Filed under Los Angeles Living on October 23rd, 2008:
How Well Do you Know LAX? 23 Facts to Impress your Friends
If you live in a Los Angeles home, you’ve no doubt heard of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). It’s gigantic. In fact, along with New York, Los Angeles is a key passage point for most Americans leaving or entering the country. What else do you know about LAX? If your answer is “not much” then read ahead.
23 Facts About LAX
LAX is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, the second-most populated metropolitan area of the United States.
LAX is located in southwestern Los Angeles in the Westchester neighborhood, 16 miles from downtown.
LAX is the fifth busiest airport in the world, with direct flights to North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Middle East.
LAX is the 2nd busiest airport in the United States by international passenger traffic.
In 2007, 61,895,548 passengers traveled through LAX.
LAX is a major hub for both United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, and a focus city for American Airlines and Southwest.
This Los Angeles airport serves as a base for the United States Coast Guard Air Station.
LAX occupies 3,500 acres of the city on the Pacific coast.
Previously, airports used a two-letter abbreviation but with the rapid growth in the aviation industry, the designations expanded to three letters and LA became LAX. The letter X does not have any specific meaning.
In 1991, 34 passengers died at LAX when an incoming US Air Boeing 737 collided with a smaller SkyWest Metroliner commuter plane.
LAX handles more “origin and destination” (non-connecting) passengers than any other airport in the world.
You can drive to LAX by taking the Century Boulevard exit (and several more northern exits) on Interstate 405 or the Sepulveda Boulevard exit on Interstate 105.
In the year 2000, Al-Qaeda attempted to bomb LAX during the millennium holiday. Ahmed Ressam was captured in Port Angeles, Washington, with a cache of explosives in the trunk of his rented car.
The LAX site has been used as a general aviation field since 1928.
During World War II, LAX was used for military flights.
Los Angeles employs about 158,000 people specifically related to the airport’s business. One in 20 jobs in Southern California is attributed to LAX operations.
The Encounter Restaurant is the center piece of LAX, located 70 feet above the ground, in the center of the historic Theme Building complex. The restaurant is topped by an observation deck and has great views of airplanes flying over top.
There are more than 22,000 parking spaces near LAX.
LAX has about 1,000 cargo flights each day.
LAX has four parallel runways and a 277-foot control tower designed to service those runways.
In 2007, a runway incursion occurred between West Jet Flight 900 and Northwest Airlines Flight 180, with the aircraft coming within 37 feet of each other. The planes were carrying a combined total of 296 people, none were injured.
LAX is included in a song called ‘LAX to O’Hare’ by the band ‘The Academy Is…’.
LAX has been the filming site of many Hollywood movies and the prime time television drama ‘LAX’.
December 4th, 2009 at 6:31 am
Shebly Mustangs were built in an hanger at LAX from 1965 to 1969.