Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is continuing its transformation, with Terminal 5 slated for a much-needed facelift starting this week.
LAX Terminal 5 Closing For Demolition – Airlines Relocating Ahead Of 2028 Rebuild
As part of a massive airport-wide modernization, Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport will be fully vacated and demolished, with reopening of the rebuilt facility scheduled ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics, perhaps as early as mid-2027. As flagged by One Mile At A Time, the terminal began its closure phase today, on October 21, 2025.
The airline re-seat shuffle is already underway: JetBlue Airways moves to Terminal 1 as of October 21, Spirit Airlines shifts to Terminal 2 as of October 22, and American Airlines transitions its operations to Terminal 4 beginning October 28. Passengers accustomed to the gates in Terminal 5 will find themselves somewhere entirely different in the coming weeks.
| Airline | Previous Terminal | New Terminal | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| JetBlue Airways | Terminal 5 | Terminal 1 | October 21, 2025 |
| Spirit Airlines | Terminal 5 | Terminal 2 | October 22, 2025 |
| American Airlines | Terminal 5 | Terminal 4 | October 28, 2025 |
What’s Being Demolished (And What’s Being Built)
The redevelopment of Terminal 5 is estimated at roughly $1.7 billion. The new terminal will maintain the same number of gates, 15 in total, but feature completely modernized systems, including baggage handling, ticketing, and airside connections. It’s a full teardown and rebuild rather than a cosmetic renovation.
For frequent flyers, the immediate concern is how the closure will affect operations. The shutdown coincides with the opening of the new Midfield Satellite Concourse South in the Tom Bradley International Terminal, which adds eight gates to relieve congestion. Still, turning off a terminal of this size means construction zones, detours, and longer walks to your gate for the foreseeable future. You’ll still be able to walk from Terminal 4 to Terminals 6-8 via the underground walkway; the escalators up to Terminal 5 will simply be blocked.
Interestingly, I was not aware of this imminent closure, but just flew out of Terminal 5 at LAX last week and took the pictures above and below, thinking in my mind at the time that this terminal was long overdue for renovation.
The Future Of LAX Is Bright
Modernizing airports is essential for long-term comfort and efficiency, but the timing and logistics of this move are significant. Terminal 5 has been home to several key carriers and one of American’s two Admirals Club. With that space shuttered, travelers should expect some short-term pain: crowded gates, packed lounges, and general confusion as airlines settle into new homes.
While the promise of a sleek, next-generation facility ahead of the 2028 Olympics is enticing, the next few years may feel like an obstacle course. For passengers connecting through LAX, verify terminal assignments in advance and budget extra time between flights. This is not a small shuffle; it’s a complete reboot in the middle of one of the busiest airports in the world.
But it’s worth it. The drawings of the new terminal look amazing:
I love what my home airport is doing (proving here too that Bill Maher gets it wrong).
Meanwhile, American Airlines’ flyers at LAX will notice that tremendous progress has been made in Terminal 4. It’s still not done, but the new AA gate area is sleek.
CONCLUSION
Terminal 5 at LAX has begun its long-overdue makeover. For travelers, it means your upcoming trips through Los Angeles will look different, feel different, and probably take a few minutes longer. A modern new terminal by 2028 will be a welcome sight.
My bet: 8 months late and $1 billion over budget
I’m even more pessimistic. Lucky if it will be open before 2030, and how knows how more billions will have been siphoned off by the California politically connected.
Maybe they can get the contractor that is currently demolishing the white house. Then it can get done so fast no one will be know its happening
If only jetBlue would open a lounge at LAX… and if only American would reopen First Dining… and if only all this would be done in time for the WorldCup and Olympics… and, well, at least there’s DeltaOne.
Thank you for answering whether when flying United – I could still use the underground tunnel to access the Star Alliance Lounge!!
An essential project for a giant megapolis like LA… Let’s hope it is fully completed on time!
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Note that the fact that LAX can actually shut down an entire terminal and absorb the capacity is quite remarkable in its own right.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Agreed.
The underground tunnel between 6 and 4 will not remain open. There will be a bus option to replace the tunnel but what the requirements are to use it are TBD.
Are you sure about that?
Sadly I am 🙁
Beats having to transfer land-side, so little victories.
Sadly I am 🙁
At least it beats transferring landside… little victories
Willl AA get all the gates once it’s complete?
More wasted taxpayer money to bring garbage sports to America that real sports fans don’t give a F about. Every 2-4 years the white trash that watches Dancing with the Stars and other nonsense that makes them feel good about their sh#tty lives becomes “sports” fans watching drug fueled athletes from 3rd world sh#tholes beat up “American” athletes. But they root for America under the guise of “patriotism” while they hate our President.
It’s the same 110 million that watch the Super Bowl as the only football game they watch all year for some Rican degrading the country at halftime this year or some boon using the entire show to degrade a Canadian boon last year that he has some beef with. In the good old days they would just shoot each other like happened with Biggie and Tupac. But Drake and Lamar are too much of p#ssies to handle things that way. Free Diddy by the way, those ho’s knew what they were getting into.
But yea, I understand advertisers pay huge money for commercials to sell garbage to these tools who wonder why they are broke weekly. They know they will fall for anything since they watch this nonsense.
Maybe the Olympics need to go back to Germany where the leftovers from the 3rd Reich allowed the Palestinians to kill the Jews in 1972 while smiling the entire time. After all, not all the Nazi’s headed to Brazil, some stuck around in Germany and got away with saying they were “against” Hitler.
OK Rant over.
You really just can’t help yourself, can you?
Douchebag Dave Edwards, you truly are a sick perverted MF, please get the help you obviously so desperately need.
Douchebag Dave Edwards & Sch*tt Hsuan, proving with your every (too frequent) comments that your nicknames are absolutely accurate and completely deserved and that you have nothing better to do with your pathetic waste-of-oxygen lives than to post abhorrent and revolting comments here over and over again every single day. Thank you for confirming again that you and other MAGAs are stupid hateful racist cretins. Trolling or not, the extent and frequency of your comments are indicative of severe psychiatric and/or addiction problems. Your insults, undoubtedly projection, speak much more to your lack of character than to anyone you attack. You should crawl back under whatever rocks you crawled out from you SHPOSs.
You know, some may think you are ‘unhinged,’ but, you are closer to reality and empathy than Dave (or the other guy), so please do keep countering their nonsense.
You alright, Dave? That’s ‘a lot’ for post about a mere airport renovation project. Like, when you stub your toe by accident (one assumes), do you bring up Hitler, then, too? Again, it’s a bit ‘much.’ You do you, I guess…
Douchebag Dave Edwards, here’s some free advice as you are the epitome of the theoretical subjects of the quotes. (Biblical reference included out of respect for Matthew, it’s obvious Douchebag Dave Edwards doesn’t believe or support a single iota of biblical thought.)
Question for Quote Investigator: Here are two versions of a saying that is often credited to Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain: “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.” “It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.” I doubt that either of these statements was said by Lincoln or Twain. When I mentioned this adage to a friend he claimed that it was in the Bible, but it does not sound very Biblical to me. Would you please explore this topic?
Reply from Quote Investigator: There is a biblical proverb that expresses a similar idea, namely Proverbs 17:28. Here is the New International Version followed by the King James Version of this verse: “Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”
Douchebag Dave Edwards & Sch*tt Hsuan, proving with your every (too frequent) comments that your nicknames are absolutely accurate and completely deserved and that you have nothing better to do with your pathetic waste-of-oxygen lives than to post abhorrent and revolting comments here over and over again every single day. Thank you for confirming again that you and other MAGAs are stupid hateful racist cretins. Trolling or not, the extent and frequency of your comments are indicative of severe psychiatric and/or addiction problems. Your insults, undoubtedly projection, speak much more to your lack of character than to anyone you attack. You should crawl back under whatever rocks you crawled out from you SHPOSs.
And what about the World Cup next summer ? This does not sound like a good idea. President Trump might have to call the FIFA president and relocate the LA and Boston matches to additional cities in Texas.
Well the project doesn’t start until October so we’ll have to endure LA as a host city for the World Cup but this project will be underwhelming I’m sure the local city officials and developers will do their fair share of grifting before the project even launches.
T-9 & T-zero (0) got scrapped due to alleged budgetary constraints. But surprise surprise LAWA found $1.7 billion in airport funds to rebuild T-5 to accommodate AA ‘s expansion plans at LAX, increasing its terminal footprint from 5 gates to 10 (rumored). UA & WN got scammed.
all sounds too vague
what exactly is the big upgrade
t2 and TBIT are a real game changer but as far as t7 goes is the same piece of trash after renovation
I remember in the 1970’s when I worked for Western Airlines at LAX. We occupied all of Terminal 5. I miss those days.
“Western Airlines…The Only Way to Fly!”
Dr. Güntürk Üstün