Flier beware: 5 things to know before you head to LAX this weekend (and Monday and Tuesday too)

A man walks by a poster that announces a relocation by Delta Airlines, in one of the largest terminal moves in history. It begins Friday night.

May 11, 2017 6 AM PT

The major reshuffling of airlines at LAX that begins Friday night and runs through to Wednesday morning involves the relocation of 3,000 computers and 400 miles of cable. What could possibly go wrong?

Months in the making, the move of 15 airlines will involve 170 movers each night.

Here are five things you should know if you’re using LAX during the Friday-to-Wednesday transition period.

1. The Delta challenge:

It will take Delta the entire period to move its operations, while other airlines will move in one night. During the course of it, Delta may operate out of as many as four terminals during the change-over: 2, 3, 5 and 6.

2. The move dates:

Moving the night of May 12-13 (Friday night-Saturday morning), Delta, Allegiant, Frontier, Virgin America, Virgin Australia, Sun Country, Volaris and Boutique. Moving the night of May 14-15 (Sunday night-Monday morning), Avianca, Delta, InterJet and Spirit. The night of May 16-17 (Tuesday night-Wednesday morning), Air Canada, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue and Southwest’s international flights (domestic flights remain in Terminal 1).

3. Before leaving home

Call the airline to confirm your flight’s gate and terminal. Print your boarding pass before arriving if possible, to avoid possible glitches with check-in kiosks. On arrival, double-check display boards to be sure there have been no changes. A carry-on bag would avoid delays in baggage tagging and handling.

Need to contact your airline? A list of carriers with websites and phone numbers »

4. Terminal map:

The final locations are available here. LAX also offers two websites with updates on the moves: www.lawa.org and www.laxishappening.com. Delta’s site is: delta.com/skywayatlax. On Twitter, travelers can track #LAXontheMOVE, @LAAirportPD and @flyLAXairport

5. Spa dates

To help alleviate some of the stress, Delta is offering spa pop-ups and massages. Snacks and juice will also be offered.

Travel@latimes.com

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Chris Erskine

Chris Erskine is a nationally known humor columnist and editor who retired from the Los Angeles Times in 2020. Previously he wrote for the Sports, Travel and Saturday sections and edited with the paper’s features staff. As an editor, he has been a part of two Pulitzer Prize-winning teams at The Times (for his graphics work on the Northridge quake and the North Hollywood bank robbery). He is best known to readers for his weekly humor pieces on life in suburban Los Angeles. His latest book, “Daditude,” released in 2018, is a collection of his favorite Times columns on fatherhood. He has written two other books, “Man of the House” and “Surviving Suburbia,” which reached the Los Angeles Times bestseller list. The Chicago native has also worked for papers in New Orleans and Miami.

Flier beware: 5 things to know before you head to LAX this weekend (and Monday and Tuesday too)

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