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Image:LAX airport map.PNG Runway layout at LAX “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, United States. It is generally referred to by Californians simply as LAX, with the letters pronounced individually. LAX is located in southwestern Los Angeles in the neighborhood of Westchester. It is located 27 km from the downtown core. 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 busiest airport in the state of Califorina, and 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] , and 20th worldwide. It is a major hub for United Airlines which currently operates out of Terminals 6, 7 and 8.
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 LA/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 in Santa Ana is close to Disneyland, the Honda Center, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, and other Orange County attractions.
HistoryImage:Laxjetage.jpg 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.
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. In 1958 the architecture firm Pereira & Luckman was contracted to design a master plan for the complete re-design of the airport in anticipation of the "jet age". The plan, developed along with architects Welton Becket and Paul Williams, called for a massive series of terminals and parking structures to be built in the central portion of the property, with these buildings connected at the center by a huge steel-and-glass dome. The plan was never fully realized, and shortly thereafter the Theme Building was constructed on the site originally intended for the dome. The distinctive white "Theme Building," constructed in 1961, resembles a flying saucer that has landed on its four legs. 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 11 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. 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. Image:Themebuildingnight.jpg The Theme Building decorated with light displays for the holidays In 2000, prior to Los Angeles hosting the Democratic National Convention. fourteen acrylic glass 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. This was part of an overall facelift that included new signage and various other cosmetic enhancements. 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 July 29 2006 Runway 7R/25L was closed for reconstruction until March 25 2007. The reconstruction was 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 also has storm drains, and enhanced runway lighting, something that the other 3 runways do not have. The reconstruction of runway 25L made way for a central taxiway in between runways 25L and 25R. On September 18, 2006, Los Angeles World Airports stated 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. According to the Los Angeles Times, in February 2007, many airlines flying outside of the United States have reduced flights to LAX and moved to other airports due to outdated terminals. Airlines flying out of the Tom Bradley International Terminal have reduced flights because the International Terminal is 22 years old and has not been upgraded. In response to the report, the $500 million Tom Bradley International Terminal project began immediately. On March 19, 2007, the Airbus A380 made its debut at LAX, landing on runway 24L. LA city officials fought for the super-jumbo jet to land at LAX, in addition to making its US debut in New York's JFK airport. [4] The "X" in LAXBefore 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. Moreover, the X perhaps indicates a blank letter or empty space in the code. Portland International Airport in Oregon also has a similar code PDX.[5] People today now believe that the "X" stands for exchange as "LAX" is also used for the International Port of Los Angeles, located in San Pedro, CA. Airlines/TerminalsImage:Sepulvedatunnel.jpg 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. Terminal 1
Terminal 2
Image:Avianca.anet.arp.750pix.jpg Avianca Boeing B767 at Los Angeles International Airport in 1992. Air New Zealand B747 can be seen nearby. The image above is believed to be a replaceable fair use image. It will be deleted on 2007-04-05 if not determined to be irreplaceable. If you believe this image is not replaceable, follow the instructions on the image page to dispute this assertion. Terminal 3
Image:LAXTerminal4interior.jpg Interior view of Terminal 4 Terminal 4
Terminal 5
Image:Deltalax.jpg Delta Boeing 757-232 at LAX in August 2003. Terminal 6
Terminal 7
Terminal 8
Tom Bradley International TerminalImage:Lax bradley at 2am.jpg Tom Bradley International Terminal at early morning Image:LAXtowerandrestaurant.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. The terminal boasts only twelve non-remote gates; despite the $723 million renovation project, the project will not add any new gates.[3]
CharterGround transportationImage:Laxsign.jpg One of the large LAX signs that greet visitors to LAX. This sign is at the Century Boulevard entrance to Los Angeles International Airport FreewayLAX can be reached using the Century Boulevard exit (and several more northern exits) on Interstate 405, or the Sepulveda Boulevard exit on Interstate 105. BusOut of a number of bus systems, many routes (local, rapid and express) of the LACMTA, Line 6 of the Culver CityBus system, Line 8 of Torrance Transit, and the regular as well as the rapid buses of the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus system's Line 3 all make stops at, among other nearby stop locations, the LAX Transit Center in Parking Lot C. on 96th St., where shuttle bus "C" offers free connections to and from every LAX terminal. Metro RailShuttle bus "G" offers a free connection to the Aviation/I-105 station on the Metro Green Line. 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. A Metro Rail extension to LAX is a part of both LAX and LACMTA's master plans. FlyAway BusLAWA runs a shuttle service called the FlyAway Bus. The FlyAway travels between one of two terminals, and stops at every LAX terminal. The service is operated 24 hours a day with each line operating at least one trip per hour, with more trips during the day. The one way ticket price is $3 cash for adults, $2 for children aged 2-12 and free for children under age 2. Both terminals offer optional remote passenger and baggage check-in services for $5 per person. Both lines use Los Angeles system of High Occupancy Vehicle lanes to expedite their trips. Routes:
Taxis and Private ShuttlesTaxicab services are 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 Prime Time Shuttle ([7]) and SuperShuttle ([8]), provide door-to-door airport transportation as well. X-Press Shuttle operated door-to-door airport transportation until 2001, when they lost their contract to maintain a shared ride vans station at LAX. Flight Path Learning CenterThe 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 memorabilia such as playing cards, china, magazines, signs, even a TWA gate information sign. Plane crashes and terrorism1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Popular culture
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