Delta held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today for the completion of phase I of their new Headhouse at LAX. Officially opens April 20 along with new Sky Club.

https://twitter.com/flyLAXairport/statu ... QqyTZlXn1g

https://news.delta.com/consolidated-ter ... lity-focus

Still to come later in year is completion of West Headhouse at T3 and Concourse along with renovation of T2 and connector to TBIT next year.

Anyone have more info on what will happen to the existing check-in and baggage claim at T2?

Amazing progress. Will they raze T2 and rebuild it?

Posted with photos in the DL network thread >>> viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1468453

Delta One services were not mentioned (unless I missed it Delta’s press release).

Will Delta have Delta One services like they did in T5?

william wrote:

Amazing progress. Will they raze T2 and rebuild it?

No. It will be renovated and altered. For example, the security area will be removed with more space added for concessions, etc. Few changes will happen to the concourse.

I'm getting Stapleton vibes from the photos. Not an exact match obviously, but it certainly looks "inspired by" Old Denver.

gaystudpilot wrote:

Delta One services were not mentioned (unless I missed it Delta’s press release).

Will Delta have Delta One services like they did in T5?

Eventually. It will either be in the T3 headhouse addition or where check-in is presently located in T2. I suspect it will be in the T3 headhouse addition. There will also be a D1 lounge.

What is the meaning and usage of the term "Head house?"

Sounds like a location male passengers use to releave themselves.

MDC862 wrote:

What is the meaning and usage of the term "Head house?"

Sounds like a location male passengers use to releave themselves.

A headhouse is the landside, non-secure portion of a terminal.

HunterATL wrote:

MDC862 wrote:

What is the meaning and usage of the term "Head house?"

Sounds like a location male passengers use to releave themselves.

A headhouse is the landside, non-secure portion of a terminal.

And includes: check-in, security screening, baggage claim, immigration and customs.

The ceilings are pretty low in the security check area!!

DTWLAX wrote:

The ceilings are pretty low in the security check area!!

Ceilings couldn't be raised unless Delta found a new location for the new SkyClub which was impossible given its huge size. Floor heights are very limited at LAX due to the road network and APM.

Maybe this is more appropriate for the LAX thread but I'll ask it here:
Right now DL is using T2 and TBIT for departures. A couple questions on that:
1) Will the T2 FIS open in April when the headhouse opens?
2) How do they determine what flights use TBIT? I know that many of the INTL-LAX-XXX flights tend to use TBIT, particularly if the aircraft does not spend much time at LAX (i.e. today's departure to MEM used TBIT gate 131; the inbound came from Cabo San Lucas). However, there are other flights that are assigned to the TBIT even if they did not just do an intl run (i.e. DCA and the early morning flights to BOS and SJD tend to use TBIT regularly). Is there a system in which flights get assigned to T2 vs. TBIT?

Delta will be doing Sky Way Operational Readiness Trials today at LAX.

vatveng wrote:

I'm getting Stapleton vibes from the photos. Not an exact match obviously, but it certainly looks "inspired by" Old Denver.

Can you expand? Stapleton is well-documented; when I compare those photos to this new landslide facility, I'm not able to draw the comparisons.

Man DL loves their low ceilings, this project and the Kennedy T4 project. They must have done some study which shows they save a significant amount of money with Heating/AC. I know my first home had these really high cathedral ceilings with skylights which was costing me a fortune to cool in the Summer.

rjbesikof wrote:

Maybe this is more appropriate for the LAX thread but I'll ask it here:
Right now DL is using T2 and TBIT for departures. A couple questions on that:
1) Will the T2 FIS open in April when the headhouse opens?
2) How do they determine what flights use TBIT? I know that many of the INTL-LAX-XXX flights tend to use TBIT, particularly if the aircraft does not spend much time at LAX (i.e. today's departure to MEM used TBIT gate 131; the inbound came from Cabo San Lucas). However, there are other flights that are assigned to the TBIT even if they did not just do an intl run (i.e. DCA and the early morning flights to BOS and SJD tend to use TBIT regularly). Is there a system in which flights get assigned to T2 vs. TBIT?

Delta's lease permits it to use TBIT for domestic operations during construction of the SkyWay so long as various construction milestones are met. The only reason Delta's international operations use TBIT is because LAWA has closed all the FIS facilities in the non-TBIT terminals. Delta's original, unamended lease executed before the pandemic did not permit Delta to use TBIT for international flights unless T2 handled a certain number of international arrivals per day. T2's FIS will reopen whenever LAWA decides it will. Delta will continue to use TBIT regardless for domestic flights until T3 is completed.

STT757 wrote:

Man DL loves their low ceilings, this project and the Kennedy T4 project. They must have done some study which shows they save a significant amount of money with Heating/AC. I know my first home had these really high cathedral ceilings with skylights which was costing me a fortune to cool in the Summer.

The floor heights in the Headhouse are dictated by a relatively new set of LAWA design rules put in place when the APM was announced to create a standard and uniform appearance and to ensure complete connectivity between terminals. All new core/headhouse construction must comport with those design rules. The core building AA is constructing between T4 and T5 will have the same floor heights as will the new core between T5 and T6. T1.5 should also have identical height levels to the new SkyWay.

phatfarmlines wrote:

vatveng wrote:

I'm getting Stapleton vibes from the photos. Not an exact match obviously, but it certainly looks "inspired by" Old Denver.

Can you expand? Stapleton is well-documented; when I compare those photos to this new landslide facility, I'm not able to draw the comparisons.

I can see how the new T2-T3 terminal facade from some angles does give off a certain Stapleton vibe when looking at its terminal. I'll post some comparison photos below.

The unfortunate thing about LAX, and it has been this way for decades, is that each airline (or Terminal Group as was the case when T2 was rebuilt in the 80s) decides the appearance and design of their respective terminals. In LAX's case, even the nicest of terminal redesigns can look somewhat off-putting as there is ZERO cohesiveness from terminal to terminal. It is just a hodge podge of individual designs that do not complement each other except that they are all now connected.

Again, I understand LAWA's structure and how the projects are all individualized; it just would have been nice to have an overall uniform terminal facade all the way around the loop. Then, allow lighting and branding be what sets each terminal headhouse apart along with whatever airside configuration works best for their operation.

-Ryan

Delta's new LAX Terminal:


Stapleton's Terminal:

I find it funny that the ribbon cutting happened today when the terminal is still not complete (some fixtures are yet to be finished from the looks of it) and it won’t open until end of April. Is this just a way to stick to the Q1 2022 deadline they had announced?
Cynicism aside, building looks nice, it’s not LGA or SLC but should be heaps better than what used to be there. Looking forward to touring the skyclub.

Ticketing area looks cramped. We'll have to see if it's any improvement over the current T2 setup. I'm also curious to see the gate areas. While nicely renovated, T2 is a way too small. When you're loading an A350 the gate areas are a mosh pit of people.

I looked at their press page and I don't see any mention of a D1 checkin lounge. Is this still in the plans?

Bradin wrote:

Delta will be doing Sky Way Operational Readiness Trials today at LAX.

I’ll be participating in it.

I had assumed that there would be ONE headhouse covering T2 and T3. Wasn't that the intention of the project?

dcaproducer wrote:

Ticketing area looks cramped. We'll have to see if it's any improvement over the current T2 setup. I'm also curious to see the gate areas. While nicely renovated, T2 is a way too small. When you're loading an A350 the gate areas are a mosh pit of people.

I looked at their press page and I don't see any mention of a D1 checkin lounge. Is this still in the plans?

The ceiling is surprisingly higher than I expected. I got a chance to peak in. It gets lower towards where you drop the bag. It is muuuuuuch more spacious than T2 check in lobby I can ensure you. Now the depth issue is another thing, but not much they can do with that. The TSA area is higher as well in the waiting area but gets lower in the queue. AA area already has pretty high ceilings so of course it will stay. Delta decided to put a huge sky club club at the top. They could have shrunk it or place it elsewhere to raise the ceiling, but I think the benefits outweighed the loss in height. I can say T3 ceiling are a nice height!

It is pretty nice overall, though nothing revolutionary but that's not a Delta issue. The space and the horrendous, outdated layout of LAX's terminal superstructures are to blame for that. It is going to be a significant improvement over what is there.

LawAndOrder wrote:

dcaproducer wrote:

Ticketing area looks cramped. We'll have to see if it's any improvement over the current T2 setup. I'm also curious to see the gate areas. While nicely renovated, T2 is a way too small. When you're loading an A350 the gate areas are a mosh pit of people.

I looked at their press page and I don't see any mention of a D1 checkin lounge. Is this still in the plans?

The ceiling is surprisingly higher than I expected. I got a chance to peak in. It gets lower towards where you drop the bag. It is muuuuuuch more spacious than T2 check in lobby I can ensure you. Now the depth issue is another thing, but not much they can do with that. The TSA area is higher as well in the waiting area but gets lower in the queue. AA area already has pretty high ceilings so of course it will stay. Delta decided to put a huge sky club club at the top. They could have shrunk it or place it elsewhere to raise the ceiling, but I think the benefits outweighed the loss in height. I can say T3 ceiling are a nice height!

I can't wait to see the new Sky Club... Curious if the two Sky Clubs in T2 will remain open? I seem to recall at least one was temporary...

New facilities at LAX, SLC and LGA. Delta is going to have some of the most modern facilities at their major hubs soon.

ContinentalEWR wrote:

It is pretty nice overall, though nothing revolutionary but that's not a Delta issue. The space and the horrendous, outdated layout of LAX's terminal superstructures are to blame for that. It is going to be a significant improvement over what is there.

The layout of LAX isn't bad and there's a lot of space there to build world class terminals. The problem is that they chose to occupy most of it with parking garages.
Notice the difference from 2 airports with very similar layouts?
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9440335 ... a=!3m1!1e3
vs.
https://www.google.com/maps/@1.3548915, ... a=!3m1!1e3

If this is how nice LAX turned out, then Delta’s LGA headhouse with much higher ceilings and more windows will be very impressive.

gmcc wrote:

Actually LAWA now is requiring a unified look to all CTA and terminal core.

https://cloud1lawa.box.com/s/08lxf9gx7i ... wu6me1mux1

So once the remodels are done, probably before the 2028 Olympics, the CTA should have a uniformed look to it.

I really appreciate this link and to be honest wasn’t aware of such a unified plan. It’s been a few months since I have been there, but it just seemed like standing in front of T1 Upper Level and looking down to T1.5 and T2-3’s progress that there just wasn’t a cohesive look. I’ll reserve my judgement for a few years yet.

Once again, thank you for the link!

Ryan

I've heard the term headhouse more in the last couple days than my whole life.

ContinentalEWR wrote:

It is pretty nice overall, though nothing revolutionary but that's not a Delta issue. The space and the horrendous, outdated layout of LAX's terminal superstructures are to blame for that. It is going to be a significant improvement over what is there.

All the more reason why I am excited for T9, as it won't be bogged down by these constraints (and hopefully not value-engineered like the terminal cores and MSC.)

Very underwhelming. Low ceilings. Cramped-looking in areas. Looks like it could be hell with multiple flights leaving or delayed at the same time. I suppose it could be considered an incremental improvement over the pitiful old T3, but it’s not really much of an improvement considering it was a complete tear down.

Josh76040 wrote:

Very underwhelming. Low ceilings. Cramped-looking in areas. Looks like it could be hell with multiple flights leaving or delayed at the same time. I suppose it could be considered an incremental improvement over the pitiful old T3, but it’s not really much of an improvement considering it was a complete tear down.

Was not a “complete tear down” in all areas. The new facilities had to align with existing structures and the roadways just outside the terminal doors.

The negativity is surprising. For anyone that traveled through T2 and especially T3 in the past this looks like a massive improvement. I can’t wait to experience in person.

LawAndOrder wrote:

dcaproducer wrote:

Ticketing area looks cramped. We'll have to see if it's any improvement over the current T2 setup. I'm also curious to see the gate areas. While nicely renovated, T2 is a way too small. When you're loading an A350 the gate areas are a mosh pit of people.

I looked at their press page and I don't see any mention of a D1 checkin lounge. Is this still in the plans?

The ceiling is surprisingly higher than I expected. I got a chance to peak in. It gets lower towards where you drop the bag. It is muuuuuuch more spacious than T2 check in lobby I can ensure you. Now the depth issue is another thing, but not much they can do with that. The TSA area is higher as well in the waiting area but gets lower in the queue. AA area already has pretty high ceilings so of course it will stay. Delta decided to put a huge sky club club at the top. They could have shrunk it or place it elsewhere to raise the ceiling, but I think the benefits outweighed the loss in height. I can say T3 ceiling are a nice height!

Good to hear. I still fear the gate areas will be cramped, but who cares, I’ll be sitting in the SkyClub. (Haha)

airbazar wrote:

ContinentalEWR wrote:

It is pretty nice overall, though nothing revolutionary but that's not a Delta issue. The space and the horrendous, outdated layout of LAX's terminal superstructures are to blame for that. It is going to be a significant improvement over what is there.

The layout of LAX isn't bad and there's a lot of space there to build world class terminals. The problem is that they chose to occupy most of it with parking garages.
Notice the difference from 2 airports with very similar layouts?
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9440335 ... a=!3m1!1e3
vs.
https://www.google.com/maps/@1.3548915, ... a=!3m1!1e3

Among LAX's pluses are (relatively) short taxi times (in and out), and a substantially large air field overall, which helps with aircraft taxiing and movements. The constraints of LAX are the circular design of the terminals, all of which, except for TBIT, are enhancements to mostly 1960s and 1970s era structures that simply were never designed for the volume of traffic it now handles. The AA Terminal (4) is a mess. Always busy, not a lot of space, a cramped security checkpoint. It was at one time, one of the nicest, a while back.

What DL has unveiled so far isn't revolutionary or true 21st century, but it is a huge improvement over what it replaces and expands upon.

airbazar wrote:

ContinentalEWR wrote:

It is pretty nice overall, though nothing revolutionary but that's not a Delta issue. The space and the horrendous, outdated layout of LAX's terminal superstructures are to blame for that. It is going to be a significant improvement over what is there.

The layout of LAX isn't bad and there's a lot of space there to build world class terminals. The problem is that they chose to occupy most of it with parking garages.
Notice the difference from 2 airports with very similar layouts?
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9440335 ... a=!3m1!1e3
vs.
https://www.google.com/maps/@1.3548915, ... a=!3m1!1e3

Can't fault LAX for putting in surface parking lots in the interior of the loop - it was appropriate for the time and it worked. When I was a kid, the parking in the loop was surface only. Incredibly, you could find available spots well into the 70's. Then the surface lots were replaced by multi-level parking. There was always parking in these lots if you needed it.

The parking is slowly being removed for operations, like the new CUP and upcoming monorail. In retrospect, it was great that they put parking there because it kept available space for the LAX expansion we see now. Kind of disappointed that the theme building is getting lost among the new contruction.

gaystudpilot wrote:

Delta One services were not mentioned (unless I missed it Delta’s press release).

Will Delta have Delta One services like they did in T5?

They already have a designated D1 entry area in T2, between the SkyPriority check-in and regular check-in.

I'm not sure what its permanence is in the grand scheme, but because (as you said) it's seldom ever mentioned, I'm guessing that's going to be their strategy for the longrun? Maybe it'll somehow link up to the new SkyClub?

micstatic wrote:

I've heard the term headhouse more in the last couple days than my whole life.

Ditto for people complaining about "high ceilings".... who knew that that was such a demand, for airport architecture?

LAX772LR wrote:

Ditto for people complaining about "high ceilings".... who knew that that was such a demand, for airport architecture?

Welcome to any airport architecture in the last 30 years -- high ceilings in the checkin area -- nearly every checkin area newly redesigned/built: DEN, ATL international checkin, DFW Terminal D, AUS, JFK T8 when rebuilt, LHR T5, Terminal 4 @ MAD, the new SCL, ICN, JFK T5, new plans for ORD, BER, the SLC rebuild, even UA's LAX Terminal 7. High ceilings are a rather common feature that Delta seems to have decided to not prioritize for their LAX terminals. I could care less but there's no reason to belittle other posters who notice something that's very common in airport design.

dcaproducer wrote:

Ticketing area looks cramped. We'll have to see if it's any improvement over the current T2 setup. I'm also curious to see the gate areas. While nicely renovated, T2 is a way too small. When you're loading an A350 the gate areas are a mosh pit of people.

I looked at their press page and I don't see any mention of a D1 checkin lounge. Is this still in the plans?

There’s still the West Headhouse under construction and the East Headhouse at current T2 is supposed to be renovated but I haven’t found any concrete details.

Bright and airy with high ceilings is more than just a airport architecture trend. It’s a general architecture trend and has been for several decades now, from private homes to office buildings.

You have to be living under a rock if you don’t realize that people tend to prefer higher ceilings and a sense of openness.

LAX will only allow the building to be a certain height. What yall are missing us they traded height to have a new massive club. Had they not created a full headhouse length club they could have raised the tsa and bag claim roof.

Check in area height is actually pretty decent. The area near the windows are pretty high it gets low near the bag drop.

Terminal 3 will have pretty high ceiling in the walkway about the same height as slc concourse height. I know we all tend to complain before trying it out, i would challenge everyone to wait until you see the facilities too complain!

micstatic wrote:

I've heard the term headhouse more in the last couple days than my whole life.

Well you know when a word or phrase gets buzzworthy, you can't escape it. LOL.
I heard "shots in arms" again last week for first time in awhile. Still gate it haha.

What were they called 5 years ago? Main terminal?

sprxUSA wrote:

micstatic wrote:

I've heard the term headhouse more in the last couple days than my whole life.

Well you know when a word or phrase gets buzzworthy, you can't escape it. LOL.
I heard "shots in arms" again last week for first time in awhile. Still gate it haha.

What were they called 5 years ago? Main terminal?

The term head house has been around forever. It dates back to the railroad industry- the “head house” is where passengers stayed in the terminal while they waited for their train (it’s the head (front) of the building housing the passengers). They would then go out onto the platforms from the head house to board the train.

As someone mentioned before in aviation it’s typically the area of the terminal before security where baggage claim/ticketing/checking in takes place.

LawAndOrder wrote:

LAX will only allow the building to be a certain height. What yall are missing us they traded height to have a new massive club. Had they not created a full headhouse length club they could have raised the tsa and bag claim roof.

Check in area height is actually pretty decent. The area near the windows are pretty high it gets low near the bag drop.

There was no trade. Delta's original plans did not have a club in the head house. Those plans also did not have double-height ceilings. This is what Delta wanted all along.

... The architectural treatment of the ceiling --- sloped (in the ticketing lobby) and baffled (in the security checkpoint), make it seem like the ceilings are somewhat higher. That's all.

I was PMNW and I never heard the term head house until we merged with Delta. Different courses for different horses.

I like hearing when a Delta agent uses the intercom to say words like gatehouse and headhouse

Headhouse experience has always been good to me ever since they moved to T2/T3, they made the best of the situation before they put the first shovel down.

I've worked for Delta since 1984 and have never heard the term 'headhouse'.

I've heard the term "headhouse" for decades. It is mostly lingo for people involved with the design and build of the facilities. If a building isn't being designed and built, you aren't likely to hear the term. Now that there are a lot of new terminals under construction and the public has more access than ever to project presentations and design documents, the term is becoming more widely known.

For all the armchair quarterbacks here, it is fairly obvious that the site has huge challenges. Roadway levels, the APM station levels, sight lines for ATC, taxiway constraints, an active operation during constructions, budgets... Tradeoffs were clearly necessary. If lower ceilings in some areas were required for a 30,000sf SkyClub to be possible, it was worth it. LAX is a madhouse and will always be a madhouse. The more space for passengers to fine some personal space, the better.

But the thing that bothers me is that people in this thread who have been in the building state that the ticketing area feels more open than the pics suggest due to the way the ceiling slants. But people who haven't been in the building seem sure it feels claustrophobic. It reminds me of the critics of the concourse remodels in ATL. Everyone thought it was pointless, until you actually are in the building and it feels so much brighter and open.