LAX color tunnels is a term used to describe decorative mosaic decor installed in several tunnels built in 1961 at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).[1] Seven tunnels were created, three remain open to the public.
Designed in the 1950s, the tunnels were envisioned by the architecture firm Pereira & Luckman, to minimize the experienced distance of the 300-to-500-foot-long (91 to 152m) tunnels.[2][3] The work was overseen by Charles D. Kratka,[2][4] the firm's head of interior design and they were designed by Janet Bennett, then a young artist on his team.[5][6][7][8][9] The tiles were produced by Alfonso Pardinas of Byzantine Mosaics in San Francisco.[9]
Six color tunnels were created for LAX. As of 2025[update], four of the tunnels remain largely in their original condition, and three are currently open to the public. Five of the colorful mosaic tile designs have been preserved.[10][11]
The tunnel connecting Terminal 3's rotunda to baggage claim remains closed, but its mosaic was preserved following a major renovation of the terminal between 2020 and 2024.[12] The tunnel connecting Terminal 4 to its baggage claim area remains in use and is historically significant for featuring one of the earliest moving walkways ever constructed, nicknamed the "Astrowalk." Similarly, the tunnels at Terminals 5 and 6 continue to serve passengers and retain much of their original character.[11] Terminal 7’s tunnel was expanded and repurposed as a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility for processing arriving international travelers, with its mosaic preserved.
The only tunnel that has been demolished is the one formerly connecting Terminal 2 to its baggage claim area. It was removed to make way for a CBP processing facility.
In addition to the main color tunnels, smaller connecting tunnels were built between Terminals 4, 5, 6, and 7. The passages linking Terminals 4, 5, and 6 remain open to passengers transferring between terminals. However, the tunnel from Terminal 6 to Terminal 7 now functions as a "sterile corridor," reserved for international passengers arriving at Terminal 6 who must proceed to customs at Terminal 7.[11][13]
Terminals 1 and 8 were never constructed with connecting tunnels.
The hallways with their extensive tile-mosaic walls have appeared in a number of films and television programs,[9] sometimes as symbolic funnels or liminal spaces. The tunnels appeared in Jackie Brown,[14]Airplane!, and Mad Men,[15] among many others.[2] In 2013, a Portland, Oregon company called The Athletic produced color-blocked tile-mosaic mural LAX Airport Socks.[16]
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