Ahead of the International Airport Summit 2026, Holly Miles sat down with opening keynote panel speaker, John Ackerman, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports to discuss why people, not infrastructure, are the key to airport transformation, how culture drives customer experience, and LAX’s vision for delivering a world-class gateway ahead of the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
Q: Beyond physical development, what is your biggest priority as CEO?
People.
The airport industry spends enormous amounts of time talking about terminals, roads, airfield infrastructure and capital projects, but ultimately none of those investments matter unless people bring them to life.
Our people infrastructure needs as much attention as our physical infrastructure.
From the mayor and board level, through to executive leadership, a huge portion of our focus is on employee culture, engagement and empowerment.
Q: Why is culture such a priority?
Because customer experience is delivered by people, not buildings.
Early in my tenure I publicly stated that our people come before passengers and airline customers. That surprised some people, but it’s true!
If we don’t give our employees the tools, training and environment they need to succeed, they cannot deliver the experience our passengers expect. The quality of the customer experience will never exceed the quality of the employee experience.
Q: How complex is that challenge at an airport the size of LAX?
It’s significant.
Approximately 50,000 people work at LAX every day, but only around 3,000 are direct LAWA employees. The vast majority work for airlines, retailers, restaurants, rental car operators, security providers and other partners.
That means our challenge isn’t simply transforming our own workforce. We need to inspire and align an entire airport community around a shared vision.
We’re currently developing a unifying framework that will bring employees together around a common vision of excellence.
The objective is very clear: world-class airports require world-class culture. No amount of investment in terminals, technology or infrastructure will deliver the desired outcomes if employees are not fully engaged in the mission.
Q: What’s the ultimate goal for LAX by the Olympic Games in 2028?
A: To present a completely transformed version of Los Angeles to the world.
The physical infrastructure will be significantly different, the customer experience will be reimagined, and the culture behind it will be stronger than ever.
For LAX leadership, success isn’t simply about opening new terminals. It’s about creating an airport experience that genuinely feels like Los Angeles and is delivered by people who are proud to represent the city on the global stage.
John will be speaking at the International Airport Summit 2026 taking place in Rome on 10-12 November. He will be taking part in the opening keynote ‘Leaders’ spotlight – licence to operate, transform and grow’ along with Marco Troncone, CEO, Aeroporti di Roma; Vivian Cheung, CEO, Hong Kong International Airport; and Christina Cassotis, CEO, Pittsburgh International Airport.
Make sure you are in the room when this powerhouse panel takes to the stage to hear their insights first-hand.
Register for your complimentary* ticket today.
*Complimentary tickets are available to senior managers and above from airports, airlines, regulatory bodies and aviation authorities
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