http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_057184847.html

The Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport will undergo a $723.5 million makeover -- the largest single construction project in the city's history, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Monday.

"Tom Bradley International Terminal is one of the most used terminals in the country and the world, and it is only fitting that we keep it modern and up-to-date," Villaraigosa said.

"This renovation project is absolutely critical to the development of this airport and the satisfaction, convenience and safety of our passengers."

The project will add 45,000 square feet of space to the 1 million-square-foot terminal. It will also add a $140 million in-line baggage screening system, two executive lounges, new elevators and escalators, a paging system and moving walkways and a new security system.

"Los Angeles International Airport is the gateway to our city," Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl said. "It is important that we provide a safer, greener, more modern and efficient airport for our traveling public. These renovations do just that."

The Tom Bradley International Terminal was built in 1984, the same year Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympic Games. The terminal's renovations are expected to be completed by 2010.

"Once completed, the new Tom Bradley International Terminal will boost LAX up the ranks as the number one airport in the world," Villaraigosa said. "This will be a world-class facility and a leader in technological advancements."

The project will be funded through airline reimbursements, airport fees and federal grants.



Sounds good to me.

Vuurry nice. I like.

I'm sure there will be new gates built to accept the Airbus A380 and future super-jumbo jets. Anyone have pics of a model or artist's rendering?

What about the rest of LAX? Overall, LAX is such a dated and crappy airport.

The rest of it? Right now it just seems like a dream.

compared to the detroit airport lax as nice as they get

The Detroit airport is nowhere near as significant as LAX.

yah but its a millions times shittier in condition

But you're missing the point. The point is that LAX is a major international airport. It should not be in the condition that it is in. We're comparing our airport with Detroit? Unfortunately, we can't say that Paris CDG is crappier.

So thank the homeowners in El Segundo! LAX was to be updated and expanded a decade ago. This cohesive band of 88 cities in one county one for all and all for one just doesn't work anymore.
Some of you act as if no one has thought about any of this before that perhaps you're the one who is going to finally enlighten the rest of us on the obvious; same goes for mass transit and affordable housing. Yes, we do have many o' incompetent politcian but many are quite competent and capable. All of this shit has been discussed and proposed before, in fact Hahn Jr. wanted to do this while he was in office. The little shithole cities that surround LAX opposed airport expansion with their last breath. They complained about the additional traffic that it would cause as well as the noise. But the traffic mitigation issue only comes up because of the lack of efficient rail in and out of the airport. Which is only a problem because the construction of modern day rail was hobbled back in the 50's when it was first seriously proposed but subsequently opposed by the rich homeowners namely in Hancock Park and Beverly Hills. I mean JFK still does not have a one seat ride to the airport like Chicago or SF which finally got access, it only has a people mover that then will take you to the Howard Beach stop on the A. La Guardia doesn't have access to rail either and probably never will. I'm saying that to say that airport politics are on a whole 'nother level due to its entanglement in cross strata city, county, state and federal muck. And extending the Green Line to the airport was part of the original airport expansion plan that has since been shot down and reassessed.
So just stating that the airport needs to be expanded because it's crappy is something that we all know. The next step is finding out how to get around the constituents in El Segundo to expand the airport. But good luck because AV has already said that the original grand airport expansion won't happen but higher traffic to the regions satellite airports will.

I think he doesn't want to deal with those people there, and with the history, who can blame him?

Let's just look at this chain of ignorance:
We can't extend the Green Line because parking lot attendants will lose money.
Residents don't want an expansion because it would increase traffic.
The Green Line extension would relieve traffic at a newly expanded airport.

Someone has to give way for anything to happen, either the residents or cab and parking lot owners. Doesn't that make you depressed to know that it will never happen?

It doesn't mean that it won't ever happen. It just means that you don't believe it will never happen because in LA many people have developed a learned helplessness in the face of ass-backward NIMBY's. Actually their is a councilman(forget his name over there) that is pushing for the Green Line up through Lincoln, sorry that I forgot his name......wait, Rosenthal? Yes, Bill Rosendahl is pushing for this so please stop acting like the whole city is in despair.http://www.lacity.org/council/cd11/

Then it's a good thing that this isn't SSP. Seeing it fail for 20 years and then having no politician actively seeking it isn't too encouraging. At least the Green Line extension has some support.

What can I say, bureaucracy annoys me a lot.

Then it's a good thing that this isn't SSP. Seeing it fail for 20 years and then having no politician actively seeking it isn't too encouraging. At least the Green Line extension has some support.

What can I say, bureaucracy annoys me a lot.

That's not true. Did you go to the link up above.
LAX expansion has been talked about incessantly, their really has never been a time when the airport has not been in the news. No one ever forgot LAX whether you have been pro expansion or opposing it.

Speak of the devil!
This perpetual LA negativism has got to stop. I ran upon this article while ironically perusing SSP:

Proposal to extend subway to Los Angeles airport
Sunday, February 25, 2007

Printable Version Email This Article
(02-25) 13:09 PST Los Angeles (AP) --


A new government agency would be responsible for extending the subway to the Los Angeles International Airport under a bill introduced in the state Legislature.


The light-rail Metro Green Line currently stops about a mile away from LAX, where passengers have to board a free shuttle to the airport terminal.


The bill introduced last week by Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, would create a new agency to oversee the planning, funding and construction of a subway extension into LAX.


"We should be doing anything we can to encourage people to get out of their cars," Lieu said.


Lieu is a member of the Green Line Coalition, a group of elected officials who is lobbying to expand the light-rail line to the airport.


Under the bill, the agency's board of directors would be appointed by the Legislature. The agency would also be responsible for securing local, state and federal funding for the project.


If the bill is passed by the Legislature, the new agency likely won't operate until 2009, Lieu said.


___


Information from: Daily Breeze,


www.dailybreeze.com

So no, we're not the first ones to think about this.

Yet another! I found all of these articles within 30 minutes while you sat around complaining that nothing was being done and that the Green Line extension had been forgotten.

LA Council member Moves to Create Westside “Rail Network”By Lookout Staff

February 23 -- Los Angeles Council member Bill Rosendahl called on his colleagues this week to get on board a coordinated "rail network" for the Westside that could help alleviate Santa Monica's traffic woes.

Rosendahl -- who has presented an ambitious transportation agenda since his election two years ago -- introduced a motion Wednesday that would explore creating a coordinated Westside "rail network" by linking east-west mass transit lines.

"When it comes to mass transit and fighting gridlock, we cannot think piecemeal," Rosendahl said."We need a coordinated, comprehensive long-range strategy."

The study -- funded with $200,000 in traffic fees paid by Westside development projects -- would look at where and how to connect the eventual Purple Line subway to the sea, the Exposition Light Rail line and the eventual Green Line extension into LAX.

Among the possibilities that will be studied would be adding a north-south rail line or merging the routes of two of the east-west lines, Rosendahl said.

“The study will also look at how best to link people with activity and employment centers as well as residential and recreational areas,” Rosendahl said.

A connected rail system with a “tremendous capacity to move people,” he said, is a "common-sense approach" to alleviating traffic gridlock on Westside streets and freeways.

Rosendahl's motion specifically requests the council to authorize and instruct the Department of Transportation to add a comprehensive Westside Los Angeles rail corridor and connectivity analysis to DOT's West LA Traffic Study.

In addition, the council would authorize the transportation department to apply for grant funding from other agencies such as SCAG, SCAQMD, Caltrans and Metro. They money would help prepare a comprehensive plan, including environmental and technical studies, for transportation improvements within the West LA Traffic study area.

"The current state of our traffic gridlock requires a detailed and comprehensive analysis of our transportation infrastructure," Rosendahl said. "I want to ensure that the Department of Transportation is well-equipped to provide such a study."

Rosendahl’s motion comes two months after he unveiled an “anti-gridlock plan” that included short-term and long-term projects to relieve congestion and promote mass transit on the Westside. The expenditures, all on the Westside, total more than $11 million dollars and require formal council approval.

Rosendahl's motion, one of many within his spending proposal, was referred to the City's Transportation Committee.


__________________

^Fantastic!

So thank the homeowners in El Segundo! LAX was to be updated and expanded a decade ago. This cohesive band of 88 cities in one county one for all and all for one just doesn't work anymore.
Some of you act as if no one has thought about any of this before that perhaps you're the one who is going to finally enlighten the rest of us on the obvious; same goes for mass transit and affordable housing. Yes, we do have many o' incompetent politcian but many are quite competent and capable. All of this shit has been discussed and proposed before, in fact Hahn Jr. wanted to do this while he was in office. The little shithole cities that surround LAX opposed airport expansion with their last breath. They complained about the additional traffic that it would cause as well as the noise. But the traffic mitigation issue only comes up because of the lack of efficient rail in and out of the airport. Which is only a problem because the construction of modern day rail was hobbled back in the 50's when it was first seriously proposed but subsequently opposed by the rich homeowners namely in Hancock Park and Beverly Hills. I mean JFK still does not have a one seat ride to the airport like Chicago or SF which finally got access, it only has a people mover that then will take you to the Howard Beach stop on the A. La Guardia doesn't have access to rail either and probably never will. I'm saying that to say that airport politics are on a whole 'nother level due to its entanglement in cross strata city, county, state and federal muck. And extending the Green Line to the airport was part of the original airport expansion plan that has since been shot down and reassessed.
So just stating that the airport needs to be expanded because it's crappy is something that we all know. The next step is finding out how to get around the constituents in El Segundo to expand the airport. But good luck because AV has already said that the original grand airport expansion won't happen but higher traffic to the regions satellite airports will.



exactly! damn Nimbys ruin everything, and they cost us billions of dollars. These airport changes have been floated around since Riordan was in his first term in office, 10 years ag or more. We could have been done and enjoying a new people mover and updated terminals already. I dont get it, people move right by a damn airport and complain. fucking idiots.

The El Segundo NIMBYS shouild blame the Orange County NIMBYs, who opposed the El Toro airport conversion as John Wayne Airport expansion. Without other regional airports taking up the air traffic capacity, LAX has no choice but to expand.

Yet another! I found all of these articles within 30 minutes while you sat around complaining that nothing was being done and that the Green Line extension had been forgotten.


When I wrote that nothing would ever happen, I meant with LAX, not the Green Line, I guess I should have made that clear. It Green Line extension looks very possible now that more and more politicians are supporting it.

Additional gates promised at LAX
As an upgrade of the Bradley terminal begins, the vow is aimed at stemming flight losses.
By Jennifer Oldham, Times Staff Writer
February 27, 2007

Responding to revelations that airlines are increasingly taking lucrative international flights to cities with newer facilities, Los Angeles officials on Monday announced they will build more parking spots for aircraft on the back of LAX's aging international terminal.

Under pressure from airlines, who have threatened to take additional flights elsewhere, lawmakers agreed to resurrect the project, which would install 11 new gates on the west side of the facility. The work, which will be separate from the remodeling project that got underway Monday at the Tom Bradley International Terminal, is expected to take years.

At a groundbreaking ceremony for the $723.5-million modernization of the overcrowded Bradley terminal, lawmakers emphasized they will not concede Los Angeles International Airport's standing as the premier U.S. gateway to the Pacific Rim.

"Let the games begin," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said, as weary travelers pushed overloaded luggage trolleys behind him. "When we're finished with this modernization project, this is going to be a world-class facility."

But airlines contend the project is too little, too late. When it's completed in three years, the remodel will not add any space to the 1-million-square-foot Bradley building, leaving it half the size of San Francisco's gleaming new international terminal. Northern California officials are using that facility to lure carriers away from LAX.

The Times reported last week that LAX, over the last six years, has lost 12% of the seats on its weekly international departures, while other major U.S. gateways posted gains in service to foreign destinations. Carriers cited LAX's outdated terminals for the reduction, as well as the introduction of more fuel-efficient aircraft that allow them to bypass the facility.

Industry watchers also said that a recent decision by aircraft manufacturer Airbus to fly its highly anticipated A380 super-jumbo jet on its first U.S. test flight next month to New York instead of Los Angeles, as company officials had promised, was due to LAX's inability to provide more than two terminal parking spots for the plane.

On Monday, however, officials appeared to be near a deal to bring the 555-seat aircraft to LAX, after Airport Commission President Alan Rothenberg and Qantas Airways sent strongly worded letters to Airbus in Toulouse, France, demanding that it reconsider its decision.

"We're discussing the possibility for an Airbus A380 to land at LAX on the same day it lands in New York," said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, which must approve plans by the manufacturer to land the jumbo jet in the U.S.

Meanwhile, at the Bradley terminal, officials vowed to limit inconveniences for 10 million travelers a year who will continue to fly on 34 airlines that offer service at the building as workers undertake the largest single project in the city's history.

Up to 400 workers will be on the site at a time, installing new paging, air conditioning and electrical systems, elevators and escalators. They also will incorporate truck-sized explosives-detection machines into the building's underground baggage system, freeing up room in ticket lobbies for passengers.

As the project is underway, airlines plan to push city leaders to stick by their promises. They include Councilwoman Janice Hahn, chairwoman of the council's Trade, Commerce & Tourism committee, who said Monday that she would lobby for new gates at the Bradley terminal.

"The mayor understands the need to be competitive with other gateway cities," said Frank Clark, executive director of the nonprofit organization that represents airlines operating at the Bradley terminal. "Our hope is that this is the impetus that causes the delay to be broken."

For years, carriers have asked for the gates — which Los Angeles is allowed to build under an agreement with airport-area residents — and they were surprised to learn recently that the city had not yet moved forward.

According to existing plans, the new parking spots for aircraft at the Bradley terminal would replace the remote gates near sand dunes on LAX's western edge. Airlines do not like to use remote gates because of the inconvenience to passengers.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
jennifer.oldham@latimes.com

International air carriers complain over costs of LA terminal revamp
27 February 2007

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Twenty-two international airlines joined to complain about steep increases in rents and other fees at Los Angeles International Airport to pay for renovation of the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

The airport embarked on a $575 million- (euro436 million)-plus construction phase of the renovation of the main international terminal with a ceremony Monday attended by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other city officials.

The airlines involved in the complaint represent most of the world's continents, from South America's LAN Airlines to Australia's Qantas Airways, from China Airlines to British Airways to Mexicana Airlines.

There was no mention of the airlines' complaint filed Feb. 23 with the U.S. Department of Transportation. The carriers using the Bradley terminal describe the rate increases as unjustified, unfair and unlawful.

"We're happy to participate in the renovation of the airport," said attorney Jim Weiss, representing the international carriers. "It badly needs it. But it's got to be done in a way where we're partners in the process."

The 22 airlines joined seven mostly low-cost airlines that earlier asked federal regulators to step in. Three other airlines -- United, American and Continental -- filed a U.S. District Court lawsuit last month.

The airlines, which are paying for much of the renovation, said in the complaint that recent hikes in rent and other fees make the airport a much more expensive place to land. Weiss estimated it could cost the carriers an extra $28 million (euro21.2 million) this year alone.

Leases in the international terminal run out next month, and the airlines there expect to see sharp increases in their rents when they renew. Weiss said it could put them at a disadvantage to some other airlines that locked in lower rents with longer leases.

The airlines want federal transportation officials to overturn the fee increases and order the airport agency to refund any extra money they have paid.

The airport department contends rising costs must be offset and that it cannot afford to subsidize airlines.

The city, airport managers and the airlines agree the aging international terminal, built for the 1984 Olympics, needs work to compete with newer airports. When completed in 2010, it will have a new baggage system, new signs and video displays, new boarding bridges and major upgrades from the bathrooms to the VIP lounges.

It also will have one more gate equipped to handle the next generation of super-jumbo jets.

The city has already spent nearly $148 million (euro112 million) on architectural and engineering costs.

Airbus Cleared For LAX Landing, Again
By ALLEN P. ROBERTS Jr. - 2/28/2007
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said that Airbus and Qantas Airways officials have agreed to make Los Angeles International Airport a high-profile stop for one of its new Airbus A380's first visits to the United States.

The Tuesday announcement comes a few days after Airbus’ parent company, the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., said that despite $9 million in upgrades LAX spent to accommodate the new jet, the A380 would not be making a stop at LAX, sending local airport officials and politicians into a frenzy.

The landing is now set to take place on Monday, March 19.

Two separate A380 aircraft will land at LAX and at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, allowing both coasts to catch a glimpse of the high-tech jet and capitalize on the expected media rush.

While at LAX, the crews will test airfield maneuvering, docking at a terminal gate, and ground-handling services and equipment including fueling, the mayor said.

The A380 will be the biggest passenger plane in the world, with a wingspan of almost 262 feet, nearly the size of a football field. Moreover, the height of the double-deck jet is more than 79 feet, equivalent to an eight-story building. Although the plane can accommodate 800 passengers, Qantas is configuring its A380 fleet with three-class service and a capacity of approximately 500.

“LAX is the premier West Coast international gateway with more daily flights to Pacific Rim countries than any other U.S. airport. LAX is expected to be among the top airports in the world with A380 service,” Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners President Alan Rothenberg said in a statement.

Airport officials anticipate that by the year 2010, international airlines flying from LAX may be operating up to 10 A380 flights daily.

According to officials, during the past two years LAX has spent more than $51 million preparing the airfield and its terminals to accommodate next-generation aircraft, like the A380. LAX is also expected to spend another $70 million on additional airfield and terminal improvements in an attempt to buck its reputation as being an outdated airport.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles Business Journal, Copyright © 2007, All Rights Reserved.

I thought that this would be related (I got this link from slock at SSP).

http://www.kqed.org/quest/television/view/113

California High Speed Rail.

El Segundo better vote for this 100% if they don't want LAX expansion.

cool, good find phatt

Yeah, seriously, good find.

Imagine...people would be able to live in the bay area and maybe work in LA.

ooh, what an exciting idea

LAX Caught In Holding Pattern
By RICHARD CLOUGH - 2/26/2007
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff

Los Angeles International Airport finds itself caught in an unlikely squeeze: European airplane maker Airbus wants expensive terminal improvements while airlines are complaining about the increasing cost of flying out of LAX.

Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., is publicly pressuring airport operator Los Angeles World Airports to make terminal improvements that it maintains are necessary to accommodate Airbus’ new 555-passenger, A380 super-jumbo jet. The airport is expected to become the No. 2 A380 hub worldwide, behind only Heathrow Airport in London.

Indeed, there’s industry speculation the recent decision by the jet maker to land the Airbus’ U.S. trial flight in March at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport instead of LAX was a ploy to pressure the Los Angeles airport into committing to the improvements.

That view is given support by a letter Alan Rothenberg, president of the Board of Airport Commissioners, wrote to Airbus Chief Executive Louis Gallois on Feb. 19. He accused the jet maker of “going back on its word to the people of Los Angeles” by changing the course of the maiden U.S. flight after LAX had “spent more than $50 million in structural upgrades specific to the needs of the A380 aircraft and others like it.”

LAX officials had planned to hold a large media event on the occasion of the A380’s landing at the airport, hoping to use the celebration to improve the airport’s image.

But the problem for the airport authority: making the additional improvements will likely force it to further raise fees for airlines, some of which have already filed legal action to lower existing fees.

Seven airlines filed a joint complaint Feb. 20 with the Department of Transportation over the airport’s decision to raise terminal charges, claiming a Feb. 1 fee hike is illegal and unfair. And just last month, three other airlines filed a federal lawsuit against LAX for raising other rental fees.

Michael Boyd, an aviation expert and president of Boyd Group Inc. consultancy, said Los Angeles World Airports finds itself in this position because it does not have a coherent plan for dealing with expected growth, and not just from the A380.

“LAX is making itself something of a laughing stock. Right now it’s very confused,” said Boyd. “It looks like you’ve got amateurs trying to plan an airport’s future.”

Airbus executives say that LAX has made adequate improvements to handle the A380 for its first two years of flight – Qantas Airways is set to begin flying the behemoth by early 2008 between Melbourne, Australia, and Los Angeles – but it must make additional improvements or find itself losing its status as a worldwide transportation hub.

Last month, Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North American Holdings Inc., visited Los Angeles and made a case before the City Council for the improvements, which involves creating more A380 landing gates on the north side of the airport and moving some domestic carriers to the south side.

“What’s now on the drawing board for LAWA is not an acceptable level of service for what will be rapidly expanding A380 operations,” said McArtor in an interview with the Business Journal last month. “If L.A. can’t modernize itself to attract these new airplanes, then they’re likely to go elsewhere. All the new terminals you see around the world are years ahead of L.A.”

Airbus executives have been vague about their reason for choosing to fly into New York first, saying that it was the wish of Lufthansa Airlines.

Planned upgrades

However, LAX officials say they are prepared to handle the A380, with the initial flights coming into Tom Bradley International Terminal. They also say that as flights increase, the $50 million they are spending will allow the plane to be accommodated at six gates.

But Airbus executives are upset because four of those gates will be remote terminals that will require passengers to be bused. Airbus would rather see more A380 gates at Terminals 2 and 3 on the north side of the airport, with some of the domestic carriers there moved to the south side, where the jet maker contends there is space.

Airbus officials have not released a detailed financial cost estimate for the improvements that would be required under its plans, but McArtor said it would be relatively inexpensive.

The jet maker also has argued that any improvement made for the A380 also will help LAX accommodate other planned mega jumbo jets, including Boeing Co.’s 747-800 and 777-300.

Rothenberg’s letter notes that LAX plans to spend another $70 million on future improvement, but does not specify exactly what they will be. Airport officials declined comment on the figure in the letter.

Boyd, the aviation expert, noted that LAX is far from the only airport around the country that has had to weigh making A380 improvements against the rising expenses of running airports.

“When you make an upgrade you have to make it for the highest and best use,” he said, noting that Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and a number of other hubs refused to make upgrades for the A380.

However, the tiff over structural improvements at LAX comes at an inopportune time for the airport, which finds itself at the center of a second major dispute in the past month with airlines over an unrelated increase in fees.

Seven airlines – AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, ATA Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Midwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines and U.S. Airways – filed a DOT complaint last week over increased terminal charges.

The airlines maintain that the Feb. 1 fee increase violates federal law because it only applies to carriers out of Terminals 1 and 3, and therefore discriminates against those airlines. In the filing, the airlines say the airport “is not a private commercial landlord” and that access to the airport “on fair and non-discriminatory terms is essential.”

In response, the airport authority said the airlines’ leases all expired between May 2001 and August 2004, and they have been operating without a lease ever since. “The action by seven airlines occupying LAX Terminals 1 and 3 signifies their ongoing refusal to pay their full and fair shares of LAWA’s costs of operating those terminals for their benefit,” the agency said in a statement.

The new fees amount to about $5 per passenger, which the airport said still leaves operating costs lower than those for many other major airports around the country. Though the fee increase is not directly related to the upgrades for the A380, the dispute highlights the difficulty of raising the capital necessary to maintain and improve airport structures.

Compounding the situation, the complaint comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed last month by three airlines – United Airlines, American Airlines and Continental Airlines – over increased fees for maintenance and operation costs.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles Business Journal, Copyright © 2007, All Rights Reserved.

The thing that catches my eye about that article: fees at other airports are more expensive, and airlines are complaining when the fees are raised to a level that is still lower than those other airports.

. . . . I'm really starting to hate money.

^^thats because you dont have enough of it

I'm definitely looking forward to the renovation of TBIT. It just feels so uninspiring after passing security and seriously lacks decent amenities airside (unless you're a premium class passenger or airline alliance top tier elite member). I also can't wait 'til they finish the new lounges so the temporary First Class lounge in the upper mezzanine can clear out...I want my view of taxiways S and Q back! :mad2:

compared to the detroit airport lax as nice as they get
I dunno about that when you compare it to the McNamara Terminal/Northwest World Gateway. It definitely is far from shitty:

http://travelquality.com/flights/pictures/airports/DetroitDTW/detroitairport001.jpg

http://travelquality.com/flights/pictures/airports/DetroitDTW/detroitairport003.jpg

http://travelquality.com/flights/pictures/airports/DetroitDTW/detroitairport010.jpg

http://travelquality.com/flights/pictures/airports/DetroitDTW/detroitairport014.jpg

However, if you just been flying out of the 1950's vintage Smith terminal, then I definitely agree with you there.

http://travelquality.com/flights/pictures/airports/DetroitDTW/detroitairport034.jpg

But no need to worry about entering it's nostalgic interiors forever, it's going to be replaced by the North Terminal:

http://www.metroairport.com/images/DTW-NTR-Bypass-Lane_I11.gif

http://www.metroairport.com/images/DTW-NTR-Restrooms_I7_N.gif

http://www.metroairport.com/images/DTW-NTR-Bypass-Lane_I8_N.gif

the only made that for the super bowl. take a walk around the rest of the place and you will know what i mean

the only made that for the super bowl.
Actually that was more of a replacement to the ancient Davey Terminal as well as to better cope and accomodate with Northwest using DTW as a hub.
take a walk around the rest of the place and you will know what i mean
You talking about the airport or the city as a whole? If the former, I definitely agree with you on the nostalgic and in-need-of-replacement Smith Terminal but the McNamara Terminal is among the better terminals there are in the US.

Anyhow, after getting some flak on originally not maintaining it's promise to the city, the A380 aka Whalejet will finally be making an appearance in LAX on the 19th and will test out some of the upgrades the airport made to accomodate it.

Airbus' snub of Los Angeles is over; A380 to visit LAX
The superjumbo jet maker puts city back on its list of stops when the plane makes its maiden flight to the U.S. next month.
By Andrea Sudano
STAFF WRITER
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/6133176.html

Airbus, one of the world's largest airplane manufacturers, has had an apparent change of heart, announcing Tuesday that its giant A380 will stop in Los Angeles next month, after all.

The superjumbo jet with a double-decked cabin and wingspan almost as long as a football field is set to touch down March 19 at Los Angeles International Airport as one of the aircraft's first visits to the United States, city and Airbus officials said.
Diana's Restaurant

Tuesday's announcement comes less than two weeks after news that the superjumbo jet capable of accommodating more than 500 passengers would bypass LAX for New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

One Los Angeles World Airport official called the decision to bypass "a slap at Los Angeles International Airport ... and the city of Los Angeles." Alan Rothenberg, president of the airport commission, describing the decision to bypass a "stunning about-face" in a letter to Airbus' chief executive officer in France.

But officials had a different attitude Tuesday.

"Being part of the A380's inaugural visit to the U.S. is a clear indication that Los Angeles is a leading international gateway and that our airport is a world-class facility," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement.

"The A380 is at the leading edge of the future of aviation, and Los Angeles is proud to be a part of this historic moment."

Two A380s will respectively land at LAX and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on March 19, allowing Qantas Airways to test the airports' airfield maneuvering, terminal docking and ground-handling services and equipment.

LAWA has already spent more than $51 million preparing for the A380, including renovating its gates to accommodate the aircraft.

I cant wait til march 19th..

Wow, I've never been more hyped about an airliner landing. I've always wanted to know what it looks like up in the air.

The LAX transpacific landing path begins over San Francisco and travels down the coast to the Malibu/Topanga area and veers due east over a route that parallels the 10 freeway, then loops around Downtown and joins the main landing path over City of Commerce and into LAX. Everyone from Malibu to Hollywood to Downtown to Inglewood will be able to see this thing land.

Does anyone know the time it will land? I checked the Quantas site and it has two flights landing at LAX on 3/19 at 6:30am and 9:30am. Perhaps some of us should be stationed at certain areas around town (Malibu, Santa Monica, Westside, Mid-City, Downtown, Commerce, Inglewood and LAX) to snap photos of the A380 making its landing...and posting the photos here! I'd LOVE to see what the A380 looks like swooping around Downtown!

^^ This isn't a scheduled flight but rather a proving and demonstration flight so this is definitely not listed in the Qanta's timetables. Last I heard, it will be arriving at 9:00AM but I'll try to get a confirmation. Your best bet on spotting it is Imperial Hill as it seems more likely to land in the South Complex but if you want to be safe and if they'll maybe open it early just for the occassion, there's always Encounter.

If you guys wish to join us, Airliners.net is having an LAX A380 meet. You can check it out @ http://www.airliners.net/discussions/general_aviation/read.main/3283062/.

Cool an A380 coming to the city of Angels.... ^^ So who's going to the meet?

I'm definitely there. :D Maybe we could have a sub-SSC meet within a meet? ;)

I'm definitely there. :D Maybe we could have a sub-SSC meet within a meet? ;)

SSC people cannot meet each other, we are afraid of each other. :lol:

Cool an A380 coming to the city of Angels.... ^^ So who's going to the meet?

This is right in your back yard... can you please take some pics?

Let me check my schedule for that day?

SSC people cannot meet each other, we are afraid of each other. :lol:

i know i am

^^ sure.....

I really don't see why peeps here make a huge deal over a simple meet. I do have to admit that everyones here gets along pretty well. Well 97% seems more accurate since we have some characters here.

Yeah, it shouldn't be that bad. :D

^^ sure.....

I really don't see why peeps here make a huge deal over a simple meet. I do have to admit that everyones here gets along pretty well. Well 97% seems more accurate since we have some characters here.

Can you name some?

Can you name some?

We have many. But they're actually all in Chicago. :lol:
Except for that nomad guy who claims to be from like a thousand cities.

We have many. But they're actually all in Chicago. :lol:
Except for that nomad guy who claims to be from like a thousand cities.

and he always shows up with a different name like a new poster:lol: :lol: :lol:

That's great news that LAX is expanding :-)

Meanwhile, the iconic Encounter Restaurant has closed for repairs on the arches. Overpriced for the quality of food but awesome views of the airport. Perfect timing for the A380 arrival too. :(

Encounter at LAX closed by falling arches
By Jennifer Oldham, Times Staff Writer
March 9, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lax9mar09,1,1959149.story?track=rss

Officials shuttered the Encounter Restaurant in the iconic Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday after workers discovered that space-age arches above the eatery are unstable.

Inspectors uncovered the problem after a 1,000-pound piece of white stucco fell off the underside of one of the upper arches last month, smashed into the facility's roof and broke into dozens of pieces. No one was injured. Officials said it took days to diagnose the problem because they had to find a "cherry picker" crane that would reach 90 feet above the ground.

Although part of the lower portions of the four arches were retrofitted in 1999, the upper portions above the restaurant haven't been modified since the arches were erected in the late 1950s, officials said. The steel-and-stucco parabolas don't provide structural support for the glass-encased restaurant — which offers panoramic views of the airport below.

Officials said retrofitting the upper arches is expected to take months. The restaurant's closing and the need to surround the landmark Theme Building with scaffolding are a blow to city officials, who are eagerly awaiting worldwide media attention for the arrival March 19 of the massive Airbus A380 on its first U.S. test flight. The Theme Building — along with the Hollywood sign — has long been considered one of the city's signature sites.

The restaurant, which struggled to recover from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, will be closed for at least three months.

City leaders Thursday found parallels between the crumbling icon and aging LAX — which officials have spent $150 million and more than a decade trying to modernize.

"It certainly is a symbol," said Alan Rothenberg, president of the city's Airport Commission. "Unfortunately, we have an old facility…. There's lots of deferred maintenance."

Late Wednesday, engineers suspended high above the restaurant discovered several apparently loose panels in the arches — leading officials to shut down the restaurant. After the panel fell last month, workers built a covered walkway near the building for restaurant patrons and employees to use to reach a commissary, deli and offices under the eatery.

"Over the years — this structure was completed in 1961 — water has gotten into the stucco" and caused it to corrode, said Dave Shuter, a deputy executive director at the city's airport agency.

Engineers said they must remove the stucco from the upper arches and inspect the steel beneath it for damage. If the beams need to be replaced, the new ones would have to be fabricated. Airport officials also say asbestos and lead paint may have been used in the arches, and getting rid of those materials could slow the retrofit.

According to the 2005 book "A Symbol of Los Angeles: The History of the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport", the structure was erected as part of a modernization plan for the airport in the late 1950s to "incorporate a dramatic iconic focus at the center of the new jet-age terminal that would be long remembered as a symbol of Los Angeles."

The $2.2-million futuristic building was designated a historic-cultural monument by the City Council and the Cultural Heritage Commission in 1992. Any reconstruction work must be approved by the commission.

The restaurant, created to resemble a flying saucer, is supported by a concrete shaft, which officials said is structurally sound. An observation deck atop the eatery has been closed for security reasons since 9/11.

Here's another video about high speed rail (thanks to slock at SSP).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD1QGNsRg74

the video sounds great but like, is there any progress being made in like say the state legislature or something regarding this issue? Will it be on some ballot or is it still just an idea?

^^It'll be on the 2008 ballot.

Great to see a video by the CHSRA. 25 minutes from my home to Union Station, that's music to my ears. ;) Kinda brings back the train enthusiast in me. :D Meh, now if we can go beyond the dreaming stage...

It is very beyond the dreaming stage. It's on the ballot, and if that's approved, it has its funding and construction would start. It is scheduled to be done by 2020.

thats exciting. i really like this idea, and when our metro system is up to par. california and los angeles will be a commuting dream come true

It is very beyond the dreaming stage. It's on the ballot, and if that's approved, it has its funding and construction would start. It is scheduled to be done by 2020.

hmm, wonder if they'll have the Southern CA portion done by 2016, in time for you-know-what! :banana: :banana: :banana:

It is very beyond the dreaming stage.

Okay, maybe "dreaming" was the wrong selection of words on my part. :P

It'll be nice when this takes a lot of the strain off of LAX for those local flights. And imagine this, when someone wants to fly domestically, they can go to Ontario or LAX, and they get to the airport FAST. This is just what California needs.

very nice train. i'd defintely use it.

on a side note, anyone find the renaming of ontario and palmdale airports totally lame? ontario isnt even in LA County, and palmdale is an hour away at the minimum, yet they're now "LA". whats next? LA/Palm Springs airport? LA/San Diego airport? :ohno:

LA/LVS....

These airports will take some of the load off of LAX, hence the LA name.

One of the best parts of this rail system? It goes through the Eastside. Say goodbye to having to be stuck on the 10, 210, or 60 if you want to go downtown, just take the train. :)

very nice train. i'd defintely use it.

on a side note, anyone find the renaming of ontario and palmdale airports totally lame? ontario isnt even in LA County, and palmdale is an hour away at the minimum, yet they're now "LA". whats next? LA/Palm Springs airport? LA/San Diego airport? :ohno:


^ Hey why not called all airports in Southern Cal LA/whatever. So they can service some nice Airbus.... possibly the A380... Woohoo!!!!

PS: A 747 is sooooo like yesterday!

^ Hey why not called all airports in Southern Cal LA/whatever. So they can service some nice Airbus.... possibly the A380... Woohoo!!!!

PS: A 747 is sooooo like yesterday!

Because only LAX, Ontario, Palmdale and Van Nuys are run by LA World Airports. Bob Hope is run by the cities of Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena, Long Beach is run by the city of LB and John Wayne is run by Orange County.

The 747 made its debut in 1969. The excitement for the A380 is exactly the same as it was for the 747 back in '69.

69.... yeah we needed change. Thankfully A380 will come into service really pronto!!! Woohoo!!!

Bob Hope Airports sucks ass anyways. They can keep their one structure airport and shove it where ever it fits.

69.... yeah we needed change. Thankfully A380 will come into service really pronto!!! Woohoo!!!

Bob Hope Airports sucks ass anyways. They can keep their one structure airport and shove it where ever it fits.

LOL, You've obviously never flown to/from Burbank. I actually like Burbank airport for domestic flights. The waits and check-in is so much less of a hassle, not to mention very light road traffic and it's much closer to me.

I prefer LAX but damn Jetblue does not fly out of LAX. So I have to go to LBC Airport, I have no other choice!!!

LOL, You've obviously never flown to/from Burbank. I actually like Burbank airport for domestic flights. The waits and check-in is so much less of a hassle, not to mention very light road traffic and it's much closer to me.

oh definitely! only thing wrong with Bob Hope is the baggage claim.

I prefer LAX but damn Jetblue does not fly out of LAX. So I have to go to LBC Airport, I have no other choice!!!

JetBlue avoids LAX for a reason...

Except for this one time:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/JetBlue292Landing.jpg/800px-JetBlue292Landing.jpg

Airbus A380 Superjumbo Lands at LAX

Last Edited: Monday, 19 Mar 2007, 10:27 AM PDT
Created: Sunday, 18 Mar 2007, 5:05 PM PDT
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Los Angeles -- The latest jetliner to claim the title of world's biggest passenger aircraft completed its maiden voyage to America on Monday, flying on football field-length wings and a prayer that the U.S. airline industry will want to buy the double-decker jumbo jet.
The four-engine Airbus A380 touched down at Kennedy International Airport at about 12:10 p.m., to the cheers of onlookers gathered to watch the arrival. As the plane taxied, a pilot waved an American flag. A separate A380 was flying to Los Angeles time but devoid of any passengers.

The eight-hour flight is a chance for plane builder Airbus and German airline Lufthansa AG to show off the jewel of Airbus' offerings to potential American buyers and to the airports they hope to turn into flight bases for the jet. The 239-foot-long A380 can seat as many as 550 passengers, hold 81,890 gallons of fuel, cruise at 560 mph and fly some 8,000 nautical miles.

Lufthansa Flight 8940 is meant to be a statement by its builder, the European consortium now called EADS Airbus, that it can accommodate vast numbers of travelers comfortably and efficiently.

"We're talking about an airplane that is representing aviation in the 21st century in terms of efficiency," said Jens Bischoff, Lufthansa's vice president for the Americas.

It was one of the highest-profile maiden voyages since 1969, when the Concorde, the world's first and still only commercial supersonic transport, arrived at JFK from London. The European-made Concorde was retired from British and French service in 2005.

EADS Airbus hopes the A380 -- designed to carry more people farther than any plane in history, though at subsonic speeds -- will dominate air travel for the next two decades.

Waiting in the wings, however, is Boeing, whose 747 jumbo jet has been the world's principal long-haul aircraft for the past 30 years and now has competitors to the A380 in early production.

For Airbus, which has been beset by management and financial problems -- including a two-year delay to the A380 that wiped out more than $6.61 billion in profit forecasts -- the flight is a chance to prove that the plane will be ready when the first deliveries are made in October to Singapore airlines.

Lufthansa chief pilot Juergen Raps, who has flown the A380 before, said that despite the superjumbo jet's size, it was nimble and responsive.

"If I were to compare it to driving, you would think this would be like driving a truck or a bus," he said inside the plane's cockpit. "It's like driving a Ferrari."

The air show began early Monday at Frankfurt International Airport when the took off as Lufthansa Flight 8940 for the eight-hour flight to Kennedy, scheduled to land at 12:30 p.m. EDT. Onboard were 483 people, including four pilots, four Airbus crew members, 23 Lufthansa cabin crew and several hundred passengers, mostly Airbus and Lufthansa employees along with some reporters.

The flight was to operate just as if it were a commercial one with full dining and entertainment services.

After the inaugural run, Lufthansa and Airbus will operate a demonstration flight to Chicago's O'Hare Airport on Tuesday, before returning to New York and then Frankfurt. The plane then heads to Hong Kong and back, before continuing its journey to Washington Dulles International Airport on March 25, with a final stop at Lufthansa's Munich hub on March 28.

Using the performance results from this circuit -- flying the plane as it would be done so if it were in service -- Lufthansa's goal is to match the A380's turnaround time from landing to takeoff with that of much smaller long-haul jets already in operation.

Airbus has 166 orders from 15 airlines for the new plane, which has already made tests flights in Europe and to Asia.

"We are proud that ... we are now able to present the A380 to the American people," said Mario Heinen, the head of Airbus' A380 program.

Thousands of onlookers were expected to line fences at Los Angeles International Airport to see the plane make its West Coast debut. The facility nearly lost out on the highly anticipated landing of the A380 after Airbus announced plans to land the jet in New York instead.

The company revised its plan to allow for arrival at both locations. Los Angeles sped up construction of a $9 million gate for the giant gate to accommodate the plane.

Toulouse, France-based Airbus said that plane will perform tests at the California airport, including airfield maneuvers, docking at the terminal gate and ground and gate handling exercises. The Los Angeles airport, the fifth-busiest worldwide, is expected to be the first U.S. destination for the A380 when it enters commercial service.

The flights come as Airbus looks to put what Louis Gallois, co-chief executive of parent company European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., called "the worst year for Airbus in its life" behind it. Airbus is seeking to recoup its losses by cutting 10,000 jobs and spinning off or closing six of its European manufacturing plants.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

^^ video:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=local&id=5132965

WHOA!!!! Thanks Mr Potato for the Vid!!!!

Does anyone have any idea what time the A380 is landing in Chicago?

I know its supposed to land in Chicago tomorrow but idk what time

Tomorrow.... What happened with today. By tomorrow it's not going to be as exciting as today.... History in the making*

I know.. if I lived in Chicago I'd be very dissapointed, but I don't, so I'm not

^^ ^^ :lol: You'd be even more dissapointed if you lived in Houston!! :lol:

^^ probably :)

I prefer LAX but damn Jetblue does not fly out of LAX. So I have to go to LBC Airport, I have no other choice!!!

I think you may be in the minority. People tend to love the smaller airports. No long lines, no long waits, no long walks to the terminals, quick and efficient.

^^ agree. flying out of burbank, the hopester's airport. everything went smooth. till i got back and had to wait in that tiny room for my bags. redesign that, and thats all ill use for domestic

I think you may be in the minority. People tend to love the smaller airports. No long lines, no long waits, no long walks to the terminals, quick and efficient.



Unless they like small box airports where your afraid of farting.... You'll stink up the entire Airport...:lol:

Unless they like small box airports where your afraid of farting.... You'll stink up the entire Airport...:lol:

Lay off the beans, Fern.

:fart:

I think you may be in the minority. People tend to love the smaller airports. No long lines, no long waits, no long walks to the terminals, quick and efficient.

I agree somewhat but flying out of the big airports is more fun (if you dont fly often) cause just the fact that youre going to LAX is exciting (at least for me)

I agree somewhat but flying out of the big airports is more fun (if you dont fly often) cause just the fact that youre going to LAX is exciting (at least for me)

It's exciting when you take an international flight...you feel like you're preparing for a big event, LAX is a magical portal that leads you to another country, another culture, another way of life.

But traveling domestically, you feel like you're in a herd of cattle.

It's exciting when you take an international flight...you feel like you're preparing for a big event, LAX is a magical portal that leads you to another country, another culture, another way of life.

But traveling domestically, you feel like you're in a herd of cattle.
ah so well put!

...though there was still a bit of cattlish behavoir on my way to hk, huge line that went out of tom brady at everydoor that snaked well past the next set of doors. you get it?

ah so well put!

...though there was still a bit of cattlish behavoir on my way to hk, huge line that went out of tom brady at everydoor that snaked well past the next set of doors. you get it?

Hence, the need for expansion!

such a fun little circle.

Unless they like small box airports where your afraid of farting.... You'll stink up the entire Airport...:lol:

I hate being on an airplane and have to fart. Do you think the ventilation is good enough so that I can just let one rip? It's not the beans, it's the greens!!

If I need to release some inner air it really doesn't matter where. Even if i have to drop off the kidz in the pool, when you have to go, you have to go!

Here's some pics I took of the A380 arrival last Monday. Enjoy!

The park in front of In-N-Out Burgers at Sepulveda Blvd. which faces runways 24L/R.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380065.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380066.jpg

World Airways MD-11F in it's new c/s!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380006.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380030.jpg

Some 30 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival, I decided to join a couple Airliners.net members to spot at the 96th Street Bridge which is south of the approach path. There was police stationed there but thankfully they didn't shoo us off...

Sepulveda Blvd. was jammed!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380203.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380286.jpg

A routine Monday morning at LAX...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380177.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380215.jpg

People on top of the old control tower
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380204-1.jpg

The clinic
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380225.jpg

And some buildings at Century Blvd
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380218.jpg

Talk about PERFECT timing: this UA 744 from SYD came in prior to the A380, making comparisons easy and convenient for us :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380235.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380244.jpg

Here she comes!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380246.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380248.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380250.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380253.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380256.jpg

Welcome to Los Angeles!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380265.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380274.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380278.jpg

very nice! thats a really good spot for photos hu?

anyhow i like these! thank you!

[QUOTE=Skyblade;12345645]Here's some pics I took of the A380 arrival last Monday. Enjoy!

Here she comes!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380246.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380248.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380250.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380253.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380256.jpg

Welcome to Los Angeles!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Skyblade04/A380/a380265.jpg

Excellent Pix "Skyblade"....she's a beauty and makes a 747 look like a toy plane....Thanks 4 Sharing!!!!

Hey by the way what's your username @ A.net?

^^ N751PR. I'm more of a lurker nowadays due to the fact it's pretty easy to have my head bitten off for any errors in my posts. :lol:

^^ So was head chewed out at the A380 landing in LAX? One more thing when is an American Carrier going purchase/lease an A380?

i doubt they will. wouldnt that be like the head of gm... buying a huyndai?

^^ So was head chewed out at the A380 landing in LAX? One more thing when is an American Carrier going purchase/lease an A380?

FedEx originally ordered some freight versions of the the A380, but they pulled out their order last year.

FedEx originally ordered some freight versions of the the A380, but they pulled out their order last year.

probably due to pressure from the boeing airline mafioso

probably due to pressure from the boeing airline mafioso

Most airlines canceled their A380 orders because Airbus was slacking on rolling out the planes.

^^ Well what do you expect when perfection is mandatory. I read somewhere that UPS was undecided wether to cancel or stick to original plans. Can someone confirm??

taken 8/11/2012
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8300/7773694386_57bb01b244_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8293/7773686644_736a08331d_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7258/7773690484_f2cb7d307a_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8423/7773681638_ed43e41428_b.jpg

Good close-ups! it's getting there. :cheers:

Anyone has any update pictures of LAX?

http://la.eater.com/archives/2012/12/05/holy_guacamole_inksack_umami_short_cake_800_degrees_larder_at_tavern_and_more_all_headed_to_lax.php

Looks like shopping and eating on the westside just got better. Parking is a bitch, though.

lA_R_MuDXYs

http://westfieldatlax.com/

i think ill go there even if im not flying ha

i think ill go there even if im not flying ha

Pick me up something nice at Hermes.

ha will do

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/lat-bcpix-la0008574695-20130306.jpg TBIT or not TBIT TOM BRADLEY'S NEW GATES, THE FIRST OF 18, ARE UNVEILED . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/lat-bcpix-la0008574693-20130306.jpg . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/lat-bcpix-la0008574692-20130306.jpg . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/lat-bcpix-la0008574350-20130306.jpg . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/lat-bcpix-la0008574349-20130306.jpg . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/lat-bcpix-la0008574698-20130306.jpg . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/lat-bcpix-la0008574694-20130306.jpg . GENARO MOLINA LOSANGELESTIMES

looking good! cant wait to check it out

wkC4wUglw8M

It looks pretty good. Nothing compared to the great airports in Asia, but that's okay. I could really do without the exposed concrete though. That I don't get.

The seating areas look a bit cramped, although it might just be due to the fishbowl lens. It's pretty much what the renderings gave us.

http://mng-lang.smugmug.com/Other/New-LAX-International-gates/i-3h6dRZm/0/L/TN07-LAX.TBIT.232-L.jpg
http://photos.dailybreeze.com/2013/03/lax-new-international-gates-open-in-tbit/#14

Love the exposed concrete, I actually wish there was more of it. Also remember this is just the terminal. The Great Hall should be pretty spectacular.

It looks pretty good. Nothing compared to the great airports in Asia,

You are aware that this country doesn't spend $$$ on infrastructure anymore. We'll just let Delta, JetBlue, American and Southwest make our airports glorious. That's how the market works.:)

I wonder how much more open it would feel without the aerial sterile corridor.

http://www.moodiereport.com/images2/LAX_NewTBIT_gates_interior.jpg
http://www.moodiereport.com/images2/LAX_NewTBIT_gates_interior.jpg

Those people look pretty tiny. I'm guessing once you get in there, it will feel a lot bigger and grander than the photos indicate.

I'm saying it would look more open and airy, not that it doesn't look open and airy. Have you seen Hong Kong's airport?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kWhQBFFpy7c/Tsiw-fDQcZI/AAAAAAAABJs/TfUYsNPa0-o/s1600/hong-kong-international-airport.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kWhQBFFpy7c/Tsiw-fDQcZI/AAAAAAAABJs/TfUYsNPa0-o/s1600/hong-kong-international-airport.jpg

Interesting. The ceiling is actually lower in the Hong Kong airport, but it doesn't have separate arrival corridors. The aerial walkways are actually for arrivals and customs, which serve a practical standpoint of not cluttering the terminal. So maybe it will feel more open because you are surrounded by less people!

http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac185/boddingtonmeister/7.jpg

http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac185/boddingtonmeister/2.jpg

http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac185/boddingtonmeister/3.jpg

http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac185/boddingtonmeister/6.jpg

^ The arrivals/customs level is typically beneath the terminal. There is not "cluttering the terminal."

The Hong Kong terminal concourses are 2-3 times as wide as Bradley West. They feel very, very open and spacious.

I have just arrived at the new terminal a couple of days ago (Air France, A 380) - I must say that the terminal experience (so to speak) was favourable.

^ The arrivals/customs level is typically beneath the terminal. There is not "cluttering the terminal."

The Hong Kong terminal concourses are 2-3 times as wide as Bradley West. They feel very, very open and spacious.

That's hard to believe. 2-3 times wider? 2x as wide means “double”. 3x means “triple”. It certainly doesn't look that that. Hong Kong looks maybe 1.5x as wide as Bradley West. And as a traveler, I would prefer to arrive above ground in a nice open terminal rather than under it. That’s the function of the aerial walkways. They enable all passengers, both arriving and departing, to enjoy the terminal. I can't speak to the check-in areas, but the experience at the gates looks relatively similar (wider vs. taller), and a much better experience for passengers arriving from overseas who will get to walk through the Great Hall.