The person you are when you travel is a very different person to who you are when you’re at home.

You might turn into a frantic bargain hunter, a cultured foodie or a bit of a control freak, and pleasing all travellers is a hard job for airports.

But one airport has done it, and found ways to appease every type of holidaymaker, on every kind of holiday. LAX has upped its game, and turned things around to prove it can satisfy all kinds of airport personalities.

Which one are you?

The shopaholic

Image credit: Westfield

You arrive at the airport, and already you’re thinking about the Duty Free stores. You’ve got extra room in your carry-on to squeeze in last minute purchases, and all your credit cards are joining you on your holiday.

You are the shopaholic.

Flying both in and out of LAX is officially your new perfect match, with Westfield’s USD$79.8 million investment into LAX. Westfield has purposefully introduced a uniquely L.A. vibe to the airport. Boutiques from local institutions, Fred Segal and Kitson, have introduced the Southern California style to a global audience.

In addition, shops from international fashion houses offer exclusive access to designer items straight off the runways. Customers can arrive at the airport a few hours before their flight and be assured that the prices within the retail stores, are consistent with the brand’s other boutiques.

Shoppers will be able to enjoy the 150,000-square-foot Great Hall with robust retail destinations such as: Luxury Island with high-end shops and seating; and the Boutique District with glittering storefronts inspired by the shops of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

Bargain hunters should sign up for a Westfield Privileges Card that will entitle members to special savings, incentives and perks at participating shops and restaurants within LAX and fellow U.S. based Westfield Centres. Customers will receive gift cards, based on the value of their in-store purchases.

And all set to be completed very soon in 2016. Check out the video for a sneak peek

The foodie

The first thing you do once you’ve checked your luggage is search for a place to eat. You skip your main meal prior to coming to the airport because you want the thrill of dining at one of the many restaurants. And you stock up on extra snacks before the flight because you’re all about the gastronomical experience.

You are the foodie.

Lucky for you, LAX is now officially home to some of the best airport food in the world. If one thing was a top priority for LAX with its revamp, it was the food.

The airport has rid itself of cliché takeaway chains, and replaced them with an interesting mix of Californian-inspired outlets, which reflect the L.A. culture.

Petrossian Caviar & Champagne Bar. Image credit: Westfield

Along with Westfield’s major revamp comes The Marketplace by Wolfgang Puck, a first-of-its-kind modern dining experience by CMS Hospitality and Wolfgang Puck Worldwide.

The Marketplace joins 18 additional brands announced in late 2014, and features three culinary stations – The Kitchen, WPizza, and The Wine Bar, a full service bar. Foodies can also expect true Italian with Osteria by Fabio Viviani, eclectic fusion fare with a Hawaiian vibe at Wahoo’s Fish Taco, healthy fresh juices and salads at Earth Bar and California-style charburgers at The Habit Burger Grill.

Over in Terminal 5, passengers can also enjoy new and exciting dining and retail options such as Lemonade (Chef Alan Jackson) and Skewers by Morimoto (Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto), both now open.

Delish!

The culture vulture

Bell Tower by Mark Bradford. Image: Kelly Barrie, PanicStudio L.A

You turn your nose up at airport attempts to be cool and edgy with some portraits on the wall. You wished your terminals better reflected the destination it was surrounded by. You always travel with a notepad and camera and love exploring unique airport stores.

You are the culture vulture.

Fresh-faced and a fan of the arts, LAX is your new favourite place. As part of its expansion and renovation, LAX has transformed many of its public spaces into art spaces by featuring contemporary art exhibitions and installations throughout the airport.

Air Garden is a large-scale sculptural installation by Ball-Nogues Studio, and as its name suggests, is an oasis amid the terminal’s bustling hub, filling the terminal’s north light well with a cloud of colour.

Made of hand-beaded chain catenaries, Air Garden recalls a delicate beaded curtain, and drapes gracefully from the building’s ceiling down to the baggage claim area at ground level.

Over in Terminal 3 Arrivals Hall, Art About the Environment, curated by Jay Belloli, is a group exhibition featuring artworks that reveal insights and concerns about our natural environment through installation, mixed-media paintings, drawings, photography, collage, and hand-cut paper sculptures. The works aim to convey optimism and melancholy over our relationship with nature.

In Terminal 3 Departure Atrium, Elevate surrounds travellers as they approach security with two bird-like formations of paper airplanes suspended in flight.

This visually stunning installation consists of hundreds of colourful and seemingly delicate paper airplanes, handmade from Japanese paper and imprinted with excerpts from the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions, international treaties addressing the treatment of civilians and prisoners during war.

And of course, because so many Aussies travel through Tom Bradley International Terminal, there are multi-media screens that reflect the destination of the flights at each gate. The attention to detail and excitement inspired by these enormous screens depicting exotic places around the world are an art lover’s dream and miles away from your typical boring airport.

Time Tower Clock in Tom Bradley International Terminal. Image credit: Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA)

The busy bee

Image credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

You are a hardworking individual who always has their phone in their hands. You never neglect emails while travelling, and you hate delays in an airport. You often travel for work and don’t have time to wait in queues or behind slow walkers.

You are the busy bee.

For business travellers or just busy people, LAX is king. With guests receiving 45 minutes of free advertising-supported Wi-Fi service, the speed will soon be ramped up to more than four times faster, placing LAX among the top airports in the US.

Under the new agreement, Boingo Wireless will provide significant investment to upgrade existing networks to enable tiered Wi-Fi at speeds from five megabits per second up to 20. Travellers can also choose to access Boingo’s unlimited, premium tiers of for-pay service at 10 Mbps and 20 Mbps.

The introduction of Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks is also helping to expedite the entry process for international travellers. Aussie travellers can submit their customs declaration form and biographical information electronically, slashing the time spent with an individual and taking around 90 seconds – a family of three is served within four minutes!

A handy 47% of seats at the boarding gates are integrated with electrical outlets for charging personal electronic devices, and for newly revamped Tom Bradley International Terminal, 4500 passengers will be processed per hour thanks to electronic processing and new technology.

The OCD traveller

Image credit: LAXisHappening.com

You arrive at the airport four hours early instead of two, and you carry a travel checklist with you at all times. You don’t dilly dally in Duty Free, and you hate being caught off guard by airport changes. You can’t handle not being in control.

You are the OCD traveller.

And thankfully for you, LAX now has everything you need to stay in the know. The new LAXishappening website has been developed for the airport to keep the trade and passengers in the loop about renovations, upgrades, changes and all the fun stuff in between.

Never miss a beat with all the social media platforms letting you in on fresh changes, and giving you handy travel tips for getting around the airport faster.

Sky Team Lounge at Tom Bradley International Terminal. Image credit: Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA)

Did we mention the super speedy WiFi and lack of lines to get through the various stages of the airport? The website also has a list of all the shops and eateries ready for you to visit, walking maps and traffic maps, FAQs and more.

For more information on LAX, please visit www.LAXisHappening.com. 

Main image: Tom Bradley International Airport

Credit: Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA)