When it first opened its doors, Los Angeles International Airport’s Tom Bradley International Terminal was spacious and state of the art. Now, it is congested and laced with long lines. In an effort to recoup some of its lost luster, LAX just broke ground on a $723.5-million renovation project of the Bradley. The project is dubbed the largest individual effort in the history of the City of Los Angeles.
One key component of the effort is a $140-million in-line baggage screening system. When completed, this will reduce those long passenger queues in the ticketing lobby.
LAX is also building another gate for VLA’s (very large aircraft) such as the gargantuan A380 that will enter transpacific service. The in-line baggage system should be up and running by March 2010. That’s the plan. Expect the interior of the Bradley Terminal to undergo a Hollywood face-lift too: new elevators, escalators, air conditioning, rest rooms, waiting areas and such.
Airport lounges are in for a re-do too. Four new “mega” lounges will replace 16 current individual affairs, expanding Los Angeles International’s lounge space by 47,000 square feet
More space, new amenities, and more capacity. The Bradley needs them all. More than 30 airlines use the terminal. In 2006 it served more than nine million travelers, a full 53 percent of LAX’s 16.9 million international passengers.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
