LAX (Airport) to demolish Terminal 5. Are they emulating the White House? Inquiring Minds want to know.

[usonian]

https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/lax-terminal-5-demolition-21116432.php

As California nears peak holiday travel season, the state’s busiest airport is closing one of its vital terminals, forcing travelers and airlines to relocate to new, and potentially confusing, areas of the property.

Los Angeles World Airports, the body that oversees Los Angeles International Airport, announced plans this week for the “complete demolition” of Terminal 5 at LAX. The move, which formally kicked off on Tuesday, Oct. 21, will see multiple airlines shift core operations to other terminals, forcing passengers and crew to follow suit. The phased-in relocations will take about a week in total, with Terminal 5 shutting down entirely by Tuesday, Oct. 28.

snip

Here are some moves. Note them carefully. There will be a quiz.

Some disruption is inevitable at LAX, already one of the busiest (and most derided) airports in the world with more than 75 million annual travelers, but for budget flyers, the move could be particularly painful. Spirit Airlines, routinely one of the lowest-cost flight options, has had to shift from Terminal 5 to Terminal 2 for check-in, where passengers will then be bussed to Terminal B (the Tom Bradley International Terminal West Gates) for departure. JetBlue has shifted from Terminal 5 to Terminal 1, and American Airlines is slated to move over to Terminal 4 starting Oct. 28.

Got that?

Terminal 5 is expected to reopen in 2028, ahead of the Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, as I post this,



Nite, Nite, everyone.

[MineralMan]

1. Terminal 5 has been a freaking disaster for years.

I hate using that terminal! Hate it!

[usonian]

2. Your wish is granted.

It will be demolished. 🌪️

[MineralMan]

3. Good. Now, if only they replace it with something that works.

I flew in and out of Terminal 5 many times, since the small feeder airport I used had American Eagle flights. LAX is just flat overcrowded and has no real room for expansion. It's not good, but millions of people have to fly in and out of it. A mess.

[RazorbackExpat]

6. I agree

I had to get to Terminal 5 for a connecting flight one year. It was a real nightmare arriving from Japan and finding there was absolutely no passenger support after I left customs. It was a real PAIN to get to Terminal 5. I swore I'd never fly through LAX again

[MineralMan]

7. I first flew out of LAX in 1965, on my way to USAF Basic Training

I can't even count the number of flights I've been on since then, and most of them came and went from LAX. I grew up living about an hour drive from LAX, and in the 1960s, it was sometimes a destination for a date. Several times, I took a girlfriend out for dinner in the LAX Flying Saucer Theme building restaurant and we'd go sit in the International Terminal departure lounge later to watch people get on and off international flights. Sounds like a silly date, but it was fun, actually.

[RazorbackExpat]

8. I was supposed to have 2 hours to make my connection

I needed every minute of those 2 hours. I was like OJ Simpson running through that damn airport. At least there was one nice gate clerk who saw how exasperated I was and she actually led me to the place where I had to catch the shuttle bus to Terminal 5.

[beaglelover]

4. I think this is great. It will be short term pain for long term gain. Anytime they have improved LAX over the past

decades the improvements have been great. The new people mover will be a HUGE beneficial change for LAX. I'm not sure when it opens but they are testing it currently. Should improve traffic flow around the horseshoe tremendously. And don't even get me started on how nice the Bradley terminal is these days. Makes a great first impression for foreign visitors to L.A. Even though we live in Palm Springs we use LAX for all our foreign travel vs having to do a connection somewhere if using PSP.

[usonian]

5. My ex lives near Palm Springs. Getting to LAX is all the fun, I'm told.

I think I've been there only once, under surreal circumstances. But that's for another post.

Happy and safe driving and flying!

I saved my surrealism for this post:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220755418
The Shining, Trump style.