeam Lounge, Oneworld Lounge, Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Lounge, reLAX Lounge)

Ground transportation

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Freeways and roads

LAX can be reached primarily using the Century Boulevard exit (and several more northern exits) on Interstate 405, or the Sepulveda Boulevard (State Route 1) exit on Interstate 105.

Bus

Out of a number of bus systems, many routes (local, rapid and express) of the LACMTA Metro 232 to Long Beach, Line 8 of Torrance Transit, Line 109 of Beach Cities Transit, the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus system's Line 3 and Rapid 3 via Lincoln Blvd to Santa Monica and the Culver CityBus's Line 6 and Rapid 6 via Sepulveda Blvd to Culver City and UCLA all make stops at the LAX Transit Center in Parking Lot C. on 96th St., where shuttle bus "C" offers free connections to and from every LAX terminal, and at the Green Line Station, where shuttle bus "G" connects to and from the terminals.

FlyAway Bus

The FlyAway Bus is a shuttle service run by the LAWA, which currently travels between one of three off-airport areas: San Fernando Valley (Van Nuys), downtown Los Angeles (Union Station), and the Westside (Westwood). The Irvine FlyAway was discontinued on August 31, 2012. The shuttle service stops at every LAX terminal. The service hours vary based on the line. All lines use the regional system of High Occupancy Vehicle lanes to expedite their trips.

Los Angeles Metro Rail

Shuttle bus "G" offers a free connection to and from the Aviation/LAX station on the Los Angeles Metro Rail Green Line. The line was originally intended to connect directly to the airport, but budgetary restraints and opposition from local parking lot owners impeded its progress. Part of the long term master plan for LAX and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority calls for a direct Metro Rail stop on either the Green Line or the proposed Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor, with a people-mover system connecting the terminals to the station without the need for a shuttle bus.^[73] Currently, shuttle bus "G" runs every 10–15 minutes (synched with the train schedule) from 5 am – 1:30 am. ^[74]

Taxis and private shuttles

Taxicab services are operated by nine city-authorized taxi companies and regulated by Authorized Taxicab Supervision Inc. (ATS). ATS maintains a taxicab holding lot under the 96th Street Bridge where, at peak periods, hundreds of cabs queue up to wait their turn to pull into the central terminal area to pick up riders. A number of private shuttle companies also offer limousine and bus services to LAX airport.

Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles

The airport also functions as a joint civil-military facility, providing a base for the United States Coast Guard and its Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles facility, operating four HH-65 Dolphin helicopters, which covers Coast Guard operations in various Southern California locations, including Catalina Island.

Missions include search and rescue (SAR), law enforcement, aids to navigation support (such as operating lighthouses) and various military operations. In addition, Coast Guard helicopters assigned to the air station deploy to Coast Guard cutters.

Flight Path Learning Center

The Flight Path Learning Center is a museum located at 6661 Imperial Highway and was formerly known as the "West Imperial Terminal". This building used to house some charter flights (Condor Airlines) and regular scheduled flights by MGM Grand Air. It sat empty for 10 years until it was re-opened as a learning center for LAX.

The center contains information on the history of aviation, several pictures of the airport, as well as aircraft scale models, flight attendant uniforms, and general airline memorabilia such as playing cards, china, magazines, signs, even a TWA gate information sign.

The museum claims to be "the only aviation museum and research center situated at a major airport and the only facility with a primary emphasis on contributions of civil aviation to the history and development of Southern California".^[75] However, there are other museums at major airports including the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum adjacent to Washington Dulles Airport, the Royal Thai Air Force Museum at Don Muang Airport, the Suomen ilmailumuseo (Finnish Aviation Museum) at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, the Frontier of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium at Tulsa International Airport and others.

Other facilities

The airport has the administrative offices of Los Angeles World Airports.^[76]

Continental Airlines once had its corporate headquarters on the airport property. At a 1962 press conference in the office of Mayor of Los Angeles Sam Yorty, Continental Airlines announced that it planned to move its headquarters to Los Angeles in July 1963.^[77] In 1963 Continental's headquarters moved to a two story, $2.3 million building on the grounds of the airport.^[78][79] The July 2009 Continental Magazine issue stated that the move "underlined Continental's western and Pacific orientation".^[80] On July 1, 1983 the airline's headquarters were relocated to the America Tower in the Neartown area of Houston.^[81]

In addition to Continental, Western Airlines and Flying Tiger Line also had their headquarters on the LAX property.^[82][83]

Incidents involving LAX

During its history there have been numerous incidents, but only the most notable are summarized below:^[84]

1930s

• On January 23, 1939, the sole prototype Douglas 7B twin-engine attack bomber, designed and built as a company project, suffered loss of vertical fin and rudder during demonstration flight over Mines Field, flat spun into the parking lot of North American Aviation, burned. Another source states that the test pilot, in an attempt to impress the Gallic passenger, attempted a snap roll at low altitude with one engine feathered, resulting in the fatal spin.^[85] Douglas test pilot Johnny Cable bailed out at 300 feet, chute unfurled but did not have time to deploy, killed on impact, flight engineer John Parks rode the airframe in and died, but 33-year-old French Air Force Capt. Paul Chemidlin, riding in aft fuselage near top turret, survived with broken leg, severe back injuries, slight concussion. Presence of Chemidlin, a representative of foreign purchasing mission, caused a furor in Congress by isolationists over neutrality and export laws. Type was developed as Douglas DB-7.^[86]

1940s

• On June 1, 1940, the first Douglas R3D-1 for the U.S. Navy, BuNo 1901, c/n 606, crashed at Mines Field, before delivery. The Navy later acquired the privately owned DC-5 prototype, c/n 411, from William E. Boeing as a replacement.^[87]
• On November 20, 1940, the prototype NA-73X Mustang, NX19998,^[88] first flown October 26, 1940, by test pilot Vance Breese, crashed this date.^[89] According to P-51 designer Edgar Schmued, the NA-73 was lost because test pilot Paul Balfour refused, before a high-speed test run, to go through the takeoff and flight test procedure with Schmued while the aircraft was on the ground, claiming "one airplane was like another". After making two high speed passes over Mines Field, he forgot to put the fuel valve on "reserve" and during third pass ran out of fuel. Emergency landing in a freshly plowed field caused wheels to dig in, aircraft flipped over, airframe was not rebuilt, the second aircraft being used for subsequent testing.^[90]
• On October 26, 1944, WASP pilot Gertrude Tompkins Silver of the 601st Ferrying Squadron, 5th Ferrying Group, Love Field, Dallas, Texas, departed Los Angeles Airport, in P-51D-15-NA Mustang, 44-15669,^[91] at 1600 hrs PWT, headed for the East Coast. She took off into the wind, into an offshore fog bank, and was expected that night at Palm Springs. She never arrived. Due to a paperwork foul-up, a search did not get under way for several days, and while the eventual search of land and sea was massive, it failed to find a trace of Silver or her plane. She is the only missing WASP pilot. She had married Sgt. Henry Silver one month before her disappearance.^[92]

1950s

• On the morning of June 30, 1956, United Airlines Flight 718, a Douglas DC-7, and TWA Flight 2, a Lockheed Super Constellation, departed LAX within three minutes of each other on eastbound transcontinental flights. The two propeller-driven airliners subsequently collided over the Grand Canyon in Arizona while both were flying in unmonitored airspace, killing all 58 people aboard Flight 718 and all 70 people aboard Flight 2 for a grand total of 128 fatalities.

1960s

• On March 1, 1962, American Airlines Flight 1 a Boeing 707-123B flight from New York to Los Angeles, crashed on takeoff from Idlewild Airport (now John F. Kennedy International Airport), killing all 95 passengers and 12 crew members. A Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) investigation determined that a manufacturing defect in the automatic pilot system led to an uncommanded rudder control system input, causing the accident.
• On January 13, 1969, a Scandinavian Airlines System Douglas DC-8-62, Flight 933, crashed into Santa Monica Bay, approximately 6 nautical miles (11 km) west of LAX at 7:21 pm, local time. The aircraft was operating as flight SK-933, nearing the completion of a flight from Seattle. Of nine crewmembers, three lost their lives to drowning, while 12 of the 36 passengers also drowned.
• On January 18, 1969, United Airlines Flight 266 a Boeing 727-200 bearing the registration number N7434U, crashed into Santa Monica Bay approximately 11.3 miles (18.2 km) west of LAX at 6:21 pm local time. The aircraft was destroyed, resulting in the loss of all 32 passengers and six crewmembers aboard.

1970s

• On the evening of June 6, 1971, Hughes Airwest Flight 706, a Douglas DC-9 jetliner which had departed LAX on a flight to Salt Lake City, Utah, was struck nine minutes after takeoff by a U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter jet over the San Gabriel Mountains. The midair collision killed all 44 passengers and five crew members aboard the DC-9 airliner and one of two crewmen aboard the military jet.
• On August 6, 1974, a bomb exploded near the Pan Am ticketing area at Terminal 2; three people were killed and 35 were injured.^[93]
• On March 1, 1978, two tires burst in succession on a Continental Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 during its takeoff roll at LAX and the plane, bound for Honolulu, veered off the runway. A third tire burst and the DC-10's left landing gear collapsed, causing a fuel tank to rupture. Following the aborted takeoff, spilled fuel ignited and enveloped the center portion of the aircraft in flames. During the ensuing emergency evacuation, a husband and wife died when they exited the passenger cabin onto the wing and dropped down directly into the flames. Two additional passengers died of their injuries approximately three months after the accident; 74 others aboard the plane were injured, as were 11 firemen battling the fire.
• On the morning of September 25, 1978, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182, which was on a Sacramento-Los Angeles International Airport-Lindbergh Field, San Diego route, collided in midair with a Cessna 172 while descending for a landing at Lindbergh Field; both planes crashed in San Diego's North Park district, killing all 135 on board the PSA jetliner, both occupants of the Cessna aircraft, and seven people on the ground.
• On January 30, 1979, a Varig cargo Boeing 707-323C registration PP-VLU en route from Tokyo-Narita to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão via Los Angeles went missing over the Pacific Ocean some 30 minutes (200 km ENE) from Tokyo. Causes are unknown since the wreck was never found. Among other cargo, the aircraft was carrying 153 paintings by the Japanese Brazilian artist Manabu Mabe, worth USD 1.24 million. The aircraft was flown by Gilberto Araújo da Silva, who was also the captain and survivor of the accident with Flight 820 six years earlier. The crew of 6 died and their bodies were never recovered.^[94]
• On the evening of March 10, 1979, Swift Aire Flight 235, a twin-engine Aerospatiale Nord 262A-33 turboprop en route to Santa Maria, was forced to ditch in Santa Monica Bay after experiencing engine problems upon takeoff from LAX. The pilot, co-pilot and a female passenger drowned when they were unable to exit the aircraft after the ditching. The female flight attendant and the three remaining passengers—two men and a pregnant woman—survived and were rescued by several pleasure boats and other watercraft in the vicinity.
• On May 25, 1979, American Airlines Flight 191 crashed upon takeoff from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to Los Angeles, killing all 271 people on board and two people on the ground. The crash remains the deadliest single-aircraft crash in United States history, and the worst aviation disaster in the nation before 9/11.^[95]

1980s

• On August 31, 1986, Aeroméxico Flight 498, a DC-9 en route from Mexico City, Mexico to Los Angeles, began its descent into LAX when a Piper Cherokee collided with the DC-9's left horizontal stabilizer over Cerritos, California, causing the DC-9 to crash into a residential neighborhood. All 64 passengers and crew aboard the Aeroméxico flight were killed, in addition to 15 on the ground. 5 homes were destroyed and an additional 7 were damaged by the crash and resulting fire. The three occupants of the Piper were killed immediately when the two planes collided; their aircraft went down in a nearby schoolyard and caused no further injuries on the ground. As a result of this incident, FAA required all commercial aircraft to be equipped with Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS).
• On December 7, 1987, Pacific Southwest Airlines PSA Flight 1771, bound from LAX to San Francisco International Airport, was cruising above the central California coast when a USAir employee aboard the plane shot his ex-supervisor, both pilots, a flight attendant, and a pilot flying on board, causing the airplane to crash near the town of Cayucos. All 43 aboard perished. Following this event, airline staff and crew were no longer allowed to bypass security checks at U.S. airports.

1990s

• On February 1, 1991, USAir Flight 1493 (arriving from Columbus, Ohio), a Boeing 737-300, landing on Runway 24L at LAX, collided on touchdown with a SkyWest Airlines Fairchild Metroliner, Flight 5569 departing to Palmdale, California, that had been holding in position on the same runway. The collision killed all 12 occupants of the SkyWest plane and 22 people aboard the USAir 737.
• On April 6, 1993: China Eastern Airlines Flight 583 went into severe oscillations during flight. The aircraft made an emergency landing in Alaska. Two of the passengers ultimately died.^[96]

2000s

• Al-Qaeda attempted to bomb LAX on New Year's Eve 1999/2000. The bomber, Algerian Ahmed Ressam, was captured in Port Angeles, Washington, the U.S. port of entry, with a cache of explosives that could have produced a blast 40x greater than that of a devastating car bomb hidden in the trunk of the rented car in which he had traveled from Canada.^[97][98] He had planned to leave one or two suitcases filled with explosives in an LAX passenger waiting area.^[99][100] He was initially sentenced to 22 years in prison, but in February 2010 an appellate court ordered that his sentence be extended.^[101]
• On the afternoon of January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 jetliner flying from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to San Francisco and Seattle, requested to make an emergency landing at LAX after experiencing control problems with its tail-mounted horizontal stabilizer. Before the plane could divert to Los Angeles, it suddenly plummeted into the Pacific Ocean approximately 2.7 miles (4.3 km) north of Anacapa Island off the California coast, killing all 88 people aboard the aircraft.^[102]
• Three of the four planes used on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were originally headed for Los Angeles: American Airlines Flight 11, and United Airlines Flight 175, which were both from Logan International Airport, in Boston, Massachusetts and crashed into the World Trade Center towers, and American Airlines Flight 77 from Washington Dulles International Airport, in Dulles, Virginia, which crashed into the Pentagon. The fourth hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was not headed for Los Angeles. United 93 was from Newark International Airport and was en route to San Francisco International Airport; it subsequently crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania when the passengers rebelled against the hijackers.
• In the 2002 Los Angeles Airport shooting of July 4, 2002, Hesham Mohamed Hadayet killed 2 Israelis at the ticket counter of El Al Airlines at LAX. Although the gunman was not linked to any terrorist group, the man was upset at U.S. support for Israel, and therefore was motivated by political disagreement. This led the FBI to classify this shooting as a terrorist act,^[103] one of the few on U.S. soil since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The attack was similar to the Rome and Vienna Airport Attacks.
• On September 21, 2005, JetBlue Airways Flight 292, an Airbus A320 discovered a problem with its landing gear as it took off from Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California. It flew in circles for three hours to burn off fuel, then landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport on runway 25L, balancing on its back wheels as it rolled down the center of the runway. Passengers were able to watch their own coverage live from the satellite broadcast on JetBlue in-flight TV seat displays of their plane as it made an emergency landing with the front landing gear visibly becoming damaged. Because JetBlue did not serve LAX at the time, the aircraft was evaluated and repaired at a Continental Airlines hangar.^[104][105]
• On July 29, 2006, after America West Express Flight 6008, a Canadair Regional Jet operated by Mesa Airlines from Phoenix, Arizona, landed on runway 25L, controllers instructed the pilot to leave the runway on a taxiway known as "Mike" and stop short of runway 25R. Even though the pilot read back the instructions correctly, he accidentally taxied onto 25R and into the path of a departing SkyWest Airlines Embraer EMB-120 operating United Express Flight 6037 to Monterey, California. They cleared each other by 50 feet (15 m) and nobody was hurt.^[106]
• On August 16, 2007, a runway incursion occurred between WestJet Flight 900 and Northwest Airlines Flight 180 on runways 24R and 24L, respectively, with the aircraft coming within 37 feet (11 m) of each other. The planes were carrying a combined total of 296 people, none of whom were injured. The NTSB concluded that the incursion was the result of controller error.^[107] In September 2007, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey stressed the need for LAX to increase lateral separation between its pair of north runways in order to preserve the safety and efficiency of the airport.^[108]

Planned modernization

LAWA currently has several plans to modernize LAX. These include terminal and runway improvements, which will enhance the passenger experience, reduce overcrowding, and provide airport access to the latest class of very large passenger aircraft.

These improvements^[109] include:

• New crossfield taxiway
• New large aircraft gates at TBIT
• TBIT core improvements
• New Midfield Satellite Concourse
• Replacement of Central Utility Plant

LAWA is also planning to build and operate an LAX Automated People Mover. This small train will connect passengers between the central terminal area and the Metro Green Line, the future Metro Crenshaw Line, and regional and local bus lines.

In popular culture

• In the 1966 musical film Hold On! there is a riot of teenage girls swarming aspiring starlet Cecilie Bannister at LAX.
• In the opening credit sequence to 1967's The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman's character is filmed passing wearily through an LAX concourse connection tunnel to "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel. In the 1997 film Jackie Brown, Pam Grier walks past the same spot to soaring soul music by Bobby Womack.
• "L.A. International Airport", a song written by Leanne Scott and first recorded by David Frizzell in 1970, was covered in 1971 by Susan Raye and this version reached No. 9 on the Billboard Country Singles chart (and No. 54 on the Hot 100 singles chart). The song was re-recorded with updated lyrics in 2003 by Shirley Myers for the 75th anniversary of LAX.
• The 1980 Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker comedy Airplane! begins at LAX. Additionally, a twist on the iconic public announcement regarding the "white zone" is parodied in the film's opening scene.
• The 1980 film Midnight Madness with Michael J. Fox, has LAX as one of the destinations in the scavenger hunt game.
• Several scenes of the 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger motion picture Commando were filmed at the Tom Bradley International Terminal, on the airfield, and in an LAX parking deck.
• The 1985 film To Live and Die in L.A. featured a stunt in a terminal at LAX of Petersen running along the top of the dividers between the terminal's moving sidewalk.
• Stephen King's 1990 horror novella The Langoliers and its 1995 movie adaptation feature LAX as the starting point and ending destination for the protagonists.
• The opening sequence of the 1991 television series Going Places begins with the side-view of an airplane landing at the Los Angeles International Airport, followed by the view of a "Welcome to Los Angeles" sign under a highway bridge.
• The 1992 film The Bodyguard, new starring Andy Lau and Aaron Kwok, has its ending scenes filmed of arrive on a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER from Los Angeles International Airport to Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
• The 1994 film Speed, starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, was filmed in part on the runways of LAX.
• The 1995 film Heat starring Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer and Al Pacino has its ending scenes filmed at LAX.
• The 1995 Sandra Bullock film The Net, Bullock's character finds her car missing from an LAX parking lot.
• The 1996 song Going Back to Cali by the rapper the The Notorious B.I.G. mentions the airport by name.
• The 1997 film Liar Liar starring Jim Carrey features a climatic scene where Fletcher Reede (Carrey) struggles to keep his son. He hurries to LAX, but his son's plane has already left the terminal. Desperate, he hijacks a mobile stairway and pursues the plane onto the runway.
• The 1997 film Face/Off, a chartered plane crashes into an LAX hangar in the beginning of the film.
• The 1997 film Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie feature a scene in LAX with Rowan Atkinson as "Mr. Bean".
• The 1997 film Turbulence starring Ray Liotta and Lauren Holly features a landing attempt by Holly's character on an LAX runway.
• The 1997 Michael Crichton novel Airframe starts with a fictional airline from Hong Kong to Denver making an emergency landing at LAX.
• The 1999 Natalie Portman and Susan Sarandon film Anywhere but Here was partly filmed at LAX.
• The 1999 PlayStation video game Driver contains a mission featuring Los Angeles International.
• The 1999 film Fight Club starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton feature an opening scene where the two arrive at LAX on the same flight.
• The 2000 film Charlie's Angels feature a scene in LAX.
• The 2001 Denzel Washington film Training Day concludes with Alonzo Harris fleeing to LAX.
• The 2002 comedy-drama film Catch Me If You Can, based on the life of Frank Abagnale, Jr., starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, was partly filmed at LAX and nearby Ontario International Airport.
• The 2003 Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill Volume 1 starring Uma Thurman featured a scene in an LAX terminal before her departure to Japan.
• The 2004 Tom Hanks film The Terminal had pre-production shooting done at LAX.
• The 2004 comedy Soul Plane features the NWA's first flight from Los Angeles International Airport.
• The 2004 & 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto V featured and parodied the airport as Los Santos International Airport or LSX and was commonly called as Los Santos International. The Theme Building, light towers, and the control tower of LAX were also featured.
• The 2005 television series LAX starring Heather Locklear was a fictionalized drama of several operation managers working at LAX. Though most of the series was filmed at the nearby Ontario International Airport, LAX was used in several establishing shots.
• The 2005 PlayStation 2 video game, L.A. Rush by Midway Games, features LAX.
• The reality 2005 TV series Airline features the stories of Southwest Airlines employees and passengers originating from LAX, Chicago Midway International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport and William P. Hobby Airport.
• In season 7 of The Amazing Race the participants began their race from Long Beach, California and flew out of LAX to Callao, Peru.
• In an episode of the 2006 critically acclaimed TV series Arrested Development, Tobias Funke, played by David Cross, first encounters Carl Weathers in an air porter bound for LAX and asks him to teach him his craft.
• The 2006 Samuel L. Jackson film, Snakes on a Plane featured a flight heading towards LAX from Honolulu, Hawaii.
• In the episode, The Woman at the Airport from the television series Bones, FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temerance Brennan's investigate a woman's remains found at several locations around LAX.
• In the 2007 Jerry Seinfeld film Bee Movie, Barry and Vanessa fly flowers as luggage on a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport to re-pollinate the world.
• The 2008 Will Smith movie Hancock featured LAX.
• The music video of Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" was filmed and is set mostly at the airport. The Tom Bradley International Terminal is seen in shots and also appears as the band sings and dances to the chorus. The scene where they are greeted by fans was filmed in one of the hangars of LAX. The plane in the video is a Boeing 727.
• Susan Raye, who has been retired from the music industry since 1986, made a rare public appearance to sing her classic hit at a concert at the celebration and to be on hand when a proclamation was issued to make the song the official song of LAX.
• Los Angeles Rapper Game had a 2008 album titled LAX.
• The 2008 film Taken has its ending scenes at LAX.
• The airport is mentioned in the opening lines of Miley Cyrus's 2009 hit Party in the U.S.A., with the lyrics "I hopped off the plane at LAX..."
• The music video for American Idol Season 7 winner David Cook's song Come Back to Me was filmed at LAX.
• In a 2010 History Channel episode of Life After People, the Theme Building and LAX Control Tower are shown what would happen to them after years of neglect.
• The 2011 episode titled The Middle Men from the British science fiction television show Torchwood: Miracle Day, featured LAX.
• On September 21, 2012, Space Shuttle Endeavour landed at LAX after its ferry flight from Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle was held in a hangar provided by United Airlines until it began its journey to the California Science Center on October 11, 2012.
• In an upcoming 2013 horror film, 7500, passengers encounter a supernatural force on Vista Pacific Flight 7500, which departs from LAX bound for Tokyo Haneda International Airport.
• In the final season premiere of Lost, notably titled "LA X", the alternate timeline sequences are mostly set in LAX, which was the intended destination of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815.
• Appears in various episodes of The A-Team TV series.
• L.A. International Airport also featured in the Brett Ratner film Rush Hour where Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) and Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) arrive on a United Airlines Boeing 747-400 from Hong Kong.
• The LAX Theme Building influenced the stage set up for the U2 360 Tour.
• In the video game Destroy All Humans, a majestic base appears to be similar to LAX.
• LAX was featured as a playable stage in the 2003 video game Midnight Club II.
• In the second Splinter Cell game, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, the last mission takes place in LAX where Sam Fisher infiltrates LAX via the parking garage, takes out terrorists disguised as LAX employees and rogue CIA agent Norman Soth, and disarms the ND133.

See also

• California World War II Army Airfields
• Los Angeles Airport Police
• Peirson M. Hall, instrumental in establishing the airport

References

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Los Angeles International Airport.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Los Angeles International Airport.

• Los Angeles International Airport official website
• LAneXt website
• LAX Noise Management Internet Flight Tracking System
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective July 11, 2024
• Los Angeles International Airport travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KLAX
  • ASN accident history for LAX
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KLAX
  • FAA current LAX delay information