Domestic travel might be in a slump, but overseas flights are surging at Los Angeles International Airport.
Foreign airlines are turning to LAX again despite crowded, aging terminals -- frequent-flier surveys often rank it among the nation's worst -- that have made it the bane of airlines and passengers.
While U.S. carriers are cutting back amid a slowing economy and high fuel costs, international airlines are flocking to LAX as more overseas travelers look to take advantage of the weak dollar.
Fares are likely to remain high as long as oil prices stay at their current levels, but the upswing in overseas flights could provide relief to some of the more-popular destinations in Europe, South America and Asia. And with the number of nonstop flights growing, people on international flights can look forward to reaching their destinations faster.
The boom is raising worries of overcrowding and long lines at U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoints, which some critics say are already understaffed. LAX is the nation's second busiest for international flights.
Paul Haney, the airport's deputy executive director, said he hadn't seen so many new international flights being added at LAX in at least a decade. "It seems the marketplace is being somewhat forgiving of our infrastructure shortcomings," he said.
Eight carriers have started or announced new international service to LAX since October, including the first nonstop flights to Rome on Alitalia Airlines beginning in June and Air France nonstop service to London starting today.
Emirates Airlines, the world's fastest growing, announced this month that it would launch LAX-Dubai nonstop service, targeting Southern California's sizable Middle Eastern community.
Brazilian carrier OceanAir filed an application this month with the U.S. Department of Transportation to start its first U.S. service with nonstop flights between Sao Paulo and LAX. The carrier's Brazilian rival, TAM Airlines, also is eyeing the route.
Korean Air announced last week that it too would start nonstop flights between LAX and Sao Paulo. The service by the South Korean carrier would target business travelers in the U.S. as well as provide connecting service for Asian passengers who currently don't have nonstop flights to Brazil.
Other foreign carriers have been expanding service to Los Angeles. Qantas Airways said March 13 that it would add three more flights per week to Sydney and Brisbane, and Air China plans to add a second daily nonstop flight to Beijing this summer.
