dailynewsnblog
Los Angeles International Airport is the champion of West Coast air travel. Not only does the airport see a higher volume of aircraft and passengers every year, but it is also the world’s leading origin and destination airport. LAX is not a connection hub like many of the busiest airports in the world, but rather, it is one of the most popular final stops and one of the busiest hubs for outbound travelers in the world.
Almost 90% of travelers that pass through LAX are either beginning or ending their journey, which is very different from some of the other biggest hubs in the world, like 
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and 
Dubai International Airport(DXB). Another differentiator that has driven the LAX volume to sky-high proportions is that, unlike other major cities such as New York, which distributes its air traffic across three hubs, LAX is essentially the only major airport for the entire metropolitan area.
The New And Improved LAX
The city of Los Angeles was selected to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In advance of this major international event, the airport is undergoing a massive modernization effort. The projects that are expanding the capacity of LAX began years ago, with some of the first modernization and improvement programs just reaching completion. Not only is almost every terminal in the airport being either completely renovated or demolished and rebuilt, but a brand-new light rail connection to the city center is also under construction.
A major modernization of the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) Arrivals and Departures levels began in January 2026. Terminal 5 was shut down in October 2025 for a complete ground-up rebuild. Currently, the site is undergoing demolition and foundation work. It is scheduled to reopen just before the 2028 Olympics.
While initially slated for earlier, the 2.25-mile elevated train, dubbed the Automated People Mover (APM), is now expected to open in the second half of 2026. Testing is currently ongoing to ensure it is ready to connect the central terminals with new parking and transit facilities. A massive consolidated rent-a-car facility is also being made to house 21,000 vehicles and open for partial operations in late 2024, with full capacity expected sometime this year.
The LAX Top Ten
The ‘Big Three’ legacy airlines of the United States make up the podium leaders for the highest traffic in and out of LAX. Ranking based on schedule departures puts Delta at the top of the leaderboard, with United a little less than 10% behind it and American directly on the heels of United. Southwest Airlines contributes about half the traffic of United and American, but is the top budget airline flying out of Los Angeles.
Below is a breakdown of the scheduled flights and the number of seats available, using data from Cirium:
|
Airline Ranking |
Flights From LAX |
Scheduled Seats For 2026 |
|---|---|---|
|
1. Delta Air Lines (DL) |
110,232 |
17,624,667 |
|
2. United Airlines (UA) |
98,897 |
16,174,287 |
|
3. American Airlines (AA) |
97,537 |
14,764,691 |
|
4. Southwest Airlines (WN) |
43,770 |
7,118,888 |
|
5. Alaska Airlines (AS) |
42,091 |
6,246,760 |
|
6. JetBlue (B6) |
16,149 |
2,556,361 |
|
7. Frontier Airlines (F9) |
8,183 |
1,788,946 |
|
8. Volaris (Y4) |
7,946 |
1,539,989 |
|
9. Air Canada (AC) |
7,436 |
1,217,416 |
|
10. Spirit Airlines (NK) |
5,157 |
1,041,691 |
The market share at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is uniquely balanced among major carriers, unlike many large US airports that are dominated by a single airline with a majority share. Owing to this relatively equitable market share balance, LAX is considered a ‘battleground hub’ where the top three legacy carriers maintain highly competitive operations.
Alaska Airlines has seen a steady increase in its LAX presence following its merger with Virgin America and more recent integration efforts with Hawaiian Airlines. Southwest Airlines remains the dominant low-cost carrier at LAX, focusing primarily on short-haul point-to-point domestic service, particularly to San Francisco and Las Vegas. Smaller carriers like JetBlue, Spirit, and Breeze Airways have also shifted operations within the airport to accommodate increasing demand.
The Busiest Airports In California In 2025
Los Angeles International Airport is the busiest airport in California by scheduled departures.
LA Goes Head To Head
When it comes to the overall number of aircraft movements, or takeoffs and landings, LAX is the seventh-busiest airport in the world. In terms of overall traffic, the airport ranks fifth among major airports in the United States, after Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Denver (DEN), and occasionally Chicago’s O’Hare Airport (ORD). In terms of total passenger traffic, LAX has fallen from its pre-pandemic high, when it was in the top three, to about 11th position worldwide, according to CNBC.
Dubai and Atlanta were the world’s busiest travel destinations in early 2026. LAX remains extremely competitive, although it has been surpassed by quickly rebounding hubs like Tokyo Haneda and Shanghai Pudong. While domestic traffic in the United States has stayed essentially steady as of early 2026, foreign passenger counts at LAX have witnessed a more significant increase, growing year-on-year.
Despite its significant growth and high ranking for aircraft movements, LAX does not presently rank in the top 10 worldwide airports for international-only passengers. It is surpassed by pure international hubs like Dubai, London Heathrow (LHR), and Seoul Incheon (ICN). LAX is currently striving toward a full recovery, with forecasts indicating that overall passenger counts for the year will remain around 15% below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
The desire of domestic passengers to avoid the LAX construction issues, which exacerbate the airport’s already terrible image for customer comfort and convenience, is one reason contributing to the delayed recovery of traffic at LAX. Due to the fact that many Americans would rather fly to any LA airport other than LAX, other airports in the region, such as Burbank (BUR), John Wayne (SNA), and Long Beach (LGB), have had record-breaking traffic.
Notice Something Different? LAX Makes Major Change Ahead Of Construction
It’s the end of the line for an iconic airport landmark. Concrete shifts, traffic reroutes, and an old signal at LAX quietly disappears.
The Many Faces Of LAX
Depending on the kind of traveler, LAX’s reputation varies greatly. Although it is praised as a top international gateway, its layout and traffic are often criticized. On a global scale, LAX has a distinguished but conflicting reputation. Because of its heavy landside traffic and horseshoe-shaped terminal, LAX is frequently seen as a logistical challenge for domestic travelers.
LAX is regularly regarded as one of the most stressful US airports due to lengthy security lines and an antiquated layout that is presently undergoing a $30 billion reconstruction, which will make the experience significantly worse until completed. The reputation is gradually changing as new facilities open. The Automated People Mover (APM) is scheduled to launch in late 2026, promising to circumvent terminal loop traffic and link to the new Metro Transit Center.
Similarly, the LAX-it ridesharing lot continues to divide opinion, despite the fact that it has removed thousands of cars from the terminal loop. At the same time, many passengers must ride a shuttle bus after landing, which can take up to an hour from baggage claim to keys-in-hand, despite the relatively small distance.
Tom Bradley International Terminal is the airport’s crown gem, renowned for its high-end food, luxurious lounges, and contemporary decor. It is the Pacific’s primary gateway, with more nonstop flights to Asia and Oceania than any other West Coast hub. Despite the elegance of TBIT, LAX has recently been named one of the worst US airports for foreign travel by various studies due to immigration processes.
The private aviation side of LAX enjoys a starkly different, highly positive reputation. Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) like Signature Aviation and Atlantic Aviation at LAX are ranked among the most luxurious in the world, serving as a primary hub for the film and television industry. LAX is home to PS (formerly The Private Suite), a first-of-its-kind private terminal. It allows ultra-high-net-worth individuals to bypass the main airport entirely, featuring private TSA screening and direct BMW chauffeured service to the aircraft.
Los Angeles International Airport’s Hefty Price Tag For The 2028 Olympics
Los Angeles City Council approved $5 billion for the Los Angeles World Airport.
The Slow March Of Progress
Before the launch of the current $30 billion Capital Improvement Program, LAX’s modernization was delayed for decades by a combination of legal gridlock, shifting passenger demands, and a stalled planning phase. Before the recent surge in construction, several factors prevented major upgrades. The most highly anticipated feature of the airport’s latest round of major upgrades, the light rail project, was actually originally intended to begin operations in 2023, but issues with management and the primary contractor have continued to delay it.
In the wake of the pandemic shutdown, the lack of traffic rebound also led to a major change in the Olympic expansion plans. LAX intended to build two entirely new terminals to accommodate international travelers, but the slow recovery, which has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, saw those plans scuttled. Additionally, the need to expand infrastructure capacity in advance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup forced the program to focus on core improvements.
The horseshoe design of the terminal area access for cars and buses has always been a choke point that limits the total capacity of the landside transit options. In advance of the FIFA World Cup, improvements to over 4 miles of roads around the airport were prioritized. Additionally, the demolition of Terminal 5 and construction of its 15-gate replacement complex were given priority. These projects even led to the demolition of the iconic illuminated pylons that led the way along the entrance roads as more space was cleared for vehicle traffic just last month.
