FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 5, 2022

CONTACT
LAX Public Relations
(424) 646-5260

 

Los Angeles World Airports Chief Executive Officer Justin Erbacci (left), Delta Air Lines Vice Presidents Holden Shannon (center) and Scott Santoro (right) cut the ribbon on the new Terminal 3 concourse.

(Los Angeles) Today, the ongoing modernization of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and its Terminals 2 and 3 celebrated its third phase of completion as Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Chief Executive Officer Justin Erbacci joined representatives from Delta Air Lines to officially cut the ribbon on the brand-new Terminal 3 concourse.

Terminal 3 and the satellite concourse, which was built in 1961, was torn down in 2020 to make way for an entirely new facility. The demolition of the terminal during the global pandemic allowed the project to accelerate by 18 months, with varying phases completing ahead of the original 2024 schedule.

"Elevating the guest experience is pivotal in our ongoing work to build a better LAX, and we are thrilled to see the next major phase of this project completed in partnership with Delta Air Lines," said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles World Airports. "The new Terminal 3 concourse includes best-in-class passenger amenities and technology, and showcases our vision for a fully modernized airport."

The concourse will feature nine gates in total, with eight coming online as part of today's ribbon-cutting. The ninth gate will be part of the next phase of construction with scheduled completion in early 2023. It also features exciting new dining and retail options, several of which are already available for passengers to enjoy such as Homeboy and Gameway, and many others opening in the coming months. You can read more about the new options here.

"We continue to elevate the customer journey in Los Angeles, building loyalty through state-of-the-art infrastructure, robust network offerings, innovative technology and of course, our award-winning customer service," said Scott Santoro, Vice President of Global Sales, Delta Air Lines. "LAX is one of Delta's most important coastal hubs, and we're committed to being the largest global carrier, providing customers with the premium curb-to-claim experience they deserve."

The first phase of the $2.3-billion joint investment with Delta Air Lines opened in April with the unveiling of the state-of-the-art headhouse, which consolidated ticketing, security screening and baggage claim into one building. In May, the second phase of the project completed with the opening of three gates in Terminal 3. Next year, a new Delta One check-in counter and the ninth gate in Terminal 3 will complete and open. The final piece of the project – the connector bridge from Terminal 3 to Tom Bradley International Terminal post-security screening – is expected to complete and open by fall of 2023.

Since the project began, more than 4.5 million work hours have been tallied, with 30.9 percent coming from local workers. Also, Delta has surpassed the goal set by LAWA of 20 percent for incorporating diverse businesses with an impressive mark of 29.2 percent thus far.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX, the fifth-busiest airport in the world in 2021 with 48 million passengers, is in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar capital improvement program that will touch on all nine passenger terminals and build new facilities, including an Automated People Mover (APM) train, Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility and the West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal.

 

In 2019, LAX served nearly 88.1 million passengers and offered an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 113 destinations in the U.S. and 1,200 weekly nonstop flights to 91 markets in 46 countries on 72 commercial airlines.

LAX generates 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX's ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City's general fund.

LAWA is leading the aviation industry in sustainability practices, with initiatives related to water management, energy (electricity) management, air quality, recycling and natural resources management. In 2019, LAX received Level III ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation from Airports Council International-Europe.

LAWA is also a leader in inclusivity, operating eight programs that provide opportunities for business enterprises including local, small, minority-owned, veteran-owned and disadvantaged firms, and working together with community partners to offer the HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program, which targets local workers to make them ready for rewarding careers in the construction trades, and the Build LAX Academy, designed to prepare small contracting businesses for success when working on projects at LAX.

LAX was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX in 2018, and was honored as the "Most Innovative Airport for Passenger Experience" in 2019 by the American Association of Airport Executives. LAX is the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. Other recent honors have included selection as the No. 9 Best Airport (Wall Street Journal); No. 7 Best On-Time Performance for a Mega-Hub Airport (OAG); one of "The World's Best Airports for Business Travelers" (GlobeHunters); Public-Private Partnership of the Year (P3 Bulletin); Urth Caffe, Best Airport Coffee Concession of the Year (Global FAB Awards); Innovation of the Year, Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (ARTBA); Best Project, United Airlines Terminal 7 and 8 Redevelopment Program (Engineering News Record California); North American Public-Private Partnership Deal of the Year (IJ Global); and Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year, Automated People Mover (WTS LA).

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.

# # #