When you add it all up, LAX might be the airport we’ve flown in and out of the most. It’s certainly (along with Burbank) the airport with which we have the most personal history. We’ll never forget that formative day in our youth when the whole family drove down to the airport in the Datsun 210 and parked on Aviation under the final approach to the 25 L/R runways and watched screaming jet after screaming jet come in to land.1 (Planes were much louder back then, kids.)
The interesting thing for us about LAX is that while it’s changed a lot, it also hasn’t changed that much. The terminal layout is essentially the same, and the original interior bones of the airport can still be seen in certain areas, most notably the infamous mosaic-lined corridors that were featured in Airplane!, still the greatest and probably most accurate movie about the airline industry ever made.2
Well, almost a decade ago, our friends at Delta decided that the old “Oasis” at Terminal 5 was no longer getting the job done, and so they made a deal to move to Terminals 2 and 3 and do a serious, long-term retrofit of both.3 While Terminal 2 was generally serviceable, Terminal 3 (the old TWA terminal, RIP) was long the subject of derision, laughter, or both.
While we had flown the Big D a couple times mid-improvement project, we finally experienced the entire project in all its glory earlier this month. Here’s what we noticed:
Big Busy Check-In (Unless You’re Cool.)
The new check-in area at LAX is similar to Delta’s new LaGuardia setup with huge screens behind the desks and lots of dynamic signage.4 Unfortunately the TSA operation also resembled LaGuardia, with quite the herd trying to push through the screening area upstairs. It’s a scene.
This contrasted with the Delta One check-in, which is located through a nondescript door on the darkened lower arrivals level. While it probably would have been an easier logistical choice to have Delta One on the main level with everyone else, we applaud the folks in DL ACS for leaning into this early 2000s warehouse dance club aesthetic.
Be Sure to Check that Board
The new set-up allows DL to operate flights out of Terminal 2, 3 and the Bradley International terminal. This is great for operational volume and flexibility, but you better make sure you know which gate you’re going to because some of them are not close. If you live in Atlanta you understand your gate might be three train stops and a hike away, but you’re not necessarily expecting a long journey on foot when you get to LAX.
Bus Station Vibes for the People (But in a Good Way)
Delta has done a very nice job renovating the main gate area in Terminal 3, which is of the old-school terminal hall style (where you can see several gates at once) versus the more contemporary self-contained gate areas that are more common these days. There’s something cool about hearing boarding calls from different cities, and you can usually find an empty(ish) seating area and not worry about not hearing anything from your gate.5 And best of all, if you are an arriving passenger you can go directly down to the same aforementioned mosaic-lined corridor and head straight to bag claim — just like Ted Stryker.
Big Baller Clubs for the Elites (and Multiple Types of AMEX Cardholders)
We didn’t get to go through the secret Delta One check-in or the Sky Club or the other Sky Club or the Delta One Lounge. It seems like every time we look up, DL is adding another premium space and then a more exclusive space to that space. We’d be surprised if DL or other US carriers haven’t looked into a Lufthansa-style first class terminal concept where you don’t even have to bother with the rest of the passengers.6 No matter how cool the club is, there’s always going to be people looking for something cooler, and they’ll pay for it.
Meanwhile, we’d just be happy if they let us park on Aviation again.
As if we don’t age ourselves enough on this Substack — Datsun 210, check; being able to park on a road directly under a runway and not get chased away immediately, check; planes being much louder (and cooler looking), check
You probably think we’re joking … we are … but not really
The only nostalgia piece we couldn’t track down was the “Oasis at Five” ads we remember from our youth — these came out right after Delta purchased Western Airlines and made you think that palm trees inside the terminal were the greatest thing ever invented
We worked on a project over two decades ago to add screens like this to DL check-in areas but that was back before you could pick up a 95” OLED at Costco for a few hundred bucks — and DL had no moneeey!
Someone very close to this Substack could find an empty seating area a hundred yards away from the gate and someone would still sit right next to this person — it’s remarkable
We got to experience the LH First Class Terminal in FRA a few times, and it’s about as close to an FBO experience as you’re going to get, with a better buffet, too