Los Angeles Airport's $20 billion rebuild aimed at making journey smoother for Kiwis

The elevated new transport system at Los Angeles Airport. Picture / Los Angeles World Airports

The woman in charge of Los Angeles Airport says its $20 billion redevelopment will transform the passenger experience for what is still a popular US entry point for New Zealand travellers.

Although the number of cities through which Kiwis can enter the US has grown during the past four years, about 100,000 still arrived last year through LAX — an airport that has been notoriously tricky to move through.

The airport is the world's fifth busiest, with more than 84 million passengers a year, and the redevelopment is considered the biggest public works project ever in Los Angeles.

Deborah Flint has been chief executive of Los Angeles World Airports for the past four years and has oversight of both Los Angeles International (LAX) and Van Nuys (VNY).
She says rebuilding the 90-year-old airport while it is still fully operational is a challenge.

"Whereas any public agency that has a single mega-project — a project valued at US$1b ($1.45b) — has a big challenge on their hands, we have eight separate mega-projects on a tight campus. We are determined to build safely, with no interruption to airport operations, on-time and on-budget," she says.

Air New Zealand passengers flying on to London are rescreened at Tom Bradley International Terminal, a source of irritation for them and for the airline.
Flint says efforts are being made to streamline this.

"We continue to work with the federal Government on that. The post-9/11 era has posed a number of regulatory challenges. It's at the forefront of our initiatives to make international travel and international transit through LAX much more efficient," she told the Herald.

Renderings of the new transport system at Los Angeles Airport. Picture / Los Angeles World Airports

Among the redevelopment projects is a 3.6km elevated people-mover linking terminals with trains for up to 200 passengers, and elevators, escalators and moving footpaths to move up to 30 million passengers a year.

Work has already begun on the $8b project which is scheduled for completion around 2023.

A new $2.3b extension to Tom Bradley International Terminal, with 12 aircraft gates as well as a new baggage handling system, is due to open next year. Terminal 1 is being renovated, including a new state-of-the-art, consolidated security screening checkpoint, a fully automated checked baggage inspection and sorting system, and a refurbished arrivals/baggage claim area. Rental car outlets will be consolidated and roads around the airport will be improved.

The work includes a near $1b project to automate the security screening of checked baggage at all LAX terminals and will make travel through the airport safer, faster and more convenient.

"We have made substantial investments in mobile passport technology that make the customs and border protection easier and more streamlined," Flint says when asked about the perception of LAX being tricky for passengers to use.

She says the airport is working closely with the Transport Security Administration as a TSA Innovation Task Force site, meaning new technology can be put to the test at the airport.

The TSA is jointly funding new security facilities as part of the rebuild.
Airports in the US generally don't do well in passenger surveys, but she says this will change.

"US airports are recognising that they are more than transportation companies. They are recognising the need for a hospitality mindset to complement the science of airports; these things now go hand in hand."

A Skytrax passenger survey ranked LAX in 72nd place last year, an improvement from 86th the year before. Auckland Airport was 24th.

Flint says new technology and systems will allow many more airport services to be booked or operated on mobile devices.

Deborah Flint, chief executive of Los Angeles World Airports. Photo / Supplied

These include the ability to book a car, pre-order food and beverages or other retail experiences before even arriving at the airport, self-selecting services like the option to check baggage and board the plane using your face as a boarding pass.

"All of these in-the-works technologies will improve the overall passenger experience," says Flint, who has a career in managing airports and transformation projects in US cities.
She says aviation is very much a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) sector and she is often the only woman, or one of few, in the room.

"Women still have to prove themselves in ways that men have traditionally not, which is why it's critical that women in leadership voice this inequity and work with our female and male counterparts to create a network of support for women. I've been very lucky to have wonderful mentors, both men and women."

One structure that's not being replaced is the iconic Theme Building, the space age landmark built in 1961 that the new rail system will arc its way around.

Like other airports, LAX has had problems with drones. In 2016, a drone came within about 70m of an A380 as it approached the airport.

While Flint can't discuss specific strategies, the airport works with the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Homeland Security and has protocols to mitigate the impact of drones.