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Los Angeles International Airport

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Los Angeles International Airport
Image:LAX LOGO.gif
Image:LAX.jpg
IATA: LAX - ICAO: KLAX
Summary

<tr><th colspan="2" align="left" valign="top">Airport type</th><td colspan="2" valign="top">Public</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" align="left" valign="top">Operator</th><td colspan="2" valign="top">Los Angeles World Airports</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" align="left" valign="top">Serves</th><td colspan="2" valign="top">Los Angeles, California</td></tr>

Elevation AMSL 126 ft (38.4 m)
Coordinates 33°56′33″N, 118°24′29″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
7L/25R 12,090 3,685 Concrete
7R/25L (closed until March 2007 for renovation) 11,095 3,382 Concrete
6R/24L 10,285 3,135 Concrete
6L/24R 8,925 2,720 Concrete
Helipads
Number Size Surface
ft m
H3 63 19 Concrete

Image:LAX airport map.PNG

"LAX" redirects here. For other uses, see LAX (disambiguation).

Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX), is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California. It is generally referred to by Californians simply as "LAX", with the letters pronounced individually.

LAX handles more "origin and destination" (i.e. not connecting) passengers than any other airport in the world. It is the world's fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic [1] and sixth-busiest by cargo traffic, serving some 60 million passengers and more than two million tons of freight in 2004. It is the third-busiest airport by passenger traffic in the United States. In terms of international passengers, LAX is the second-busiest in the U.S. (behind only JFK International Airport in New York City)[2] , but only 20th worldwide. Before 9/11 it was the third busiest airport in the world. It is a major hub for United Airlines.

LAX serves destinations in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Its most prominent airlines are United (19.57% of passenger traffic, combined with United Express traffic), American (15%) and Southwest (12.7%). [3] It is also a focus city for Alaska Airlines and an international gateway for Delta Air Lines.

The airport occupies some 3,425 acres (14 km²) of the city on the Pacific coast, about 15 miles (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 where 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 where spotters may watch such a wide variety of low-flying commercial airliners from directly underneath. The airport's coastal location exposes it to fog, during which flights are occasionally diverted to Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County 47 miles (76 km) to the east.

Although LAX is the largest airport in the Greater Los Angeles Area, the region relies on a multiple airport system because of its vast size. Many of the area's most well-known attractions are closer to alternative airports than to LAX; for example, Hollywood and Griffith Park are closer to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank; while John Wayne Airport is in Orange County, the home of Southern California's two best theme parks.

Contents

[edit] History

Los Angeles Airport "Jet-Age" postcard showing the Theme Building

In 1928, the Los Angeles City Council selected 640 acres (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. The first structure, Hangar No. 1, was erected in 1929 and is now a historic landmark.

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. Prior to that time, the main airport for Los Angeles was the "Grand Central Airport" in Glendale.

The architecture shown in The Jetsons was based on the Theme Building's exterior, then the Theme Building's interior was redesigned to have a "Jetsons" feel.

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.

The distinctive white "Theme Building," constructed in 1961, resembles a flying saucer that has landed on its four legs. It was designed by a team of architects and engineers headed by William Pereira and Charles Luckman, that also included Paul Williams and Welton Becket. The initial design of the building was created by James Langenheim, of the Pereira-Luckman firm. 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. At one time, tourists and passengers were able to take the elevator up to the roof of the "Theme Building", but after the September 11th 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.

The Theme Building decorated for Christmas, 2004

Groundbreaking for the new Tom Bradley International Terminal was conducted in 1982 by Mayor Tom Bradley and World War II aviator General James Doolittle, and the $123 million terminal was opened in 1984. 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.

Soon afterward, fourteen plexiglass 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.

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 May 17 2005 Los Angeles voters decided to keep the Los Angeles Airport Police in place. The proposal was to merge the Los Angeles Airport Police with the LAPD.

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

On September 18, 2006, Los Angeles World Airports announced 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.

[edit] The "X" in LAX

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.[4]

[edit] Airlines/Terminals

Sepulveda Boulevard passes under LAX's southern runway and taxiways.

LAX has nine passenger terminals arranged in a "U," also called a "horseshoe," and are served by a shuttle bus. In addition to these terminals, there are 2 million square feet (186,000 sq. meters) of cargo facilities at LAX, and a heliport operated by Bravo Aviation.

[edit] Terminal 1

  • Southwest Airlines (Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago-Midway, El Paso, Houston-Hobby, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, Oakland, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Jose (CA), Tucson)
  • US Airways (Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh)

[edit] Terminal 2

Avianca Boeing B767 at Los Angeles International Airport in 1992. Air New Zealand B747 can be seen nearby.

[edit] Terminal 3

Interior view of Terminal 4

[edit] Terminal 4

  • American Airlines (Austin, Boston, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Honolulu, Kahului, Kona, Las Vegas, Lihue, London-Heathrow, Los Cabos, Miami, Nashville, New York-JFK, Newark, Orlando, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Juan, San Salvador, St. Louis, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson, Washington-Dulles)
    • American Eagle (Fayetteville (AR), Fresno, Las Vegas, Monterey, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara)
  • Qantas (See entry under Tom Bradley International Terminal)

[edit] Terminal 5

  • Aerolitoral (Culiacán, Hermosillo, La Paz, Monterrey)
  • Aeroméxico (Arrivals)
  • Air Jamaica (Montego Bay)
  • China Southern Airlines (Guangzhou)
  • Delta Air Lines (Acapulco [starts Dec. 16, 2006], Atlanta, Boston, Cancún, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Columbus, Fort Lauderdale, Guadalajara, Guatemala City [starts Dec. 15, 2006], Hartford, Honolulu, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Jacksonville [starts Dec. 15, 2006], Kahului, Liberia [starts Dec. 15, 2006], Managua [starts Dec. 16, 2006], New Orleans [starts Feb. 15, 2007], New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Orlando, Puerto Vallarta [starts Dec. 15, 2006], Raleigh/Durham, Salt Lake City, Tampa)
    • Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (Culiacán [starts Jan. 6, 2007], Hermosillo [starts Feb. 1, 2007], La Paz [starts Dec. 15, 2006], Las Vegas [starts Dec. 15, 2006], Loreto [starts Dec. 18, 2006], Manzanillo [starts Jan. 16, 2007], Mazatlán [starts Dec. 22, 2006], Oakland [starts Jan. 6, 2007], Reno/Tahoe [starts Mar. 8, 2007], Sacramento [starts Dec. 22, 2006], San Francisco [starts Dec. 18, 2006], San Jose(CA) [starts Feb. 1, 2007], Torreón [starts Mar. 8, 2007], Zacatecas [starts Jan. 16, 2007])
  • Spirit Airlines (Detroit, Fort Lauderdale [starts March 15, 2007])
Image:Deltalax.jpg

[edit] Terminal 6

Note: United Airlines mixes departures, international and domestic, between T6 and T7

[edit] Terminal 7

  • United Airlines (Baltimore/Washington, Boston, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Honolulu, Kahului, Kona, Lihue, New York-JFK, Newark, Oakland, Orlando, Philadelphia, Portland (OR), Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, Washington-Dulles)

[edit] Terminal 8

  • United Airlines
    • United Express operated by SkyWest (Albuquerque, Aspen, Bakersfield, Boise, Carlsbad, Colorado Springs, Fresno, Imperial, Inyokern, Modesto, Monterey, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Ontario, Orange County, Oxnard, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose (CA), San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, St. George, Tucson, Vancouver, Visalia, Yuma)

[edit] Tom Bradley International Terminal

Image:Lax bradley at 2am.jpg
The LAX control tower and Theme Building as seen from Terminal 4

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. There are 34 airlines that serve the Tom Bradley International Terminal and the terminal handles 10 million passengers per year.

[edit] Charter

[edit] Ground transportation

Image:Laxsign.jpg

LAX can be reached using the Century Boulevard exit on Interstate 405, or the Sepulveda Boulevard exit on Interstate 105. There is also a shuttle bus "G" that connects to the Aviation/I-105 station on the Metro Green Line light rail. The line was originally intended to connect directly to the airport, but budgetary restraints and opposition from local long-term parking lot owners impeded its progress. However, a free shuttle bus is available every 10 minutes. 24hr. parking is available at the Aviation/Harbor Fwy Green Line Station.

Since March 15 2006, LAWA runs two bus lines, called "The LAX FlyAway", to the various LAX terminals at least hourly, on the hour, and around the clock from Union Station in downtown LA, where connections can be made to the Metro, Metrolink and Amtrak rail systems, and also from Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley. Travel time is 45 min. One way ticket is $3 cash. Covered car parking is provided for $6 and $4 respectively per day up to 30 days. Long Term parking is $10 per day in Lot B and C.

Passengers are also served by taxicabs 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, among them SuperShuttle and Prime Time Shuttle, provide door-to-door airport transportation as well.

[edit] Flight Path Learning Center

The Flight Path Learning Center is 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 swag (playing cards, china, magazines, signs, even a TWA gate information sign). If you ask nicely, one of the fine docents (who are usually retired flight attendants who started work in the 1950s or have been working at the airport for many years) will be glad to open one of the restricted access doors and allow you to stand out on the tarmac (behind a small fence) to get shots of the south side. The center is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. While it does not provide the greatest shots for planespotters, it is definitely worth a visit.

[edit] Plane crashes and terrorism

[edit] 1950s

[edit] 1960s

[edit] 1970s

  • On the evening of June 6, 1971, a Hughes Airwest Douglas DC-9 jetliner departed LAX on a flight to Salt Lake City, Utah, when it was struck nine minutes after takeoff by a U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom 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; two people were killed and 17 were injured.
  • 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 evening of March 10, 1979, Swift Aire Flight 235, a twin-engine Aerospatiale Nord 262A-33 turboprop enroute 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 watercraft in the vicinity.

[edit] 1980s

  • On August 31, 1986, Aeromexico 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 Aeromexico 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 3 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).

[edit] 1990s

  • On February 1, 1991, USAir Flight 1493, a Boeing 737 landing on Runway 24L at LAX, collided upon touchdown with a SkyWest Fairchild Metroliner, Flight 5569, that had been holding in position on the same runway. The collision killed all 12 occupants of the SkyWest plane and 22 persons aboard the USAir 737.

[edit] 2000s

  • On September 22, 2005, a JetBlue A320 (JetBlue Flight 292) discovered a problem with its landing gear as it took off from Burbank Airport. It flew in circles for three hours to burn off fuel, then landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport, 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. [5]
  • On July 29, 2006, after America West Flight 6008 from Phoenix landed on the airport's southernmost runway, controllers instructed the pilot to leave the runway on a taxiway known as "Mike" and stop short of the inner runway. Even though the pilot read back the instructions correctly, he taxied onto the inner runway and into the path of a departing United Express turboprop Flight 6037. They cleared each other by 50 feet and nobody was hurt.

[edit] Popular culture

  • In the film Speed, a bus that is armed with a bomb cannot drop its speed to below 50 miles per hour or else it will explode. After running through the congested Los Angeles traffic and getting on the freeway, Jack Traven finally directs to the bus to enter LAX so it can safely move around without being a danger.
  • In the ABC TV show Lost, Oceanic Flight 815 was traveling from Sydney to LAX.
  • In the movie Snakes on a Plane, the passengers are on a plane from Honolulu to LAX.
  • The architecture in The Jetsons was based on the Theme Building (see picture above).
  • The fictional "Francis International Airport" in Grand Theft Auto's Liberty City is also based on the Theme Building.

[edit] See also

Image:Highsmithlaxlightsdnc2000.jpg

[edit] References

[edit] External links

es:Aeropuerto Internacional de Los Ángeles fr:Aéroport international de Los Angeles ko:로스앤젤레스 국제공항 nl:Los Angeles International Airport ja:ロサンゼルス国際空港 pl:Port lotniczy Los Angeles pt:Aeroporto Internacional de Los Angeles sk:Los Angeles International Airport fi:Los Angelesin kansainvälinen lentoasema sv:Los Angeles International Airport tl:Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Los Angeles vi:Sân bay quốc tế Los Angeles zh:洛杉矶国际机场

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