LAX gets a facelift

LAX was once considered a pioneering facility in the early days of the jet age, the famous Theme Building, built to resemble a flying saucer that has just landed is testament to this period of advancement and modernism. The building features a circular restaurant below four concentric spider-like legs, in-keeping with the space-age theme of the building, this restaurant is called Encounters.

Opened in 1961 the building is a historical site and designated as such by the city council, yet is was allowed to age and deteriorate, along with the rest of the airport, over the decades until Los Angeles residents began rating the airport as among the worst in the US.

For many, LAX began to feel like a facility one might find in the third world, old, out-of-date and cramped, with a lack of amenities and good restaurants.

Almost $1 billion later, the Theme Building has been renovated, the steel supporting columns strengthened and the interior revamped, along with many other parts of the airport.

In the Tom Bradley International Terminal, for instance, 10 million passengers pass through 12 gates each year, but many planes need to be served by busses due to a lack of gate capacity and there have traditionally been long lines at check-in due to an outdated infrastructure. The airport lounges and waiting areas were also in need of renovation.

$700 million later and this terminal has received its first major overhaul since the 1984 Olympics. There are new boarding gates to service the bigger airliners such as the A380, there is inline screening of baggage, the baggage carousels have been overhauled and the interior design generally has been revamped, creating a more airy, spacious terminal that does not feel claustrophobic.

This is the first part of a huge project to add 1.5 million square feet of space onto the international terminal, according to Las Angeles new media, the entire redevelopment of the airport is expected to cost $2.3 billion. The food court in the international terminal has also been completely redesigned, opening up the space from what was once a dingy room after customs.

With half the project complete, and talk of renovations for the domestic terminals, LAX looks set to take its place among the best airports in the country once more.