LAX 2017 Terminal Move: The Definitive Thread
 

Richard Anderson talked today on his weekly employee phone update about the airports on the Delta system that will see updates/improvements starting in 2016.

Among the airports RA talked about was moving LAX operations to terminal 2 and 3. He did not really go into any more detail.

I have heard through other sources that this might happen. Today is the first time I heard RA actually say it. Kind of surprising considering they just updated terminal 5...but things do change in all industries.

Good news in my book. Terminal 5 is a crap hole with no good restaurant options. Sorry I refuse to eat at mcdonald's.

And since Delta doesn't care about Alaska airlines anymore the T5-T6 terminal connector is not as important. That said how many people do fly into LAX on Alaska and connect to DL at LAX?

Terminal 3 is a nightmare; Delta would pretty much need to bulldoze it and start over. Eep.

On the other hand, a clean slate investment in LAX could give Delta one of the best passenger experiences at the airport if they more or less start from scratch reimagining the terminal layouts...

The new market across from the sky club that opened a year or two ago is actually pretty nice - overpriced, yes, but I actually enjoy the food there. Worth a try if you haven't been in there - it looks like a grab and go joint from the outside but there is more to it once you go in.

Unless this is another large reconstruction project (ala LGA/JFK), I will be very skeptical.

If done well, it would have the advantage of getting them next to all their palls (and airside connectivity is an issue at LAX).

Terminal 5 is pretty awful. A move to 2 or 3 would also mean less time sitting on a hotel shuttle.

Only in 1 direction.

;)

Gain time when departing ... lose it again when arriving. Or vv

That McD's is long gone. It has been a duty free for a while now

A lot of money has been spent on T5, and the terminal itself and the restaurants have improved considerably.

The real problem is congestion, too many people in too small a place. United's T7 and T8 are ghost towns by comparison.

But it seems LAX wants to move DL out and then AA would get some gates relocated to T5.

DL runs flights out of T6, and AA passengers use the tunnel as well to get between T4 and T6.

David

RA's words were there is an effort in Los Angeles, and a letter of intent was signed with the city of Los Angeles, to rehabilitate terminals 2 and 3, and move to terminals 2 and 3, and this would become the biggest terminal facility at LAX.

He brought this up, by saying over and above the DL capital budget for 2016, some hub airports would be undertaking construction projects. He mentioned, ATL, SEA, LAX, and SLC.

This was hinted at in Delta's application for a JV with Aeromexico. In it, they pledged to co-locate facilities at LAX. That was only going to happen if Delta got a new facility — where T2 and T3 make the most sense. Aeromexico is already there, so are Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia. It would also provide for easier connections to SkyTeam international carriers operation in TBIT. The question is, if Delta moves to T2/3, is there enough space elsewhere for:

Air Canada, Avianca, Hawaiian Air, Sun Country, TACA, Volaris, WestJet (Though they're also a DL partner, so maybe they stay...), Allegiant Air, Boutique Air, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit and Virgin America (maybe they also stay because of relationship with Virgin Australia/Atlantic...)

I don't understand all the hate for LAX T5. I find it perfectly acceptable post-renovation, save for the narrow and drab T5-T6 connector.

The McDonald's has been gone for quite some time. The remaining restaurants look appealing enough, though I admit I haven't tried any of them.

Delta uses gates in T6 itself, so the deteriorating AS relationship is irrelevant if DL still can't fit its entire operation in T5.

Lemonade is a really good restaurant in T5 and the SC is now quite acceptable after all the renovations. Still, I wouldn't complain about switching terminals at LAX if the terminal DL moves to is built from scratch.

The popcorn-fun of this is that a potential DL move to T2/T3 would help AA/Oneworld become more competitive at LAX. I think the following would happen:

- AA takes over most/all of T5 and keeps half of T6 (and of course stays at T4)
- AS stays at T6
- QR relocates from T2 to T5/T6
- WS and the Virgin brands stay at over at T2/T3
- The other carriers would be redistributed to the leftover gates at T5/T6.

It's a good opportunity for both Oneworld and Skyteam to consolidate operations at LAX.