Los Angeles International set for facelift

Officials at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) are gearing up for an image and facility makeover, according to reports.

Despite being one of the country's busiest airports, Los Angeles International is rated regularly among the worst in the well-regarded J.D. Power Travelers Survey.

However, according to quotes appearing in The Los Angeles Times, airport officials are ready to turn around the public perception of LAX as an uninviting airport.

"We're not going to take it lying down anymore. We're going to do everything we can to start moving up in the survey," pledged airport spokesman, Paul Haney. "Nobody is happy about being almost in last place [in the J.D. Power survey]."

Plans to spend $6 million per year updating the 77-year-old airport are now in place and include cosmetic refurbishment, improved facilities, and better signage to help wayward passengers.

An innovative car park luggage check is on the drawing board allowing travelers to check baggage before they reach the ticket counter, while it is hoped that dispensing clear plastic bags will cut down lines at the security check.

"When people get up to the checkpoint, they're still fishing around in their pockets for cellphones, BlackBerrys, keys and money clips. All of these things will be in the baggie. Once they walk through, instead of standing there, they can pick up the bag and walk away," Haney told the newspaper.

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