LOS ANGELES, March 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air
Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) will
orchestrate one of the largest terminal moves in the history of
commercial aviation when Delta relocates from Terminals 5 and 6 to
Terminals 2 and 3 at Los Angeles
International Airport (LAX) in May, and Delta customers will reap
the benefits from day one.
The move, scheduled to start on May
12, will impact 21 airlines during a one-week period and is
a precursor to the Delta Sky Way at LAX, Delta's $1.9 billion plan to modernize, upgrade and
connect Terminals 2, 3 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal
(TBIT) at LAX over the next seven years.
"Delta is betting big on Los
Angeles with a $1.9 billion
plan for Terminals 2 and 3 at LAX, representing the second-largest
infrastructure investment in the region," said Ranjan Goswami, Delta's Vice President – Sales,
West. "Our relocation to Terminals 2 and 3 is a major milestone for
LAX and an even bigger step forward for the future of LA as we
continue work on the Delta Sky Way at LAX."
"Delta's move is one more element of LAX's massive modernization
effort which continues the transformation of the airport and will
improve the guest experience," said Commission President
Sean Burton. "While moving 21
airlines over three nights is a monumental task, Delta and the LAWA
team have been planning and preparing for months to ensure a smooth
transition."
Terminals 2 and 3 offer immediate benefits for Delta
customers
Following the move, Delta customers will
enjoy:
- Faster and more convenient connections to flights operated by
Delta's joint venture and SkyTeam partners in Terminals 2, 3 and
TBIT via an airside bus that prevents customers from having to
leave and re-enter the secure area
- Less ramp congestion upon arriving and departing LAX
- $332 million in recently
completed upgrades at Terminal 2
- New location closer to the LAX entrance for faster and easier
access into and out of the airport
- New concessions in Terminals 2 and 3, including popular spots
like Shake Shack and Angel City Brewery
Delta will have 23 gates at LAX immediately following the move
and will operate alongside many of its airline partners, including
Aeromexico, Virgin Atlantic and WestJet. Later, a secure connection
to TBIT will enable seamless access to additional partners,
including Air France-KLM, Alitalia, China
Eastern, China Southern, Korean Air and Virgin Australia.
The new space will provide all the amenities Delta's customers have
come to expect at LAX, including a private Delta One check-in
lounge, new state-of-the-art Delta Sky
Clubs, and an integrated in-line baggage system. Once
completed, the facility will offer convenient passenger flows, more
gate-area seating, and a world-class concession program featuring
local chefs and restaurants in partnership with Westfield
Corporation.
LAWA's Board of Airport Commissioners approved a terminal
facilities lease and license agreement in July 2016 and the Los Angeles City Council
unanimously approved in August to enable Delta's relocation to
Terminals 2 and 3.
Delta has invested billions of dollars in products, services and
technology to enhance the customer experience, including massive
investments in airport infrastructure across its network. These
investments include more than $7
billion in airport projects since 2006, and along with its
airport partners Delta will be involved in an additional
$12 billion worth of facilities
infrastructure projects in coming years, including improvements at
several of its key hubs in Atlanta, Los
Angeles, New York,
Salt Lake City and Seattle.
Communication is key to a successful move
The
relocation will begin the night of May
12 and will continue with additional overnight moves on
May 14 and May
16, with a scheduled completion of May 17. Delta flights will operate from as many
as four terminals (2, 3, 5 and 6) on certain days of the move, so
the airline will be in constant communication with customers,
providing real-time information on departure and arrival terminals
and gates through the Fly Delta app, text messages, emails and
additional channels.
"We don't take lightly the responsibility of caring for our
customers and employees before, during and after the move," said
Goswami. "A relocation of this scale is unprecedented, so we're
putting all our resources into planning, preparing, communicating
and executing this move as flawlessly as possible."
"This move furthers our progress towards our vision of a Gold
Standard Airport," said Los Angeles World Airports Chief Executive
Officer Deborah Flint. "The
coordination and cooperation amongst the airlines involved has been
impressive and mirrors the importance that we all place on the
guest experience at LAX. The immediate result is more efficient
airline operations amongst partner carriers, and facility
improvements that will be made in Terminals 2 and 3."
In February, Delta released the latest version of the Fly
Delta app featuring a completely interactive and
integrated wayfinder map for LAX. Additionally, LAWA will update
terminal information in real time at www.laxishappening.com and
through social media using the hashtag #LAXontheMove. Delta and
LAWA will also have hundreds of employees stationed throughout the
impacted terminals to assist customers with wayfinding. Customers
are strongly encouraged to arrive early and to check their terminal
and gate information before arrival to the airport using the Fly
Delta app and digital signage in the terminals.
Ahead of the move, Delta is holding customer and partner town
halls, raising public awareness through out-of-home advertising in
and around the airport, and meeting frequently with all airport
stakeholders, including impacted airlines. Delta is also working
closely with ground transportation operators and rideshare services
to ensure drivers are aware of the move and is creating digital
banners for Waze to remind customers to check their terminal on the
Fly Delta app. Learn more at delta.com/skywayatlax.
Delta in Los Angeles
Since 2009, Delta has been
the fastest-growing carrier at LAX, and the LAX relocation will
create a better experience for customers by easing ramp and gate
congestion and allowing Delta to co-locate with its airline
partners. In April, the airline will launch daily nonstop service
to Washington–Reagan Airport – becoming the only airline to offer
flat-bed seats in the front cabin on that route – and Delta's joint
venture partner Virgin Australia will begin service five days per
week to Melbourne on a Boeing
777-300ER. Virgin Atlantic will launch a third daily round-trip
flight on a Boeing 787-9 between LAX and London-Heathrow beginning this summer. In 2016, the
airline launched five daily flights from LAX to Denver International Airport, a key route for
business travelers in Los Angeles;
expanded the Delta Shuttle to include Los
Angeles-Seattle and
Seattle-San Francisco in addition to Los Angeles-San
Francisco; increased service to both New York-JFK and
Seattle to 10 daily flights; added
a third daily flight to Boston;
and launched Aspen service in
December.
Delta's 4,000 LA-based employees are deeply integrated into the
community, working with dozens of organizations and supporting
causes that are near and dear to the hearts of Angelenos, including
AIDS Walk Los Angeles, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Covenant
House California, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, Junior Achievement of
Southern California, KaBOOM!, LA
Regional Food Bank, and The Motion Picture and Television Fund,
among many others.
About Delta
Delta Air Lines serves more than
180 million customers each year. In 2017, Delta was named to
Fortune's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named
the most admired airline for the sixth time in seven years.
Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News
Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented six consecutive years.
With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta
Connection carriers offer service to 323 destinations in 57
countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 80,000
employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800
aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global
alliance and participates in the industry's leading
transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia
as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its
worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than
15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including
Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St.
Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de
Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has
invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products
and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in
the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on
the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub,
Google.com/+Delta, and Facebook.com/delta.
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SOURCE Delta Air Lines