Airport Technology

Weekly Newsletter

01 September 2023

Weekly Newsletter

$2.3bn Delta Sky Way completed at LAX

The massive project to upgrade and expand Terminals 2 and 3 at the Los Angeles airport forms part of Delta’s efforts to become the “premier airline" at LAX.

The $2.3bn Delta Sky Way project at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in the US has completed ahead of schedule after the final major phase was unveiled by Delta Air Lines and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA).

First revealed in 2018, a year after Delta moved from Terminals 5 and 6 into Terminals 2 (T2) and 3 (T3), the Delta Sky Way project has upgraded and connected the latter two terminals with the last phase providing a direct connection from T3 to the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Delta global sales vice-president Scott Santoro described the new facilities as being at the centre of the airline’s efforts to be the “premier airline of Los Angeles”.

He said: “Now, as we as we celebrate this years-long project being finished much earlier than expected, we are better equipped than ever to provide Angelenos and all of our customers travelling through LA with the truly seamless and elevated experience that they deserve.”

The upgraded facilities, which first opened to passengers in April 2022, includes a new premier Delta Sky Club for the airline’s members and a new T3 facility with nine new gates and a large seating area, opened to guests in October 2022.

Following the project's upgrades, T3 is now a 1.2-million-square-foot, 27-gate complex with a centralised check-in lobby and an expanded security checkpoint and baggage reclaim area.

Delta's new Terminal 3 facilities include self-check-in systems. Credit: Delta Air Lines.

Along with the benefits it is expected to bring to passengers, Los Angeles’ Board of Commissioners president Karim Webb also highlighted the impact of the project on the local economy.

He said: “As with all our transformation projects, we are not only creating exceptional guest experiences but generating economic and growth opportunities for residents of LAX’s surrounding community.

“The Delta Sky Way project had a strong and impactful representation from the local workforce with more than 2,000 workers – or 30% of the project team – coming from local communities.”

Completion of the project comes after the first phase of a similar overhaul of the airport’s T4 and T5 buildings was completed with the opening of Terminal 4.5 Core, allowing direct passenger access between the facilities.

Demand for upscale and luxurious products has been rising steadily in the travel and tourism sector

The increased need for privacy, a greater focus on health and wellbeing, a desire to tick off ‘bucket list’ experiences, the tendency to take longer trips, the focus on eco-tourism, and an increase in millionaires means the theme of premiumization will continue to grow in importance. The travel industry will experience a surge in demand for higher-end and customized offerings as experiential consumption keeps growing. While premiumization attracts only a small number of global travelers, it is a valuable revenue stream for companies as it is unlikely to be impacted by external factors like economic downturns.