LAX terminal by terminal: airlines, arrivals and where to meet your car

The terminals ring the Central Terminal Area, with departures on the upper roadway and arrivals and ground transportation on the lower roadway. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 line the north side, Tom Bradley International, also called Terminal B, sits at the west end, and Terminals 4 through 8 line the south side. Parking structures fill the middle of the loop. The airport also signs a shortcut, a left turn across from Terminal 1 marked for United and Terminal 7, that takes drivers on the lower level straight to Terminals 5 through 8.

Terminal 1 serves Southwest for domestic flights, plus JetBlue, Allegiant, Frontier, Sun Country, Cayman Airways and Viva Aerobus. The airport notes that several of these airlines check passengers in at Terminal 1 and then bus them to the Tom Bradley West Gates, where those flights depart and arrive. If you are on one of them, ask the airline where you collect bags and tell your chauffeur the terminal you actually walk out of. LAX-it, the lot for taxis and ride apps, sits next to Terminal 1, and prearranged chauffeurs do not use it.

Terminal 2 is where Virgin Atlantic, WestJet and Norse check in, but gates 20 to 28 are now part of Delta's Terminal 3 complex, and Virgin Atlantic and Norse flights arrive at Terminal B. Terminal 3 is Delta's check-in and departure terminal, and Aeromexico checks in there as well. According to the airport's airline list, Delta and Aeromexico international arrivals come in at Terminal B, not at Terminal 3.

Terminal B is the main international terminal, with a central Great Hall and the West Gates, numbered 201 to 225, which opened in May 2021. Most long-haul foreign airlines check in here, from Air France and Emirates to Qantas and Singapore Airlines. It is also where passengers on many airlines that check in elsewhere come out after customs, including American, Alaska, JetBlue, Delta, British Airways and Japan Airlines on international flights. If your ticket says Terminal 4 or Terminal 6 but you are flying in from abroad, check whether you will arrive at Terminal B.

For Terminal B and Terminal 3 arrivals, taxis wait inside Parking Structure 3, between the two terminals. A chauffeur meets you at the outer curb of the lower arrivals level or, with Meet & Greet, inside the terminal. Our Tom Bradley arrivals guide covers timing through passport control and customs.

Terminal 4 is American Airlines' terminal, and the airport also lists British Airways, Japan Airlines and Contour Airlines check-in there. Terminal 5 is closed for construction, with reopening anticipated in 2028, so confirm with your airline where you check in rather than relying on an old itinerary. Terminal 6 serves Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, Breeze Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Horizon, Porter and Southern Airways Express. Terminals 7 and 8 belong to United and United Express.

Behind security, the south side terminals are linked by tunnels, and a connector joins Terminal 4 to Terminal B, which helps on a connection but means you can end up at a different baggage claim than you expected. Taxis also wait at the far end of Terminal 7 outside baggage claim for Terminals 7 and 8. For LAX-it, the airport says Terminals 1 and 7 are closest, a 3 to 8 minute walk, while Terminals 4 and 5 are about 19 minutes away, one reason a curbside chauffeur saves time on the south side.

At every terminal, the airport assigns pre-booked car services to the outer curb of the lower arrivals level, outside baggage claim, not to LAX-it. Construction moves loading areas often, and the airport's weekly alerts have closed short stretches of curb identified by column number, so describe what you see rather than assuming last trip's spot. Your chauffeur confirms the exact meeting point by text or phone after landing, and a precise description gets you to the car faster.

• Say the terminal you are standing in, not the one on your ticket
• Give the baggage carousel number or the nearest exit door
• Mention the curb column sign if you can see one
• Stay away from the green LAX-it shuttle stops at the inner curb
• Wait for the chauffeur's confirmation before crossing to the outer curb

Meet & Greet is an add-on that includes up to one hour of terminal waiting, so your chauffeur meets you inside the terminal instead of at the curb. The airport points people meeting arrivals to the baggage claim area or the curb, and non-ticketed people cannot go past security, so that is where a Meet & Greet chauffeur waits rather than at the gate. It is worth adding for Terminal B arrivals, for guests who have never flown into LAX and for anyone landing at a terminal with active construction. See LAX pickup options for a full comparison of curbside pickup and Meet & Greet.