Arup remodelled Terminal 6, Alaska Airlines’ new home, which includes multiple improvements besides showcasing many sustainable design features in accordance with the USGBC LEED certification process.
The terminal offers various new features. A streamlined check-in features more ticket kiosks and bag drops. More security checkpoint lines reduce screening wait times to minutes. Immigration and customs facilities have been expanded, including six international gates for Alaska. A new passenger tunnel provides easy connectivity with codeshare partners like Delta Air Lines. New, state-of-the-art, environmentally-conscious Board Room is on track to become LEED Silver-certified.
In the upgraded, spacious lobby, two large oval islands are featured with arrays of computer terminals for quick online ticketing. Few conventional counters staffed with agents are also offered. Bags can be easily checked at curbside.
On the way to the gates, an expanded security checkpoint provides for faster access to the boarding areas, where ample seating is equipped with electrical outlets for computer users. A posh lounge serving food and beverages is free to first-class passengers.
The improvements have also eliminated the need for Alaska’s international passengers to go through customs and immigration at the Tom Bradley International Terminal before taking a shuttle to Terminal 3, Alaska’s old facility, to make their connections.
The 2012 National Design-Build Awards program is a competitive award and the submission was judged by a panel of owners and DBIA professionals.
