What Terminal is Southwest Airlines at LAX Airport?

Los Angeles International Airport, or LAX Southwest Terminal 1 and Terminal B is a modern and amenities-rich building. It is designed to handle international and domestic flights of Southwest Airlines. Situated on the northern side, this is the primary base of this carrier. It contains various services and facilities, such as check-in, ticketing, security checkpoints, baggage claims, and more. Additionally, the airport terminal features dedicated lanes for TSA and CLEAR, providing expedited security. Along with this, it is a newly updated terminal that features more charging points, comfortable seating, an extensive range of retail/duty-free shops, fine dining, and more. The LAX Terminal also has common facilities, such as parking lots, ground transportation, Wi-Fi, and others.

Levels and Gates of Southwest Terminal at LAX Airport

The Southwest Airlines Terminals 1 and B at LAX International Airport contain many levels and gates to accommodate easy air transition.

Levels

• Upper Level: This level of LAX Terminal 1 and B is dedicated to Southwest Airlines and has numerous security screening checkpoints, check-in/self-kiosks, ticketing windows, and departure gates. It may also have a helpdesk.
• Lower Level: For arrivals (specifically domestic), the lower level of terminals is used by Southwest Airlines. This level also consists of baggage claim areas, customs desks, ground transportation, and passenger pick-up zones, a lost and found office, and more.

Note: These levels are at both Terminal 1 and Terminal B of Los Angeles International Airport.

Gates

• 9
• 11A and 11B
• 12A and 12B
• 13 to 16
• 17A and 17B
• 18A and 18B

Southwest Terminal LAX Map

To find the Southwest-specific counters and desks, along with dedicated services/amenities, such as self-tagging, priority service points, check-in counters, rest areas, and others, use the LAX Terminal map of Southwest Airlines.

Southwest Airlines Departure Terminal at LAX Airport

The airline specifically uses Terminal 1 for its departures. However, depending on the destination, the Southwest LAX Terminal may vary.

• For all domestic departures, the airline may use Terminal 1.
• While international departures of Southwest take place at Terminal B.
• To transit between these terminals, the airport shuttle can be used.
• For a domestic flight between Tuesday and Thursday, the suggested arrival time is 90 minutes before the departure.
• From Friday to Monday, the advised arrival time is 120 minutes for domestic flights, due to congestion.
• 120 minutes is the suggested arrival time for all international flights of Southwest.
• For every flight, offline check-in should be done at least 45 minutes before departure.
• To save time, online/web check-in is recommended.
• To skip long queues at the security checkpoints, choose CLEAR or TSA PreCheck.

Note: Always consider the LAX Airport wait times to learn about the waiting duration.

Southwest Airlines Arrival Terminal at LAX International Airport

Terminal B is particularly used at LAX by Southwest as an arrival terminal. It manages international as well as domestic arrivals here.

• Terminal B handles arrivals of Southwest Airlines.
• It has specific desks for baggage claim.
• For customs clearance, there are many counters.

Tip: Always validate the arrivals’ terminal beforehand to arrange ground transportation.

Southwest Airlines’ LAX Terminal 1 and Terminal B are well-structured and located in a convenient location. This allows easy access to nearby facilities and service counters. Moreover, they are well-connected with the rest of the airport areas, offering easy entries and exits.  

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)