Los Angeles International: America's Gateway to Asia

LAX Overview: America's Gateway to Asia and Latin America

Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX) is the fourth busiest airport in the world by total passengers and the busiest on the US West Coast, handling approximately 88 million passengers in 2023. It serves as the primary Pacific gateway for US carriers — Delta, American, United, and Alaska all operate major transpacific operations from LAX — and as the largest hub for domestic and international flights for the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area of 18 million people. More international passengers from Asia and Oceania arrive in the United States through LAX than through any other US airport.

LAX operates a horseshoe-shaped road system with seven passenger terminals arranged in a semicircle and the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at the centre. The terminals are numbered 1 through 8, with TBIT occupying the position between 4 and 5. The entire horseshoe is accessible by free shuttle buses that circulate continuously between all terminals on the Upper Level (departures) and Lower Level (arrivals) roadways. Inter-terminal transfers are a fact of life at LAX given that domestic and international check-in occur at different terminals for most carriers.

LAX is currently in the midst of a comprehensive $14.5 billion modernisation programme, the Landside Access Modernisation Programme (LAMP), that includes a new Automated People Mover (APM) connecting all terminals to a central transportation hub called the LAX/Metro Transit Center, where passengers will be able to board a direct Metro K Line train to downtown Los Angeles and beyond. The APM is expected to complete operations in 2025.

Tom Bradley International Terminal

The Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), completed in its current form in 2013, is the showcase facility at LAX and handles all of the airport's major international long-haul operations including those operated by American, Delta, United, and foreign carriers. The 420,000-square-foot building features a dramatic entrance hall beneath a steel-and-glass canopy, a retail and dining concourse developed in partnership with regional Los Angeles concepts, and dedicated connections to both Terminal 4 (American Airlines) and Terminal 5 (Delta) via the Tom Bradley International Terminal walkway bridges on the airside level.

TBIT's airside dining and retail is the strongest in the LAX system. The concourse includes a location of Umami Burger (a Los Angeles-born chain), a branch of Border Grill serving Mexican street food, a Campanile-pedigree café, and a newsstand concept that emphasises California wine and organic snack brands. The TBIT international departures hall also houses the Centurion Lounge operated by American Express, open to Platinum Card members, and the Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and LATAM carrier lounges, all of which are accessible on the departures level.

International arrivals at TBIT pass through US Customs and Border Protection facilities that, prior to recent improvements, had a poor reputation for wait times. The addition of 36 automated passport control kiosks in 2019 and the Global Entry lanes reduced average CBP wait times from over 90 minutes to under 30 minutes for most arriving international flights, though peak summer days can still see queues exceeding an hour. Mobile Passport Control through the CBP One app is now accepted at all LAX international arrival lanes and is the fastest option for US citizens and eligible visa holders.

Terminal by Airline Guide

American Airlines occupies Terminal 4, connected to TBIT by an airside walkway, and Terminal 5 for domestic operations. Delta Air Lines has its primary LAX hub in Terminals 2 and 3, with a separate domestic operation in Terminal 5 that it shares with multiple carriers. United Airlines operates from Terminal 7 and Terminal 8, with Terminal 8 handling United's transpacific and most international departures. Alaska Airlines has built its strongest US hub at LAX using Terminals 6 and B, and the airline's investment in the terminal experience — private lounges, upgraded food court, new gate seating — has made these buildings among the better domestic terminal environments at LAX.

Southwest Airlines operates exclusively from Terminal 1, the busiest domestic terminal at LAX by number of daily departures. Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines operate from Terminal 6. Terminal 3 underwent a renovation in 2022 that significantly improved its retail and food offer beyond what had been a particularly tired pre-renovation standard.

Ground Transport

Until the APM opens, ground transport from LAX is dominated by taxis, ride-hailing, and buses. The FlyAway bus service, operated by LAX, connects the airport to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles for USD 9.75, to Westwood (UCLA) for USD 9.75, and to Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley for USD 9.75. Journey times depend on traffic: the Union Station route takes 35–60 minutes. FlyAway pickup is on the Lower Level of each terminal's baggage claim area; departing passengers are picked up at the Upper Level.

Ride-hailing via Uber and Lyft operates from a designated lot called LAXit (pronounced "lax-it"), located approximately 0.7 kilometres from the terminal buildings and reached by a free shuttle bus from the Lower Level of each terminal. The LAXit system was introduced in 2019 to remove ride-hail pickup congestion from the terminal roadways, where Uber and Lyft had been causing severe traffic backups. The shuttle to LAXit runs continuously and takes 3–5 minutes; the wait for a ride after reaching LAXit is typically 5–15 minutes depending on demand and time of day.

Metro K Line (Crenshaw/LAX Line), opening in 2024, connects the airport's new APM Transit Hub to downtown Inglewood and will eventually connect to the Green Line for onward travel to downtown Los Angeles. The full journey from LAX to downtown LA via Metro will take approximately 45 minutes once the remaining Metro connection is operational, at a cost of USD 1.75 — the same as any Metro fare. For the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the Metro connection is a centrepiece of the transportation plan.