LAX TO OPEN CENTRALISED PICK-UP POINT FOR TAXIS AND RIDE APPS

Los Angeles International Airport is set to open LAX-it at the end of the month, a new "amenity rich" centralised area where departing passengers can pick-up taxis and ride app services. 

It hopes that the new area will make for a better experience for passengers seeking a cab ride away from LAX and help ease traffic congestion in the Central Terminal Area (CTA).

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Airport operator, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), says that the new location will remain in service until the Automated People Mover opens in 2023.

It is also quick to point out that LAX-it will only be for pick-ups, as ride app and taxi drivers will continue to drop off passengers at the terminal kerbs on the Upper/Departures Level. 

“Anyone who has come to LAX knows that traffic in the Central Terminal Area can get rough, and we have heard from our guests that the current system with ride pick-ups can be frustrating," said LAWA's deputy executive for operations and emergency management, Keith Wilschetz.

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“LAX-it will provide an easy, efficient experience for guests using taxis and ride apps and reduce overall traffic in and around the central terminal area for all those driving to and from LAX and our neighbours."

LAX-it is located just east of Terminal 1, at the corner of World Way and Sky Way. 

Accessible by either a short walk from many terminals or via a dedicated shuttle from the airport’s terminals, LAWA insists that LAX-it will reimagine the pick-up process for taxis, Uber, Lyft and Opoli with additional amenities such as restrooms, benches, umbrellas for sun and rain protection, and local food trucks. 

LAX-it will also offer connectivity, with cellphone charging stations and Wi-Fi. 

Dedicated staff at LAX-it will provide passenger assistance and lane management on site. 

The shuttles will operate in a dedicated lane on the lower/arrivals level where they will not compete with other airport traffic and will take guests from any terminal to the new pick-up area. 

The new shuttles and LAX-it are designed with people with disabilities in mind and go beyond regulatory compliance to be ADA-friendly. 

Customer service agents at each shuttle stop who will be trained to offer (and call) our LAWA ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) shuttle or to provide assistance to board LAWA's ADA compliant LAX-it shuttle if they prefer. 

At LAX-it, crosswalks are built at grade, restrooms allow for easy access without ramps, and an adult-changing station is available on site. 

The new pick-up area comes just as construction within the CTA on the Automated People Mover, terminal redevelopment, and other projects reaches a critical phase. 

At the height of construction, the airport projects the loss of 30% of the inner-lane kerb space that is currently used for passenger pick-up and drop off.

LAX-it is the latest in a series of measures LAX is taking to reduce the impact of traffic while work continues on a USD 14.3-billion capital improvements programme that includes modernisation of all nine terminals, construction of the new Midfield Satellite Concourse, and a new 2.25-mile Automated People Mover.