LAX Named Most Innovative Airport by American Association of Airport Executives

07/11/2019 04:10 PM

For Immediate Release
July 11, 2019

Contact:
LAX Public Relations
(424) 646-5260

Los Angeles World Airports Chief Innovation and Commercial Strategy Officer and Deputy Executive Director Justin Erbacci (pictured left) accepts the AAAE "Most Innovative Airport (large hub)" award at the Airport Innovation Forum in Chicago.

(Los Angeles, CA) – Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is proud to announce that Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has been named the “Most Innovative Airport (large hub)" by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). The award, which is given as part of AAAE's Airport Innovation Awards for innovative developments that are a model for airports around the country, recognizes LAX for its new Shop and Dine digital marketplace developed in partnership with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.

“This award recognizes that LAX is leading the aviation industry by developing and embracing leading-edge technologies,” said Deborah Flint, Chief Executive Officer, LAWA. "The LAX Shop and Dine digital marketplace is just one of the ways in which we are providing our guests with a seamless and enjoyable experience from curb to gate."

The Shop and Dine digital marketplace allows guests to pre-order food from airport restaurants while at the gate or before they even arrive at the airport. Guests can also browse an online catalog of products, digital menus and new offerings by visiting FlyLAX.com to place their orders and make purchases. By utilizing new technologies, LAX Shop and Dine is a giant step forward in bringing LAX's many amenities to travelers' fingertips. It creates a convenient travel experience for LAX guests to access food and retail options right in the palm of their hands.

“Airports are constantly embracing innovation and deploying creative solutions to better serve their passengers, and Los Angeles World Airports is one of the clear leaders in the field,” said AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli.

LAX’s new digital guest experience also includes multiple channels such as personalized web and mobile sites, Alexa, Facebook Messenger Chatbot and social media. In addition to Shop and Dine, LAX has created new ways of sharing information that is essential to the guest experience regarding parking, traffic, shuttle bus locators and construction impacts. LAX continues to innovate with several initiatives underway for smart parking, customer engagement and wayfinding, all in an effort to create mobile, anticipatory guest experiences.

You can view LAX’s awards video submission here.

The Airport Innovation Awards were established by the Airport Innovation Accelerator in 2016 to honor innovative and forward-looking projects that utilize the latest technologies and strategies to offer passengers the best traveling experience and improve airport operations.



About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX, the fourth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX. LAX served more than 87.5 million passengers in 2018 and offers an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 109 cities in the U.S. and 1,281 weekly nonstop flights to 93 markets in 47 countries on 69 commercial airlines. LAX ranks 10th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.4 million tons of air cargo. LAX handled 707,883 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2018.

LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX was honored as having the “Best Overall Customer Service Program” by Airports Council International-North America; named the “Best Airport for Breastfeeding Moms” by Mamava; selected for the Top 10 “Best of the U.S.’s Big Airports” (Wall Street Journal) and “Most Pet-Friendly Airports in the U.S. (Mental Floss); named the second-most improved airport in the U.S. by JD Power; received an “Innovation Award” from the L.A. Better Business Challenge for its Central Utility Plant; and named a “Business Leader in Air Quality” by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

LAX is also the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.

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