Los Angeles International Airport is about to go undergo a huge game of airline “musical chairs.”
Over the coming months, Delta is vacating Terminals 5 and 6 (they have most of the gates at Terminal 5, and just a few gates at Terminal 6) in favor of Terminals 2 and 3.
Terminal 2 LAX, which Delta is moving to
This allows them to be closer to their partner airlines, and also closer to Tom Bradley International Terminal.
With this move, Delta will be closer to Tom Bradley International Terminal
The catch is that their terminal move means that more than two dozen airlines will have to change terminals. Cranky Flier had a great post last year outlining all the changes, so I’d recommend checking that out.
As far as American at LAX goes, they have Terminal 4, a few gates at Terminal 6, plus a remote terminal for their regional jet operations. Once Delta changes terminals, American will be swapping their Terminal 6 gates for Terminal 5 gates. That’s good news in general, since it means all of American’s operations will be closer together, as there’s an airside underground walkway directly connecting these terminals.
Getting from Terminal 4 to Terminal 5 will be easier than getting from Terminal 4 to Terminal 6.
But it looks like there’s other good news as well. American will be opening a new Admirals Club at Terminal 5 LAX. AusBT reports that the former Delta SkyClub Terminal 5 will soon become an American Admirals Club. The story suggests that they’re taking over the entire lounge space, which would be great news. American will take over the lounge in May, renovate it, and reopen it sometime this summer.
Delta SkyClub Terminal 5 LAX
Currently American has an Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge in Terminal 4, both of which are undergoing renovations. They also have an Admirals Club at their remote terminal. That means that with these changes, American will open a third Admirals Club at LAX.
American Admirals Club remote terminal LAX
I’ve reviewed the Delta SkyClub Terminal 5 before, which should give you a good sense of what the Admirals Club will be like in terms of the layout (however, expect the food & drink selection to be significantly scaled back).
This is great news, since currently American’s main Admirals Club at LAX is overcrowded. American will only have a few gates at Terminal 5, so I suspect this Admirals Club will be significantly less crowded than the Terminal 4 one.
Are they going to put in an elevator for those that can't walk up and down the stairs at LAX. When they first started using the shuttle you took and escalator down and caught the shuttle. Much easier for those unable to carry their luggage down the stairs.
@schar
UA has operated dedicated terminals at LAX since...forever. T7/T8. Not so long ago, UA also had gates in T6.
DL has long been the only airline at T5 (they let Virgin Australia use a gate years ago).
Southwest is the only airline at T1.
No, AA is far from the only airline to operate a dedicated terminal at LAX.
Is American the only airline with a whole terminal to themselves at LAX (terminal 4)?
There's a Delta billboard at LAX next to the Saudia one right before T1. It says May for the switch. Unless they're secretly building some great lounge in T2 or T3, no Sky Club for me for a while... I'm actually flying Virgin America for the first time in YEARS in May, so it'll be interesting to see which terminal my flight departs from.
@Randy: T3's getting a major overhaul from the curb to the pod (read: complete demolition / rebuild) and as part of the process there will be a connector built to TBIT. I forget where I saw the timeline, but they're moving quick on this project.
Unfortunately it looks like the coffee offer is going to go downhill - never tried Delta's Starbucks Espresso machine but it sounds like a much better proposition than AA's instant-coffee dispensing devices, which deliver horrible coffee in all of their US clubs.
The DL club is a circular lounge with opening in the middle looking below. DL has 2 older showers. Wonder if AA will add or renovate the DL showers? I used to used them when arriving on QF and traveling home on CO. As Term 5 and 6 were connected (always) before they reopened term 4 to term 5 connector.
Wonder if LAX will build a connector between Term 3 and TBIT?
AA has already vacated T6 and is operating from four T5 gates right now.
After this summer, AA will get half the total T5 gates. The Admirals Club in T5 is reasonable as a result.
When Bradley's midfield satellite concourse opens, AA will get even more T5 gates, perhaps all of them. And, with the previous LAX ~184 gate cap lifted now, there is reason to hope the Eagle's Nest can go away inside 5 years with all AA operations at Bradley, T4, and T5.
Correction - let's also remember the 2012 'luxury bar' installation
https://www.travelcodex.com/2012/12/lax-skyclub-is-currently-a-mess-but-is-receiving-a-rhytidectomy-facelift/
That T5 lounge has seen more renovations / changes in the last 5 years than any I've seen.
There was the switch to the mod style around 2011
Then adding the showers / pulling out seating from behind the checkin desk / rearranging main area seating
Then filling in the center with seats
Then changing out furniture / moving bar around
And now AA adding its touch
Correct. AA is no longer at T6, all gates, including the remote terminals, have been moved/numbered to T5.
@Z -- I think all that happened in January is that AA took over a few gates in T5. Threw in a few check-in desks as well.
@Icarus -- I believe (though would need to go back to Cranky's post to make sure) that Air Canada would be moving out of T2 to be closer to Star Alliance partners. Since Delta is planning to take T2 and T3, I thought I heard that Delta planned to take Air Canada's T2 lounge and pay to help build them a new one in T6 or wherever they're supposed to end up.
While I agree...
@Icarus -- I believe (though would need to go back to Cranky's post to make sure) that Air Canada would be moving out of T2 to be closer to Star Alliance partners. Since Delta is planning to take T2 and T3, I thought I heard that Delta planned to take Air Canada's T2 lounge and pay to help build them a new one in T6 or wherever they're supposed to end up.
While I agree it will take some time for all the dust to settle, I do think there will be a DL lounge in T2 relatively soon after the move.
What's bizarre is Delta will relocate very shortly to terminal 3 which is a dump and needs to be completely rebuilt and that's going to take a few years
There is also no SkyClub
I believe DL plan to have two SkyClubs but when ? What's their plan ?
I've been in that T5 lounge recently, and I didn't think it was all that big. Is it?
@ Dave -- I guess it depends what it's being compared to. Given that American will only have a few gates at Terminal 5, it seems huge to me.
Gate swap already happened in January. Get with the times!
@ Z -- All of them? That's not my understanding. I know it's in progress now, but it's far from complete.
So they're going to renovate the Delta Sky Club that was already recently renovated last year? Lipstick on a pig? ;)
@ keitherson -- Hah, by "renovate" I think they mean they're going to put the American touch on it (in other words, make it less nice).