The Ultimate Guide to Los Angeles International Airport
Considered by many to be the most active airport in Infinite Flight, Los Angeles International Airport, or LAX, is one of the largest airports in the world. Featuring nine terminals, four runways, and extensive cargo facilities, there’s no wonder why it has earned the recognition of being a global hub in the real world as well as across all three servers within Infinite Flight. In this tutorial, I’ll cover everything you’ll need to know when flying into this megahub.
Image Retrieved from discoverlosangeles.com
Terminals
Image Retrieved from iFly.com
Terminal 1
Terminal 1 is used solely by Southwest Airlines and their LAX base. For pilots that like simulating retro routes, this terminal was previously used by AirTran, Pacific Southwest Airways, America West Airways, and US Airways.
Terminal 2
Delta’s Los Angeles base calls Terminal 2 home, along with several foreign carriers, including Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, Virgin Atlantic, and WestJet. Former tenants include Northwest and Pan Am.
Terminal 3 (CLOSED)
Terminal 3 is also part of Delta’s LAX base; however, this terminal has been closed for demolition and will not reopen until mid-2022 at the earliest. When it does reopen, Delta will split their flights between Terminals 2 and 3, and they will be linked. Virgin America and TWA were two former airlines that operated out of T3.
Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT)
By far the most significant terminal at LAX, the Tom Bradley International Airport is called home by a whopping 29 airlines, listed in the chart below. When there is overflow, the West Remote Stands (West Remote Stand 210 to West Remote Stand 218 in IF) are used as an extension for this terminal. However, this will change when the Midfield Concourse opens.
| Airline | Aircraft |
|---|---|
| Aeroflot | 777-300ER |
| Air France | 777-200ER, 777-300ER |
| Air China | 787-9 |
| Air New Zealand | 777-300ER, 787-9 |
| Air Tahiti Nui | 787-9 |
| Alitalia | 777-200ER |
| All Nippon Airways | 777-300ER (Sub 787-10?) |
| Asiana Airlines | A350, A380 |
| Avianca | 787-8, A320, A321 |
| British Airways | 777-300ER, A380, 787 |
| Cathay Pacific | 777-300ER |
| China Airlines | 777-300ER, A350 |
| China Eastern | A350 |
| China Southern | A380 (Sub 787-8?) |
| Copa Airlines | 737-800 |
| El Al | 787 |
| Emirates | 777-300ER, A380 |
| Etihad | 777-300ER |
| EVA Air | 777-300ER |
| Fiji Airways | A350 |
| Finnair | A350 |
| Hainan Airlines | 787 |
| Iberia | A330 (Sub A350?) |
| Japan Airlines | 777-300ER, 787-9 |
| KLM | 777-200ER, 777-300ER |
| Korean Air | 777-300ER (Sub 777-200ER?) |
| LATAM | 787 |
| LOT Polish Airlines | 787-8 |
| Lufthansa | A350, 747-8, A380 |
| Norwegian | 787-9 |
| Philippine Airlines | 777-300ER |
| Qantas | 787-9, A380 |
| Qatar Airways | 777-300ER, A350 |
| Saudia | 777-300ER |
| Scandinavian Airlines | A350 |
| Sichuan Airlines | No In-Game Livery |
| Singapore Airlines | A350, 777-300ER |
| SWISS | 777-300ER |
| Turkish Airlines | 777-300ER |
| Xiamen Airlines | 787-8 |
Terminal 4
Terminal 4 is solely used by American, with some flights departing at TBIT on occasion.
Terminal 5
Terminal 5 is used occasionally by American for limited service from narrowbody aircraft only. It is also the main operating base for jetBlue’s Los Angeles hub, as well as the home for Allegiant, Frontier, Hawaiian, Spirit, and Sun Country.
Terminal 6
Alaska Airlines’ significant presence in Los Angeles is housed in Terminal 6, alongside Air Canada and VivaAerobus. Former tenants include a dominant presence of Continental, as well as short stint with Virgin America prior to their merger with Alaska.
Terminal 7
Terminal 7 is home to United’s Los Angeles hub, the sole occupant of the terminal.
Terminal 8
Terminal 8 is home to United Express flights and a limited amount of mainline flights. The largest aircraft you’ll see at this terminal is a 737, with the majority of aircraft being CRJs and ERJs.
American Eagle Regional Terminal (Eagle’s Nest)
Fittingly named after American Eagle, the Eagle’s Nest is a satellite terminal accessible via a bus ride from Terminal 5, and it is home to all American Eagle services.
Cargo
Really self-explanatory, FedEx uses the FedEx ramps for their hub. The Imperial Cargo Apron is used mostly for airlines’ cargo affiliates (Lufthansa Cargo, EVA Air Cargo, Qatar Cargo), while the the Southwest Aprons are mostly for charter airlines (Atlas Air, Kalitta, Crystal). FBOs are located at the far end of the south ramp.
Runways
LAX features four runways and three standard runway configurations. All runways are able to be used by all aircraft types, and they all are equipped an Instrument Landing System (ILS).
Runway 24R/06L
Used only for landings, it is the shortest of the runways. The 24R approach is the famous approach that flies right over In-N-Out.
Runway 24L/06R
Typically only used for departures, but can be used for landings while the adjacent 24R/06L is under construction.
Runway 25R/07L
Typically only used for departure. Longest runway at the airport.
Runway 25L/07R
Used for south complex arrivals and south ramp departures. Widest runway at the airport.
Runway Configuration 1: Standard
This is the configuration that LAX will use almost all the time, with 24R and 25L for landings and 24L, 25R, and 25L for departures.
Runway Configuration 2: Reverse Operations
When winds are favoring reverse operations, the exact same configuration will be used from the other side, with 06L and 07R for landings and 06R, 07L, and 07R for departures. Used less frequently.
Runway Configuration 3: Overnight Overwater Operations
This configuration is used every night from 0000 to 0630 PST every night, with 06L and 06R for landing and 25R and 25L for departure. This is for noise abatement reasons over Los Angeles County and surrounding regions.
That’s all you need to know about KLAX, I didn’t include instrument procedures just to simplify it all, but if you’d like more information about those, please don’t hesitate to send me a PM. Thanks for reading!
