At Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Delta Airlines and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) have unveiled the first phase of the Delta Sky Way at LAX, a joint $2.3 billion project to upgrade and reimagine the Delta-dedicated facilities, some of which dated back to 1961.

On March 29, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian shared the scissors with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the centralized headhouse for Terminals 2 and 3. At the ceremony, Bastian said,

"Today, we are celebrating a huge milestone in making the Delta Sky Way project dream a reality. In partnership with LAWA and the City of Los Angeles, we've built a modern, state-of-the-art facility that will make travel through LAX a seamless and elevated experience."

The Delta Sky Way, due to be completed in 2023, will consolidate Terminals 2 and 3 and have a centralized check-in lobby with 32 self-serve kiosks and 46 check-in positions. Initially, there will be seven security lanes, with another seven added later in the year. Eleven of the security lanes will be Automated Screening Lanes, and there will be 27 boarding gates, nine more than previously available.

Delta Air Lines
Delta has around 140 daily flights to 53 destinations across the globe from Los Angeles International Airport. Photo: Getty Images

Delta brings touch-free from bag check to boarding at LAX

By using facial recognition technology, qualifying passengers departing LAX can check bags, pass through security and board their flight completely hands-free. For this partnership with the Transportation Security Administration, passengers will need to use their digital identity, made up of their Skymiles member number, passport number, and Known Traveler Number; the latter is the membership number with a Trusted Traveller Program, such as TSA PreCheck.

The new facility will open to the public on April 20, to be followed in 2023 with a new concourse for Terminal 3 and a post-security connection to the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the airport is a central pillar of the city's economic strength and that projects such as this are turning LAX into one of the premier airports in the world.

"This facility is just the latest milestone in our work to completely reimagine this airport, joining a long list of recently completed projects transforming the passenger experience."

Many users would say connecting at LAX can be frustrating and short of the premier experience the mayor is referring to. That's about to change; with walkable airside connections between Terminals 2 and 3 and the International Terminal on their way, connection times could be reduced by as much as 20 minutes.

In fact, passengers will be able to traverse the length of the airport from Terminal 1 to Terminal 8 without going through a secondary screening process.

Delta Getty
 A Delta Air Lines jet near a renovation project at a nearly deserted Los Angeles International Airport in 2020.  Photo: Getty Images

Is this the first airline lounge with an indoor/outdoor bar and a skydeck?

All of this efficiency will mean more time in the new Delta Sky Club, which at 30,000 square feet will be the largest in Delta's network. Guests can relax by a bar that extends from inside to the year-round outdoor Sky Deck, featuring views of downtown LA and the iconic Hollywood sign.

Originally scheduled to be completed in 2024, the lack of operational activity at LAX during COVID means the complete project will be delivered 18 months early.

Delta is also transforming its facilities at New York's LaGuardia Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, part of its overall $12 billion effort to re-imagine the customer experience.

The promise of touch and hassle-free LAX connections seems too good to be true, but will Delta deliver?