The nation's third-largest airport, LAX, is in the midst of a renovation project called "LAneXt," that will last the next few years. The last major renovation for the airport happened before the Summer Olympics 30 years ago, and officials say this multi-billion dollar project will be painful.
On the exterior, there will be new roads which should improve traffic. The facades of the terminals will be redesigned as well, to give them a more uniformed look over the disorganized cluster we currently see. Inside, new restaurants and updated public areas will allow more sunlight in.
Construction video of the recently-opened Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
"Now you're going to start to feel the pain," said managing director of media relations for LAX Mark Grady. "Ultimately, it's work that has to be done to transform this airport." When they say something like that, you know it's going to be bad. To give you an idea of how outdated most of the current facilities are, the last big renovation was prior to the 1984 Summer Olympics. Also, parts of the airport have been used for scenes of Mad Men, which is set in the 1960s and 70s.
If you have the flexibility, there are ways to avoid LAX. If you're flying domestically, look into flying to/from alternative airports in the LA area — Burbank, Long Beach, Ontario, or Orange County. Smaller airports like these are easier to move through than LAX, even on a good day. If you're just making a connection to fly internationally, there are other options as well. San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle are good alternatives from the west coast.
Source: ABC 6
Images from Associated Press