The next domino has fallen at Los Angeles International Airport, as what is billed as the biggest shuffle of airline terminal ever seen in the United States is set to ramp up.
Hainan Airlines on Saturday moved its ticketing and gate facilities from Terminal 2 to the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
That’s another step in the complicated dance of the airlines, as Delta Airlines has budgeted $1.9 billion to relocate smaller airlines as it moves across the airport and rebuilds and connects its new home at Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 with the Bradley Terminal.
The realignment actually began in January, when American Airlines exchanged four gates in Terminal 6 with Delta for four gates in Terminal 5. And another small airline, Copa Airlines, last month moved its facilities to Terminal 3.
Twenty-one airlines will move on the nights of May 12, May 14 and May 16. Nearly a third of the 70 airlines that operate out of LAX will relocate in a complicated dance orchestrated by Delta and overseen by Los Angeles World Airports.
Delta, based in Atlanta, plans up to $1.9 billion in improvements and reimbursements to the small carriers. Delta is currently in cramped facilities in Terminal 5 and Terminal 6.
As Delta moves, its various LAX flights will arrive and depart from as many as four terminals. A quarter mile of parking garages will be in between, and shuttle buses will link them — both behind security checkpoints and on the World Way doubledeck loop.
Passengers can get real-time information on flights through the Fly Delta app. In addition, company officials say they will have extra staffers on hand at LAX to guide any lost passengers during the move.
Airport officials said it will be the largest relocation of airlines in the history of American aviation. LAX is the second-busiest airport in the United States, and the fourth-busiest in the world.
Schedules and final landing spots could still change, but Los Angeles World Airports said the following airlines are also affected:
— Air Canada (moving from Terminal 2 to Terminal 6)
— Allegiant (T3 to T5, T6 check-in)
— Avianca (T2 to Bradley, T3 check-in)
— Boutique Air (T3 to T6)
— Delta (T5/T6 to T2/T3)
— Frontier (T3 to T5, T6 check-in)
— Hawaiian (T2 to T5)
— InterJet (T2 to Bradley, T3 check-in)
— JetBlue (T3 to T5)
— Qatar (T2 to Bradley)
— Spirit (T3 to T5)
— Sun Country (T2 to T5, T6 check-in)
— Thomas Cook (T2 to Bradley)
— Virgin America (T3 to T6)
— Virgin Australia (from T3 to arrivals at Bradley, check-in at T3)
— Volaris (arrivals to Bradley, check-in at T2)
— WestJet (T2 to T3)
— XL France (T2 to T6).
In addition, Southwest will move its international flight arrivals from Terminal 2 to Bradley, but all international Southwest flights will depart from Terminal 1.
