Los Angeles World Airports on Wednesday finally cut the ribbon on the long-delayed Consolidated Rental Car Center at LAX, pulling most rental pickups, returns, and light servicing into a single massive complex. The goal is straightforward: turn cars around faster and pull a sea of shuttle buses out of the already tense Central Terminal Area as passenger numbers climb this year.
What the center contains
The new five-story facility spans about 6.3 million square feet and can hold more than 18,000 vehicles across ready and return areas and idle storage, with on-site fueling, car washing, and a Quick Turn Around building that streamlines basic maintenance, according to Los Angeles World Airports. The structure is built around a dedicated Automated People Mover station that will take riders straight to the Central Terminal Area once train service begins, and LAWA says consolidating all those counters and lots in one place should remove thousands of rental shuttles from the airport loop each day. The complex sits just east of the 405 near Century Boulevard and Arbor Vitae and is sized to handle the usual LAX rush-hour crush.
Officials rolled out the center
Los Angeles World Airports formally announced the opening on March 11, 2026. CEO John Ackerman called the ConRAC “a major step in transforming LAX and improving the travel experience,” as reported by MyNewsLA. MyNewsLA also noted that some rental brands quietly started operating from the new facility in late 2024, with the remaining companies wrapping up their move into the ConRAC in March 2026.
Construction timeline and tenants
The project broke ground in September 2019 as a public-private partnership, a milestone marked at a ceremonial kickoff, according to Gateway LA. The Ready and Return building was turned over to rental car companies for tenant improvements in June 2022, and operators then phased into the space over the following months. Auto Rental News covered the tenant handover, while Jacobs reports that the ConRAC started welcoming its first guests in late 2024.
Roadwork and neighborhood changes
Project records show that the web of access roads, drainage upgrades, and related street work tied to the ConRAC wrapped up in 2024 as part of LAX’s Landside Access Modernization Program. The program’s monitoring report lists storm-drain and detention-basin construction as complete. Those improvements were designed to smooth vehicle flow into and out of the rental hub and to set up connections for the people mover once trains start carrying passengers, according to LAWA project documents.
Getting from the ConRAC to your flight
The ConRAC’s ready and return building comes with its own APM station built into the structure. Jacobs notes that once the people mover opens to passengers, the ride to the Central Terminal Area is expected to take around 10 minutes. Industry coverage also reports that LAWA is targeting mid-2026 for the start of passenger service on the Automated People Mover, which is slated to become the main link between the ConRAC and the terminals while cutting down on curbside shuttle traffic, according to The Points Guy.
Why it matters
Airport and neighborhood advocates say pulling rental car operations into one huge facility should remove thousands of shuttle trips from the Central Terminal Area and surrounding streets, easing some of the chronic backups and freeing up curb space for passenger pickups, drop-offs, and rideshare staging, according to Gateway LA. Construction coverage and project summaries also point out that the ConRAC’s footprint and sheer volume of concrete place it among the largest concrete structures in the country, a sign of just how dramatically ground transportation at LAX has been reshaped, per Passenger Terminal Today.
For travelers, a practical heads-up: check the pickup or return address in your reservation emails. Many companies now list the ConRAC at 5251 W. 98th St., and local rental guides suggest leaving extra time for returns until the APM is fully up and running. If your confirmation shows a different lot, follow your provider’s instructions and look for the LAX shuttle or posted signs along Century Boulevard to get you to the ConRAC.
