Delta Sky Way at LAX

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

A newly unified terminal creates a more intuitive passenger journey at one of the world's largest airports.

Location

Los Angeles, California

Client

Delta Airlines

Expertise

Aviation [FPO] Architecture

Opportunity

Today's airports have the power to make or break a trip, underscoring the reality that a passenger's journey is just as important as their destination.

To keep passengers calm against the backdrop of an often-overwhelming environment, airports must make the journey simple, straightforward, and inviting — from curbside check-in to boarding at the gate.

Terminals 2 and 3 sat as separate, unlinked buildings, offering the opportunity to merge them into one seamless, state-of-the-art gateway for Delta, complete with a shared ticketing lobby, consolidated security checkpoint, baggage claim, premium ground experience, and Delta Sky Club, all delivered without disrupting passenger service or security operations at one of the busiest airports in the world.

Why This Matters

01
Uninterrupted Passenger Service
Operating in a 24/7 environment meant every design decision had to preserve safe, intuitive circulation and zero disruption to Delta's daily operations.
02
A Once-in-a-Generation Move
Coordinating the largest terminal relocation, involving 27 airlines and 10 vendors, unlocked the opportunity to rebuild Terminals 2 and 3 faster and smarter.
03
Balancing Brand and Airport Identity
As LAX transformed its whole campus, Delta needed a terminal that felt unmistakably its own while speaking the same design language as the airport around it.

The new Terminal 3 concourse includes best-in-class passenger amenities, technology, and showcases our vision for a fully modernized airport.

Solution

A centralized headhouse and new vertical circulation core unify the terminals.

The streamlined airport arrival process with Delta Sky Way started by creating an intuitive journey between previously unlinked Terminals 2 and 3. A centralized headhouse consolidates ticketing, security, and baggage claim, creating a sense that passengers have "arrived." Further inside, lighting re-creates circadian rhythms and mitigates passenger jet lag. Abstracted design elements blend Delta's brand with the design language of the larger airport and the landscapes of Southern California.

From brief to build: an unprecedented terminal relocation demanded phased, concurrently managed design packages moving in lockstep towards construction.

COVID-19 reshaped the schedule in an unexpected way, shifting all Terminal 3 operations into Terminal 2 in 2020, eliminating several phasing steps outright and shortening headhouse completion by 18 months. The team worked several phases concurrently, each on its own deadline, tracked through weekly cross-discipline coordination sessions and a shared day-by-day design schedule. To bring Terminal 2 up to modern seismic standards, the team built a new dynamic analytical tool to assess the 17 different structures that make up the terminal's concourse and headhouse, built over 40 years and across many different code cycles. It pinpointed joints needing seismic strengthening far faster than a traditional static joint-by-joint analysis could.

Impact

A unified, efficient, future-ready terminal complex now elevates the traveler experience and sets a new benchmark for how major airport redevelopments are delivered.

By simplifying the airport arrival process, the redesign eased the passenger journey, minimized confusion around terminal numbers, reduced necessary connection time, and eliminated the need for walking or busing.

What Changed Because of This

01
Passenger Experience
Reimagined gathering areas, hospitality-inspired restrooms, and circadian lighting to ease jet lag, paired with LA-inspired color, texture, and art throughout, reshape the day-to-day journey through the terminal.
02
Seamless Connectivity
A direct, post-security connector to Tom Bradley International Terminal cuts connection times and eliminates bussing between terminals entirely.
03
Structural Resilience
An innovative dynamic seismic analysis brought a 1980s-era terminal up to modern standards.

Recognition

01

The Wall Street Journal

Explored how airport lounges with “ever-swankier amenities” are transforming travel, highlighting the Gensler-designed Delta Sky Way at LAX.

02

Engineering-News Record California

Recognized Delta Sky Way at LAX as the Best Airport/Transit winner in its 2024 Regional Best Projects Competition

03

Airport Technology

Covered the completion of the $2.3 billion Delta Sky Way project which provided a “seamless and eleveated experience” to travelers.

Team

Project Leadership

Matthew Johnson

Matthew is a Principal and Studio Director who guides complex airport programs and creates terminal environments that align operational performance with an intuitive passenger experience.

Neil McLean

Neil is a design manager with 35 years of experience across aviation, retail, workplace, entertainment, residential and museum projects. He brings a steady hand to complex work, guiding teams through each phase while helping clients plan for changing requirements.

FAQ

01

Where is Delta Sky Way located?

At Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)/

02

Who designed Delta Sky Way at LAX?

Gensler served as lead designer and architect, providing full architectural design services from concept through construction administration. Arup coordinated engineering systems across 22 disciplines.

03

How does Delta Sky Way improve travel between terminals?

A direct connection to the airport's Automated People Mover and a post-security connector to Tom Bradley International Terminal cut connection times and eliminate the need for inter-terminal bussing.

Related Work

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San Diego International Airport Terminal 1 & Roadways

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Related Expertise

Aviation Architecture

A newly unified terminal creates a more intuitive passenger journey at one of the world's largest airports.

Today's airports have the power to make or break a trip, underscoring the reality that a passenger's journey is just as important as their destination.

Why This Matters

A centralized headhouse and new vertical circulation core unify the terminals.

From brief to build: an unprecedented terminal relocation demanded phased, concurrently managed design packages moving in lockstep towards construction.

A unified, efficient, future-ready terminal complex now elevates the traveler experience and sets a new benchmark for how major airport redevelopments are delivered.

What Changed Because of This