Aging Hub (LAX) Waits to Take Off
LOS ANGELES—A fatal shooting rampage recently raised questions about security at Los Angeles International Airport, but disputes over the facility's fitful path to modernization pose their own set of problems for the nation's third-busiest airport. Despite a showy new international terminal that opened in September, international traffic at LAX—as the sprawling hub is known—is weaker than projected years earlier, while upgrades are still to be made to aging domestic gates and elevators and outdated runway layouts.
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For Los Angeles and LAX, consistently ranked one of the worst in passenger satisfaction among the top 20 international hubs, the stakes are big. Rival U.S. airports with upgraded facilities are competing hard to siphon off both domestic and international traffic, while a big chunk of the region's economic future is tied to LAX's role as the leading gateway to fast-growing Asian tourism and other markets.
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This year, just six years after completion, one of LAX's main runways started cracking, a setback that could slow operations just as the airport tries to get its modernization off the ground. The city is suing the runway's designers and contractors. Meanwhile, Mr. Garcetti has joined airport neighbors in opposing another runway project sought by U.S. regulators—and backed by the airport's director—intended to enhance safety and efficiency. Critics say the legal and contractual problems could undermine the airport's position as America's primary aerial connection to fast-growing Pacific markets. San Francisco, Seattle and Dallas are among cities eager to attract such traffic.
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The 85-year-old facility generates some 300,000 jobs across Los Angeles County, according to the county's Economic Development Corporation. Local and state tax revenue from airport operations and related businesses totals $2.5 billion a year.. The airport has made some upgrades to domestic terminals, and it envisions spending $270 million to replace 3 miles of escalators, walkways and elevator shafts, while some $400 million already has been spent to upgrade a 1960's-vintage central power plant. Indeed, airport managers believed 2013 would be highlighted by the new international terminal—a 3-acre, light-infused space featuring giant multimedia screens, boutiques and restaurants.
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http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303559504579200232118145894
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the first drop of rain or breath of fog brings them down to one runway each for takeoffs and landings, resulting in minimum two-hour delays. 
