Delta Airlines Upgrades Terminal 5 at LAX

Delta Airlines Upgrades Terminal 5 at LAX
With the participation of the city, the airport and individual airlines, more than 8 billion dollars has been invested in the overall improvement of LAX.

In modernizing Terminal 5, Delta spent $229-million to accomplish important upgrades of basic services to ease congestion by expanding the ticketing lobby and adding four security screening checkpoints. In the departures areas, Delta upgraded the quality of the retail shopping and dining opportunities. Now passengers waiting for their flights can eat Mexican dishes at Loteria!, Iron Chef Morimoto's artfully crafted small plates at Skewers, have comfort food at Ford's Filling Station and pick up farm-to-table meals at Famers Market to Go.

For Delta, the renovation of Terminal 5 reflects the airline's determination to increase seat capacity and expand the number of flights between Los Angeles and key cities like San Francisco, New York and Shanghai.

The upgrade also focused on premium travelers.

A new curbside entrance was constructed for Delta One passengers, the first dedicated premium check-in created by the airline. In addition to a comfortable lounge serving quality snacks and beverages, lounge staff offer concierge services including luggage check in and passage through a security checkpoint just above the lounge.

The Sky Club also benefited from the renovation. The lounge was enlarged to accommodate more Club members. Showers and a café seating area were added.

Long regarded as needing a major facelift, LAX has been difficult to upgrade. Hemmed in by bedroom communities and commercial development, there is not a lot of room to grow. As the second busiest airport domestically, LAX does not have the luxury of shutting down terminals to complete renovations.

Even with those difficulties, the Terminal 5 renovations were completed on schedule. Mayor Garcetti noted that after many years of planning and a good deal of effort, the pace of renovations at LAX is increasing. The reopening of Terminal 5 was evidence of another important step forward in that modernization.

Delta President Ed Bastian added to the mayor's comments, saying that the improvements at Terminal 5 were designed to give travelers “a more premium experience,” no matter whether they are flying in coach or in first class.