Two weeks before Delta Air Lines launches what may be the biggest relocation operation in airport history, Chief Executive Edward Bastian flew into Los Angeles to discuss the competition, President Trump’s travel ban and how far his company has come 10 years after emerging from bankruptcy.
Given that airlines are now under heavy public-opinion fire following several recent high-profile incidents, this may seem like a bad time to start a potentially chaos-inducing round of musical chairs, only using terminal gates at Los Angeles International Airport. But Bastian said the jump from one side of the airport to the other is part of the carrier’s plan to serve travelers better.
From May 12 until May 17, Delta will be moving its LAX operations from Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3, forcing 19 other carriers to relocate. The move will put Delta closer to the Tom Bradley International Terminal and its partner airlines while giving Delta room to nearly double its number of gates at LAX.
To minimize confusion among fliers, Delta will beef up staffing to direct confused passengers during the five-day move and has spread the word about the switch among Uber and Lyft drivers. Anyone who asks for directions to LAX on the Waze traffic app will even get a notice from Delta about the move.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.