dustry benefited from significant government support during the COVID-19 pandemic, including more than $45 billion in total payments to the top five domestic airline carriers through the CARES Act’s Payroll Support Program (PSP), along with an additional $5 billion to contractors and subcontractors. The airline industry is now rebounding to near pre-pandemic levels, and the City is investing in the industry’s future growth as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics. This investment includes major infrastructure and development projects, including a $6 billion expansion at LAX. Meanwhile, the airport workers who keep the tourism industry functioning, safe, and profitable – including janitors and security guards, airplane cabin cleaners, airline catering workers, airline passenger service workers, airport restaurant and retail workers, and others – are facing housing insecurity as Los Angeles grapples with an unprecedented housing and homelessness crisis. While airport workers benefit from this article, the wage rates have not kept up with the rising tide of inflation and cost of living in Los Angeles. Further, according to an April 2022 report presented by the City’s Chief Administrative Office, the health benefits requirement for airport workers has not kept up with the rising costs of family health insurance coverage. As a result, many airport workers and their families, who were among the hardest hit during the pandemic, now lack quality, affordable health insurance. Moreover, data gathered by the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy in 2024 demonstrates that airport workers, on average, do not work full time, and that approximately 25% of airport workers work part-time. Accordingly, the health benefits provided to airport workers must be increased to ensure more airport workers receive adequate healthcare benefits. An analysis conducted by Berkeley Economic Advising and Research LLC (“BEAR”) in 2024 revealed that modest adjustments in wage distribution for airport workers can substantially enhance equity for the tourism industry, especially for businesses that have proactively embraced fairer pay and comprehensive benefits.