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LAX’s Rent-A-Car facility recognized for sustainability excellence by U.S. Green Business Council–Los Angeles

December 13, 2023

LAX’s Rent-A-Car facility recognized for sustainability excellence by U.S. Green Business Council–Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12, 2023 — Fengate Asset Management’s (Fengate) Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility has been recognized with an Energy and Operational Carbon Design Merit award from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Los Angeles chapter (USGBC-LA).

To realize its vision for the project, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) coordinated efforts with LAX ConRAC Partners (LAXCP), the project’s design, build, finance, operate and maintain (DBFOM) consortium led by Fengate. Together, they have positively impacted the local community by operating sustainably and balancing economic, social and environmental responsibilities. To date, the project has created more than 5,000 jobs and $200 million in wages for the local workforce.

The facility’s recent achievement follows news of the project receiving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold v4 certification from USGBC’s national assembly. The newest honor also adds to a list of design, sustainability and finance distinctions that the ConRAC facility has collected in the lead up to its opening in 2024.

“The U.S. Green Building Council is a global leader in sustainable building design, consistently setting the bar for best practices. To have Council’s national and local chapters recognize LAX’s ConRAC facility with distinctions is incredibly significant and demonstrates that our mission to promote environmental, social and economic sustainability across LAWA is having real positive impact,” said Bea Hsu, Interim Chief Executive Officer at LAWA.

“Close collaboration between Los Angeles World Airports and the LAX ConRAC Partners team enabled the public-private partnership to not only deliver the largest ConRAC facility in the world but to exceed our sustainability targets and positively impact the community, economy and environment,” said Karl Schaefer, LAX ConRAC Project Executive at Fengate.

The ConRAC facility achieves an impressive 36% energy use reduction and an operational carbon reduction of 1,220,000 pounds per year solely due to efficiency, with additional carbon savings gained through sustainable electrification measures, reduction of heat island effect and alternative transportation options.

By relocating rental car companies into one convenient location adjacent to the 405 freeway – as well as providing a direct connection to LAX’s Automated People Mover (APM) train system – the ConRAC will eliminate the approximately 3,200 daily shuttle trips, alleviating traffic congestion on local streets and around the airport’s Central Terminal Area.

A 4.8-megawatt photovoltaic solar panel array integrated into the ConRAC’s façades, roofs and parking canopies will produce 8,400 megawatt hours of electricity annually. This power will be sent directly to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) via the department’s Feed in Tariff (FiT) program. Additional energy efficiency and carbon footprint reductions are achieved through:

The building’s envelope design that reduces cooling loads
An HVAC system that minimizes wasted energy
High-efficiency lighting and a unique control system that was invented specifically for the ConRAC that eliminates miles of wire, plastic and other materials
A cleaner grid in the site area that allows for an all-electric project, significantly reducing operational carbon.

On October 26, 2018, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the Public-Private Partnership (P3) agreement between LAWA and LAXCP. The LAXCP team includes:

Developer: Fengate Asset Management and PCL Investments USA, LLC
Design-Build Contractor: PCL Construction Services Inc.
Designer of Record: PGAL, Inc. and AC Martin Partners
Operation and Maintenance Provider: Johnson Controls, Inc.
Quick Turn Around Manager: MVI Field Services, LLC.

Fengate is managing this investment on behalf of the Fengate Infrastructure Fund III and its affiliated entities, including an investment fund owned by LiUNA’s Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada.

Learn more about the project at bit.ly/LAX-Transformation.

Media Contact

Maddison Sharples
Director, Marketing and Communications, Infrastructure
Fengate Asset Management
+1 416-254-3326
Maddison.Sharples@fengate.com

LAX CONSOLIDATED RENT-A-CAR FACILITY CELEBRATES CONCRETE TOPPING OFF

July 13, 2021

LAX CONSOLIDATED RENT-A-CAR FACILITY CELEBRATES CONCRETE TOPPING OFF

A total of 233,000 cubic yards of concrete was poured since breaking ground in 2019

(Los Angeles, CA) Los Angeles International Airport’s (LAX) Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility is a big step closer to completion after officially topping off the structure with the last of 233,000 cubic yards of concrete poured since breaking ground in 2019.

“The Consolidated Rent-A-Car facility will be a game-changer for our airport when it opens in 2023, providing a streamlined rental car experience for the hundreds of thousands of travelers who rent cars each year,” said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). “We thank all of the craft workers and project team members who have tallied more than two and a half million work hours to reach this significant achievement as we build a better LAX.”

The topping off of the ConRAC facility, which will become the largest in the world of its kind once open in 2023, took place at the Idle Storage building, one of three structures that comprise the approximately 6.4-million-square-foot facility. LAX is the second-busiest rental car market of any domestic airport (as of 2019), and this new facility will create an easier rental car experience for the hundreds of thousands of travelers renting cars each year.

The ConRAC facility, which will consolidate multiple rental car companies currently spread out across the LAX area into one convenient location adjacent to the 405 freeway, will connect to the LAX Central Terminal Area via the Automated People Mover train system, which also is currently under construction. Once the train is open, it will replace rental car shuttles and remove approximately 3,200 daily shuttle trips from the busy terminal area and the surrounding roadways.

The facility is being developed through a Public-Private Partnership (P3) with LAX ConRAC Partners (LAXCP). It will house more than 18,000 rental car vehicles, including Ready Return and Idle Storage. It also will feature a Quick Turn Around building, allowing for the light maintenance of vehicles such as fueling, car washing, oil changes and tire rotation. The Quick Turn Around building also will help alleviate traffic congestion by keeping operations within the footprint of the facility and not out on the city streets.

“Topping off at the Idle Storage building represents the latest achievement in a series of significant construction milestones for our team,” said Alan Kuysters, Project Director for the Design and Construction of the ConRAC facility. “It is rewarding to see our team’s hard work and dedication come together once again in such a significant moment for the final building concrete pour.”

A concrete batch plant was built on site to produce the concrete needed to build what will become the second-largest concrete structure in the U.S., behind only the Pentagon. The batch plant also was integral in reducing the number of truck deliveries to the project site by approximately 80-90 vehicles per day, helping to mitigate roadway impacts.

The first foundations were poured in February 2020, and just over a year later in March 2021, the Ready Return and Quick Turn Around buildings topped off, with approximately 129,000 cubic yards poured for the Ready Return building and 44,000 cubic yards for the Quick Turn Around building.

The ConRAC facility is one of the major components of LAX’s $5.5 billion Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP), which will improve access to LAX, provide new pick-up/drop-off options for travelers and provide the long-awaited connection to regional transportation.

The project also is the second of two Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain, Public-Private Partnerships at LAX. The contract, valued at approximately $2 billion for a 28-year period, is creating pipelines for local workers. LAXCP’s investment in business and workforce development is an important requirement throughout the construction process, with more than a third of the hours worked having come from local hires. Sustainable design also is at the forefront of the ConRAC facility as it aims to achieve a required Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating with elements including native drought-tolerant landscaping, reclaimed water usage and a solar farm, generating more than 8,400 megawatt hours annually.

For more information, or to subscribe to receive email updates about the LAX transformation, visit FlyLAX.com/ConnectingLAX.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX, the third-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States in 2019, is in the midst of a $14.5-billion capital improvement program that will touch on all nine passenger terminals and build new facilities, including an Automated People Mover (APM) train, Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility and a 12- to 15-gate Bradley West Gates addition to the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

In 2019, LAX served nearly 88.1 million passengers and offered an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 113 destinations in the U.S. and 1,200 weekly nonstop flights to 91 markets in 46 countries on 72 commercial airlines.

LAX generates 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.

LAWA is leading the aviation industry in sustainability practices, with initiatives related to water management, energy (electricity) management, air quality, recycling and natural resources management. In 2019, LAX received Level III ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation from Airport Councils International-Europe.

LAWA is also a leader in inclusivity, operating eight programs that provide opportunities for business enterprises including local, small, minority-owned, veteran-owned and disadvantaged firms, and working together with community partners to offer the HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program, which targets local workers to make them ready for rewarding careers in the construction trades, and the Build LAX Academy, designed to prepare small contracting businesses for success when working on projects at LAX.

LAX was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX in 2018, and was honored as the “Most Innovative Airport for Passenger Experience” in 2019 by the American Association of Airport Executives. LAX is the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. Other recent honors have included selection as the No. 9 Best Airport (Wall Street Journal); No. 7 Best On-Time Performance for a Mega-Hub Airport (OAG); one of “The World’s Best Airports for Business Travelers” (GlobeHunters); Public-Private Partnership of the Year (P3 Bulletin); Urth Caffe, Best Airport Coffee Concession of the Year (Global FAB Awards); Innovation of the Year, Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (ARTBA); Best Project, United Airlines Terminal 7 and 8 Redevelopment Program (Engineering News Record California); North American Public-Private Partnership Deal of the Year (IJ Global); and Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year, Automated People Mover (WTS LA).

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.

SWAPALEASE.COM RELEASES LATEST FIGURES ON LEASE CREDIT APPROVALS SHOWING SLIGHT INCREASE FOR FEBRUARY

March 15, 2021

SWAPALEASE.COM RELEASES LATEST FIGURES ON LEASE CREDIT APPROVALS SHOWING SLIGHT INCREASE FOR FEBRUARY

Lease Credit Approvals Reached 70.8% in February; Up Slightly from 68% in January

CINCINNATI, OHIO (March 15, 2021) –Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, reports car lease credit applicants registered a 70.8% approval rate in February. The approval rate is a slight increase from the 68.3% approval mark that opened up the new year in January.

The February number is just off slightly from the same time last year, when the approval rate was at 72.3% right before the beginning of the pandemic. The steady numbers indicate consumer credit levels are also holding steady, perhaps as a continued sign of the ongoing stimulus relief provided by the government.

According to recent Federal Reserve data, consumer borrowing decelerated again in January, which may suggest that Americans are using the latest stimulus checks to pay down debt. Total consumer credit decreased $1.3 billion In January, the Fed said. That’s an annual decline at a 0.4% rate and follows a 2.5% gain in the prior month.

Swapalease.com believes many of its site visitors and vehicle shoppers have solid credentials available to take over a person’s vehicle lease. The inclination to have more flexibility through leasing amidst economic uncertainly may contribute to a rise in shoppers who are looking to lease vehicles through the secondary market, where lease payments are more attractive than what is currently offered at the dealership.

“Given that the year has started out with credit-stability figures that were maintained throughout the third and fourth quarters, we believe in the short term this stability will continue,” said Scot Hall, Executive Vice President of Swapalease.com. “The latest and recently signed stimulus package, combined with the accelerated momentum we’re seeing with vaccine rollouts should further strengthen the outlook for credit in the months ahead.”

Swapalease.com matches a person wanting out of their existing vehicle lease contract with a car shopper looking to take over a short-term vehicle lease. The marketplace has thousands of cars and trucks available for transfer to anywhere in the continental U.S.

About Swapalease.com:

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Swapalease.com is the world’s largest automotive lease marketplace and the pioneer in facilitating lease transfers online. More specifically Swapalease.com matches individuals who want to get out of their lease with people who are looking for short-term lease agreements. Prospective buyers can search the listings for the exact vehicle they want, and then register for a nominal fee, allowing them to use Swapalease.com’s safe online system to contact the prospective seller and close the deal. For more information about Swapalease.com or how to exit your lease early, call 866-SWAPNOW or visit www.swapalease.com.

MAYOR GARCETTI AND LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTS BREAK GROUND ON HISTORIC CONSOLIDATED RENTAL CAR FACILITY

September 13, 2019

MAYOR GARCETTI AND LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTS BREAK GROUND ON HISTORIC CONSOLIDATED RENTAL CAR FACILITY

Once completed in 2023, the $2 billion transit hub will be the largest facility of its kind in the world with a vehicle leaving every two seconds at peak operations

Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) Commissioner Bea Hsu, BOAC Commissioner Gabriel Eshaghian, BOAC Vice President Valeria Velasco, BOAC President Sean Burton, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint, Councilmember Joe Buscaino, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Councilmember Mike Bonin, Deputy Mayor Billy Chun, Director of Economic Infrastructure -Office of Mayor Garcetti David Reich, LAWA Chief Operating Officer Justin Erbacci, LAWA Chief Development Officer Bernardo Gogna and LAX ConRAC Partners Project Executive Karl Schaefer.

(Los Angeles, CA) Mayor Eric Garcetti broke ground today on the Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which will centralize rental car operations into one convenient location and offer a direct connection to the upcoming Automated People Mover (APM) train. The Mayor was joined at the ceremony by Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Joe Buscaino, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) President Sean Burton, and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) CEO Deborah Flint, as well as community and labor leaders.

“We are building the world-class airport travelers need and deserve — and the Consolidated Rent-A-Car facility groundbreaking demonstrates how we’re keeping this promise,” said Mayor Garcetti. “Our city is doing so much more than building a parking structure — we are making an investment that will improve the traveling experience, reduce congestion in surrounding neighborhoods, and create middle-class careers for years to come.”

Since taking office, Mayor Garcetti has led a more than $14 billion transformation of LAX that began in 2009. Mayor Garcetti’s historic infrastructure investments have strengthened working families and the middle class. Under his leadership, unemployment has been cut in half while close to 200,000 new jobs have been created. Construction of the ConRAC is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs.

The 5.3 million square foot ConRAC facility will feature 18,000 parking stalls with 6,600 ready/return spaces, 10,000 idle vehicle storage spaces, and 1,100 rental car employee spaces as well as visitor parking. A Quick-Turn Around facility will also be on-site, allowing for fueling, washing, and light maintenance of rental car vehicles.

Mayor Eric Garcetti provides remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony.

Reducing congestion at LAX — as well as in surrounding communities — is at the heart of the ConRAC project. The consolidated facility will completely remove rental car shuttle traffic from the Central Terminal Area (CTA), which equates to 3,200 shuttle trips per day. The removal of the shuttles will improve traffic on the roadways and free up critical curbside boarding space in the CTA.

“This is a big step toward LAX becoming a world-class airport for travelers and a first-class neighbor to Westchester and Playa del Rey,” said Councilmember Mike Bonin. “Especially once it is connected to the new Automated People Mover, this new Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility will reduce the number of shuttles and vans navigating the Central Terminal Area and nearby neighborhoods, improving both local traffic and air quality. That is a big win and exciting progress to celebrate.”

“This has been a momentous year for LAX,” said Councilmember Joe Buscaino. “LAX continues to move full steam ahead with its $14 billion investment to create a fully transformed airport of the future. The ConRAC is just one of the many groundbreakings held this year which highlight the efforts LAX is making to improve passenger experience which increases tourism and improves our local economy.”

As the second largest rental car market among domestic airports, the ConRAC will improve and streamline the car rental process at LAX. The facility will be built with an eye to the future and designed to accommodate new and emerging vehicle types such as autonomous vehicles. Additionally, movable concrete barriers will allow for the quick reallocation of space as rental car companies’ market shares shift.

The ConRAC is an important component of the Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP), which also includes an Automated People Mover train that will connect travelers directly to airport terminals and create new and convenient locations for passenger pick-up and drop-off outside the Central Terminal Area. Once completed in 2023, the APM will connect with L.A. Metro’s light rail system.

Rendering of the ConRAC Facility at night.

“The ConRAC Facility will provide a rental car experience worthy of a world-class airport,” said BOAC President Sean Burton. “This project doesn’t just benefit those renting cars — it benefits the local economy and community through the creation of 1,000 jobs and by relieving vehicle congestion on the roads in and around LAX.”

“We are future-proofing everything we build at LAX,” said Deborah Flint, CEO, LAWA. “Every project under construction or on the drawing board will meet our needs now and be capable of adapting to new technology and demands. The ConRAC Facility is a prime example of how to future-proof so we can protect our investments.”

On October 26, 2018, the Los Angeles City Council approved an approximately $2 billion public-private partnership between LAWA and LAX ConRAC Partners (LAXCP), with LAXCP designing, building, financing, operating, and maintaining the facility for a 28-year period. LAXCP has committed to 30% local hiring, which exceeds local hiring requirements, and together with LAWA is developing opportunities for local small businesses. LAXCP has also agreed to sponsor 100 new, local apprentices and feature all-union labor on the ConRAC facility.

“Collectively, the LAXCP team has extensive experience designing, building, and operating nearly 30 ConRACs domestically and internationally,” said Karl Schaefer, LAXCP Project Executive. “We are proud to use our shared know how to help LAWA create a top tier experience for the traveling public at LAX while we honor our commitment to provide local hire economic opportunities and environmental sustainability.”

Mayor Garcetti has made sustainability a priority of his administration. The ConRAC facility is designed to reflect Los Angeles’ standing as one of the world’s leading sustainable cities and will include native drought-tolerant landscaping, reclaimed water usage, more than 200 Level 2 electric vehicle chargers, and a solar farm generating over 8,400 megawatt hours annually.

To learn more about LAX’s modernization projects, visit FlyLAX.com/ConnectingLAX.

LAWA CEO Flint provides remarks during the groundbreaking.

About LAX ConRAC Partners (LAXCP)
LAXCP is led by Equity Members Fengate Capital Management Ltd. and PCL Investments USA, LLC. The lead contractor is PCL Construction Services, Inc. The lead designer is PGAL, Inc. and AC Martin Partners, Inc. Other ConRAC facilities designed, built or operated by members of LAXCP include Atlanta-Hartsfield RAC facility, the Boston Logan Consolidated Rental Car Center, and the Nashville International Airport RAC facility.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
LAX, the fourth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX. LAX served more than 87.5 million passengers in 2018 and offers an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 109 cities in the U.S. and 1,281 weekly nonstop flights to 93 markets in 47 countries on 69 commercial airlines. LAX ranks 10th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.4 million tons of air cargo. LAX handled 707,883 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2018.

LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX was honored as having the “Best Overall Customer Service Program” by Airports Council International-North America; named the “Best Airport for Breastfeeding Moms” by Mamava; selected for the Top 10 “Best of the U.S.’s Big Airports” (Wall Street Journal) and “Most Pet-Friendly Airports in the U.S. (Mental Floss); named the second-most improved airport in the U.S. by JD Power; received an “Innovation Award” from the L.A. Better Business Challenge for its Central Utility Plant; and named a “Business Leader in Air Quality” by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

LAX is also the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.