Accelerating LAX’s Delta Sky Way with an extensive multidisciplinary team

Successfully relocating Delta Air Lines in three nights

To begin work on the Delta Sky Way redevelopment, Delta first needed to shift its base of operations from Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3. Due to a lack of spare capacity in any of the four terminals, the airport’s high volume of traffic, and the large number of stakeholders that needed to be involved, the relocation was anticipated to take place over six months.

Instead, Arup, Delta and the project team proposed that the relocation could be done in three nights – and successfully completed one of the most challenging terminal moves in commercial aviation history. Starting after the last flight left and finishing before the next morning’s first arrival, the Sky Way project team was able to complete the relocation without incident and without impacting airport operations. Compared to the original plan, this approach was less expensive, less risky, and less disruptive for passengers.

A wide range of projects were required to facilitate the move, including an overhaul of the existing ITC systems and installation of proprietary systems and equipment, renovation and rebranding of passenger facilities that include check-in and airline lounges, various capacity enhancement projects, and the restriping of 53 aircraft gates.

After the relocation, Delta experienced a 50% reduction in taxi times for inbound aircraft and a 25% improvement in connection times, greatly benefiting their business and enabling the successful commencement of the Delta Sky Way redevelopment project.

Leading a complex multidisciplinary design team

Arup led the next phase of the project, the Delta Sky Way Redevelopment, as Prime consultant. Following the successful relocation of Delta’s operations, this project delivered the consolidation of Terminals 2 and 3 into one holistic operation with shared landside and airside services and a unified customer experience. Now open, the facility offers an enhanced passenger experience and optimized airline operations.

The project enables capacity increases for both greater passenger throughput and a wider variety and number of aircrafts. In addition, upgrades to baggage handling provide consolidated security and matrix screening to serve both terminals and expedite the passenger experience as well as make efficient use of personnel and space.

Managing large amounts of data

The team relied on 15,000 drawings, site photos, videos, and panoramic images to deliver the project with minimal impact on airport operations. To ensure the team could access data and documentation efficiently, Arup designed a custom document management system. The organized data made it easy to access all project files by navigating a plan of the existing terminal remotely using a tablet. This empowered the team to solely focus on the delivery of the project rather than document management.

Accelerating the timeline

Due to a substantial reduction in traffic in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arup, Delta and the project team were able to pivot to a dynamic approach in the phasing of construction. Understanding that there was an opportunity provided by the reduction in traffic, the project team consolidated operations into Terminal 2, instead of the original plan to keep Delta’s operation spread across both Terminals 2 and 3. The acceleration allowed work to complete 18 months ahead of schedule.