Los Angeles International Airport Archives

Airport Lyft & Uber pickups get faster. Why?

September 28, 2017

Airport rides getting faster. Have you noticed? (Photo: Lyft)

When I got off the plane late last night at SFO and called up Lyft for a ride home I was surprised when the app told me that the driver was only one minute away. I was still deep in the terminal and had to hustle to get to the curbside to keep him from waiting.

When calling up Lyft or Uber at the airport, have you noticed that your car shows up a lot faster these days? Well, there’s a good reason for that.

Starting last month both Lyft and Uber rolled out something called “Rematch” at four California airports: San Francisco International, Oakland International, Mineta San Jose International and Los Angeles International. This new functionality allows drivers to drop off AND pick up passengers simultaneously at the airport.

In the past drivers could enter airport grounds to pick up OR drop off passengers, but they could not do both. That meant passengers had to wait 5-8 minutes for the driver to get to the airport from a remote lot.

Uber and Lyft pick-ups at LAX changing (Image: Thomas Hawk/Flickr)

Officials at LAX said that they allow the practice to further reduce traffic in the central terminal area. In a press release, they said:

“Rematch works by increasing the number of persons who can be picked up during a single TNC [ridesharing] driver’s trip into LAX. Under regular TNC operating policies, TNC vehicles can enter the airport only to pick-up or drop-off passengers, but not both. For TNC companies authorized to use Rematch technology, following a drop-off trip, drivers may see a Rematch notification informing them of a passenger pick-up before exiting. If there is no Rematch notification, then the driver will exit the terminal area following his/her drop-off. Rematch requests will only be issued within the airport, and only to vehicles with confirmed drop-offs.”

Sounds like a good plan to me. Now if they can only do something about all the crowding at the designated pick up areas at LAX and SFO. It’s getting crazy congested curbside at peak hours. Have you noticed? Please leave your comments below.

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Multi-airline mega-move at LAX just weeks away

March 21, 2017

Delta’s move to Terminals 2 and 3 at LAX will give it 23 gates- Delta’s old home at T5 in background. (Image: Delta)

When Delta announced plans last year to move its operations at Los Angeles International Airport, it didn’t say exactly when that would happen. Now it seems that massive relocation is coming very soon.

Los Angeles World Airports said May 12 is the date when Delta will begin to move from Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3 – forcing the simultaneous relocation of several other airlines already using those two terminals.

The full process, expected to take at least five days (from May 12 to 17), is being called the biggest relocation project in LAX’s history. And all the affected airlines are expected to maintain regular operations during the mega-move. The move will only add to the mess created by other ongoing renovations and construction work at LAX.

“The moves will take place the nights of May 12, 14 and 16. Each airline will complete its relocation overnight, and start their operations in their new location the following morning,” the airport authority said. Delta noted that during the moving period, it will be operating flights from all four affected terminals, so it plans to maintain “constant communications” with customers regarding gate locations through its app, texts and emails.

The most noticeable improvement for Delta customers will be the new location that’s closer to the LAX entrance for faster and easier access into and out of the airport. More gates means your plane is less likely to have to wait for a one upon arrival. Plus Delta will now be located closer to its partner airlines and TBIT for easier connections. And there’ll be a Shake Shack (!).

Here’s a map of all airline locations at LAX as of May 17 when the move will be complete.

The overall layout of LAX terminals- Delta moving from T5 to T2-T-3. (Image: Los Angeles International Airport)

Not all the carriers currently in T2 and T3 will relocate. Delta’s rationale for the move is to position itself in the same terminals as its partner airlines to enable seamless connections. So Virgin Atlantic, Aeromexico and WestJet will remain in T2 and T3. Delta owns substantial equity stakes on Aeromexico and Virgin Atlantic.

Airlines currently using T2 and T3 that will have to move out include Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Avianca, Hainan Airlines, Hawaiian Air, Interjet, Qatar Airways, Sun Country, Thomas Cook, Volaris, XL Airways France, Allegiant Air, Boutique Air, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit, and Virgin America. They are expected mostly to move to the vacated space in T5 and T6.

And Delta’s relocation is only the beginning of a four-year, $1.9 billion renovation and reconstruction project that will remake T2 and T3. The work will also include construction of a post-security connector from T3 to the north side of the Tom Bradley International Terminal, for easier connections to Delta’s other international partners like Air France-KLM, Alitalia, China Eastern, China Southern, Korean and Virgin Australia. Until the connector is built, an airside bus will link Terminals 2, 3 and the Bradley Terminal, Delta said.

Renovation and reconstruction of T2 and T3 is expected to take four years. (Image: Delta)

Delta said that after the terminal overhauls are finished, its customers will see new Delta Sky Clubs in both terminals, a private check-in lounge for Delta One travelers, expedited check-in services for its Delta Shuttle flights, and an integrated in-line baggage system.

“We don’t take lightly the responsibility of caring for our customers and employees before, during and after the move,” said Delta’s Ranjan Goswami, “A relocation of this scale is unprecedented, so we’re putting all our resources into planning, preparing, communicating and executing this move as flawlessly as possible.”

Los Angeles World Airports said it will post updates on the moves at http://www.laxishappening.com/relocation.aspx. Travelers can also keep tabs on the process on social media with the hashtag #LAXontheMove, on Twitter @flyLAXairport and @LAAirportPD, on Facebook at LAInternationalAirport, and Instagram at flylaxairport.

“During the relocation and in the weeks following, passengers are advised to check-in online, print boarding passes, and check terminal and gate information before coming to LAX,” the airport authority said. “They should also arrive to the airport earlier than normal. Once at LAX, passengers should check flight and gate status on flight information display boards in each terminal to ensure they are in the correct location.”

Or, you could just plan on using Burbank, Orange County, Santa Barbara, Ontario or Long Beach airports in the meantime to avoid the kerfuffle.

What do you think of LAX and this big game of musical terminals? Please leave your comments below.

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Fly thru new $1.3 billion concourse at LAX (VIDEO)

November 22, 2016

The new satellite concourse at LAX (Image: YouTube/LAWA)

Sometimes it seems like Los Angeles International Airport is just one long, continuous construction project. And now passengers have another big expansion job to look forward to.

The city’s Board of Airport Commissioners has just given the green light to funding the construction of a $1.3 billion Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) as an addition to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The first phase of the MSC will be a 12-gate facility located to the west of the TBIT and connected to it by a 1,000-foot-long passenger tunnel. It’s expected to become operational late in 2019.

The new satellite concourse is just wwest of the Bradley Terminal. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

Work has already started on the site of the new concourse with the demolition of a pair of old hangars. The airports authority said a second phase will bring additional gates to the south end of the new concourse. Meanwhile, the airports body has also approved funding of a related Baggage Optimization Project, which will improve baggage handling capacity at both the new concourse and the TBIT.

Here’s a video fly-through look at the project:

Officials said the new MSC will include two gates capable of accommodating extra-large intercontinental aircraft like the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747-8. The other gates will be designed to handle smaller widebodies like the 777, 787 and A330. The concourse will also feature a variety of retail and dining venues and will have room for new airline lounges.

Los Angeles World Airports has a page of FAQs about the new concourse project. You can see it here.

A tunnel will link the new concourse to the Bradley Terminal. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

The new MSC is just one part of the ongoing development projects at LAX. The airport and Delta also recently announced a seven-year, $1.9 billion overhaul of Terminals 2 and 3 so Delta can move there from Terminals 5 and 6. And the airport is also planning to construct a big automated people mover system that will link all the terminals with a new intermodal facility that should allow more travelers to use mass transportation to get to and from LAX.

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An amazing upgrade for LAX- in pictures

September 17, 2016

DONT MISS! The 100,000 points question!

The planned east intermodal facility at LAX will connect an automatic people mover with a new light rail link. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

Departing passengers coming into Los Angeles International Airport too often ride into a traffic nightmare as they try to get to their terminals. Los Angeles World Airports – the agency that operates LAX – has big plans to make that better, and it just came out with some renderings of what the “new” LAX might look like after it implements its years-long overhaul of intra-airport transportation.

“Today, regardless of transportation mode, passengers, employees and visitors face uncertain travel times, congestion and overcrowding to and from LAX. Approximately 63 percent of all departing air passengers used private vehicles, taxis, limousines, or Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) such as Uber or Lyft to get to LAX in 2015; this percentage is even greater for those departing passengers who are residents. During peak periods, over 6,000 vehicles enter the airport on an hourly basis,” the agency said in its new Draft Environmental Impact Report for LAX’s Landside Access Modernization Program.

New walkways woll link people-mover stips with the adjacent passenger terminals. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

New walkways will link people-mover stops with the adjacent passenger terminals. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

You can see the full report here, as a .pdf file – but keep in mind it is really long. Basically, LAWA’s plan aims to bring more people to the airport via mass transportation, and get them to their terminals on a new Automated People Mover (APM) system that will run up through the middle of the central terminal area, with the APM stops linked to the terminals on either side by new pedestrian passageways.

Here's a map of the people-mover route through the central terminal area. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

Here’s a map of the people-mover route through the central terminal area. Dark yellow lines are new pedestrian walkways linking the people mover stops to terminals. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

The APM line will originate on the east side of the airport at a new consolidated car rental center – which will also take the many rental car shuttles off airport roadways. It will be linked to an intermodal transportation facility on the east side of the airport for passengers connecting to or from a new light rail line that will be part of the city’s mass transit system; and another one closer to the terminals for bus connections.

Don’t get too excited yet; all of this construction will take several years. But the airport is well into the planning stages for improving passenger access to LAX terminals, many of which are getting their own massive upgrades. Keep scrolling down to see more renderings:

An automated people-mover station with LAX’s iconic theme building in the background. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

DONT MISS! The 100,000 points question!

The plan calls for terminals to get new facades as well. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

The west intermodal facility will let passengers connect with bus lines. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

This map of the east side of LAX shows the planned consolidated rental car center, intermodal station, light rail line running top to bottom and peole mover running right to left. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

This map of the east side of LAX shows the planned consolidated rental car center (CONRAC), intermodal facility (ITF East), light rail line running top to bottom and people mover running right to left. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

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LAX: United progress + Delta move + Southwest + American

April 19, 2016

Rendering of United’s new outdoor terrace at LAX (Image: United / YouTube)

There’s a lot going on a Los Angeles International Airport these days, such as the ongoing $500+ million upgrade to United’s operations at Terminals 7 and 8, plus a rumor that Delta could be moving across the horseshoe to terminals 2 and 3.

(Image: United)

First, let’s look at what United has going on at LAX Terminal 7.

As with most big construction projects, the likelihood of glitches increases, so be prepared when flying United to or from LAX through the end of next year when it should conclude. This spring, you’ll see a new baggage claim area open as well as an updated economy class check-in space and consolidated security screening area.

In a new video, United promises a bigger, better and brighter terminal with extras like a new 20,000 square foot United Club with an outdoor terrace (pictured above). A United spokesperson told TravelSkills that the new Club is slated to open in September 2016.

Remember that while United uses both Terminals 7 and 8, all check in and security is at Terminal 7.

The view from Delta's recently revamped Sky Club at LAX (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The view from Delta’s recently revamped Sky Club at LAX Terminal 5 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

LAX airport authorities are reportedly now briefing other airlines about the possibility of Delta moving from its recently renovated Terminal 5 across to a new space at Terminals 2 and 3 according to the BrianSumers.com blog. If the deal goes forward, Delta would invest nearly a billion dollars on a terminal renovation or replacement project that could take up to five years to complete.

Delta is now the #2 carrier at LAX after American, and the new space would provide 23 gates, up from its current 13 in Terminal 5. Over the last 6 years, Delta has nearly doubled the number of seats it flies in and out a LAX, so it could use the space. Plus, Sumers reports that Delta may add a behind-security tunnel to the adjacent Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT).

And in case you missed it, Southwest is now operating out of a shiny newly modernized Terminal 1 facility at LAX. Also last month LAX completed a new behind-security corridor connecting American’s Terminal 4 with the TBIT.

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