Southern California airports had an up year in 2011
The six airports that comprise the Southern California Association of Governments region - LAX, John Wayne, Ontario, Burbank, Long Beach and Palm Springs - collectively had an up year.
The airports served a combined total of 83.9 million passengers, a 2.4 million passenger increase over 2010.
While John Wayne, Bob Hope and Ontario continued to experience multi-year declines in passenger volume, LAX picked up 2 million passengers, Long Beach had a record year and Palm Springs saw an increase in traffic.
San Diego's Lindbergh Field also saw a small increase in passenger volume in 2011.
Long Beach Airport has record year
Long Beach Airport served 3,115,433 passengers in 2011, up 4.6 percent over 2010.
It was the airport's best year ever.
JWA passenger traffic falls for 4th year - OC Register
John Wayne Airport had 54,000 fewer passengers last year than in 2010, a 0.6% drop and the fourth consecutive year the total number of travelers using the airport has declined, according to figures released by the airport Thursday.
JWA saw passenger traffic begin to decline in 2008 after peaking at just under 10 million in 2007.
“The aviation market and airports around the country continue to struggle to see passenger increases,” said Jenny Wedge, JWA spokeswoman. “We know some routes at JWA have struggled like Calgary and Maui going seasonal, rather than year round.”
She said JWA officials are hopeful the new Terminal C, which opened in November, will boost passenger traffic. Air Tran, which Southwest Airlines acquired last year, is scheduled to launch the airport’s first service to Mexico in June. It will operate out of the new terminal.
General aviation traffic at JWA also declined last year, dropping 4.6%. There were 169,870 operations by small planes in 2011, down from 178,045 in 2010.
Website Editor: Not every airport is "continues to struggle." Traffic was up in 2011 at LAX, Long Beach, San Diego and Palm Springs.
JWA finishes 2011 down slightly
John Wayne Airport served 8,609,008 passengers in 2011, a 0.6 percent drop from 2010.
It was the airport's fourth consecutive down year after traffic peaked at 9,979,699 passengers in 2007.
Palm Springs airport has up year
Palm Springs International Airport served 1,5111,150 passengers in 2011, a 1.1 percent increase over the prior 12 months in 2010.
LAX sees 4.73 percent gain in 2011
For the calendar year 2011, Los Angeles International served 61,862,052 passengers, a gain of 4.73 percent over 2011.
Domestic traffic was up by 4.63 percent and international travel rose by 4.99 percent.
The airport had its best year ever in 2000 when it handled 67,303,182 passengers.
Ontario has a disappointing year
Passenger volume at LA/Ontario International Airport sagged by 5.6 percent in 2011 to 4,542,488 passengers.
The City of Ontario continues to attribute the decline to high operating costs transferred to ONT from LAX by Los Angeles World Airports. Ontario also complains that Los Angeles has failed to adequately market the secondary airport.
January 16 - January 22, 2012
Alaska Airlines Expands California Flying With Three New San Diego Routes - Alaska Air media release
Alaska Airlines announced today it is adding daily nonstop service from San Diego to Monterey and Santa Rosa and twice daily service to Fresno, Calif. The new flights to Monterey and Fresno will begin June 4, 2012, while service from San Diego to Santa Rosa starts June 5. Alaska Airlines will also commence twice-daily service between Reno, Nev., and San Jose, Calif.
Poll: L.A. voters support local control of Ontario International Airport
A media release claims the "A clear majority of Los Angeles voters support transferring control of Ontario International Airport (ONT) to local control", according to results of a telephone survey conducted by FM3 Research for those who seek to wrest the inland airport from Los Angeles control.
The announcement of the survey results came as Ontario officials announced the launch of a public information campaign - "Set ONTario Free" - to educate Southland residents of how local control of regional airports is in the best interests of Los Angeles and the entire region.
For more information on Ontario's efforts to regain control of ONT, visit SetONTarioFree.com.
January 9 - January 15, 2012
Supervisor Moorlach elected Chair of the O.C. Board of Supervisors
John Moorlach was elected by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to chair the Board in 2012. He previously held the chairmanship in 2008. Supervisor Moorlach is a Costa Mesa resident and represents that city and Newport Beach.
He has addressed several meetings of groups opposed to increased utilization of John Wayne Airport and favors holding the airport to its current 10.8 million annual passenger negotiated limit. The Daily Pilot newspaper reported as follows in May of 2008.
County Supervisor
John Moorlach said he is working with as many local groups as he can —
including Stop Polluting Our Newport, Airfair and the Airport Working
Group — to create a strategy for stopping the airport from drawing more
than 10.8 million annual passengers.
“We need to do our best to present a unified front and renew the settlement agreement as it is,” Moorlach said
“We need to do our best to present a unified front and renew the settlement agreement as it is,” Moorlach said
In March 2011, he told the Airport Working Group: "Working on the settlement agreement will be my top priority," said County Supervisor John Moorlach. "We're just going to have a goal of 10.8 [million passengers] and go from there."
As Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Moorlach will be in a strong position to steer the County's negotiators in a direction favorable to that goal.
SCAG Draft Regional Transportation Plan out for public comment
The Southern California Association of Governments latest regional transportation plan for 2035 is available for public comment. The airport portion of the plan, entitled Meeting our Airport Demand continues SCAG's assumption that the artificial negotiated - not physical - constraints imposed on LAX, John Wayne and Long Beach airports will continue indefinitely. SCAG writes:
Although at a rate
much slower than those seen in previous decades, air travel in the SCAG
region continues to grow, and is expected to pick up the pace when the
region economically recovers. This RTP’s regional air passenger demand
forecast of 145.9 million annual air passengers (MAP) in 2035 is a very
conservative forecast compared to forecasts adopted by past SCAG RTPs,
such as the 165.3 MAP 2035 forecast adopted by the 2008 RTP. However,
like previous forecasts, this new long-range forecast is also based on
interim forecasts that show the urban capacity-constrained airports of
Los Angeles International (LAX), Bob Hope, Long Beach and John Wayne
airports all reaching their defined legally allowable or physical
capacity constraints well before 2035. The remaining air travel demand
is served by the other, suburban airports with ample capacity to serve
future demand, including Ontario International, San Bernardino
International, March Inland Port, Palmdale Regional, Southern
California Logistics, and Palm Springs airports. A small amount of
future air passenger demand would also be served by the two commuter
airports in the region, Oxnard and Imperial airports.
Click for previous SCAG aviation forecosts.
Click for previous SCAG aviation forecosts.
Bob Hope dealt blow by carrier's departure - Glendale News-Press
The decision by American Airlines to pull out of Bob Hope Airport might further harm an airfield that has been grappling with a yearlong slide in passenger numbers, which gained the notice of an important credit rating agency.
American, which made up 7.5% of passenger traffic at Bob Hope from January to November 2011, will stop flying out of Burbank on Feb. 9, the airline announced Monday.
A prolonged period of declining passenger traffic has hurt parking and other revenues, prompting the credit rating agency Fitch in November to warn that affirmation of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority’s AA- credit rating would be “unlikely” unless the financial picture rebounded or there was a change in scope or borrowing elements for a planned multimillion-dollar transit center.
Plans for the transit center, which will consolidate all rental-car operations under one roof, were scaled back in June after bids for the project came in $47 million to $69 million higher than the originally projected $112-million price tag.
American’s decision to exit Bob Hope was made before its parent company filed for bankruptcy protection. Los Angeles International Airport is too close to the Burbank airfield for a separate operation to make economic sense, an official said.
American Airlines to close operations in Burbank - LA Times
American Airlines, whose parent company filed for bankruptcy protection in November, is closing its operations at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank and ending flights from Chicago to New Delhi.
In addition to closing operations at those two airports, the airline said it plans to cut 150 positions.
"Our objective is to make our company competitive and more efficient in an increasingly challenging industry," the airline said in a statement Monday.
The flights from Bob Hope Airport will end Feb. 9.
Conversation with LGB Director Mario Rodriguez - The Contra Costa (CA) Times
Q: You're not going to monkey with the terminal are you?
A: Oh, no. It's one of the most beautiful terminals in the country. It's a wonderful building. In fact, we're going to restore the WPA mosaics and rework the interior. We're spinning back the wheel to when it was brand new.
Q: Will I still be able to walk across the tarmac to board the plane, because I don't like jet tunnels that you go through at modern airports?
A: Yes, it's a great way to board a plane, especially in Long Beach when the weather is good. Your experience at most airports is all generic. You go
into a concrete building, then you go to a gate with a lot of glass, then you go through a tunnel to your seat. You never go outdoors or even see the
plane. Your contact with the airplane is a whole different experience at Long Beach.
Q: Do you ever fly out of LAX just for the sheer joy of it?
A: LAX? Are you kidding? Why do that to yourself? It's ... I don't even know what to call it. At Long Beach you pay less for convenience and at LAX you
pay more for inconvenience.
Southern California Logistics Airport: Ready for a financial overhaul? - Victorville Daily Press
Bond defaults, investigations cast shadows on bustling airport
For the first time since it was formed in 1997, charged with powering economic development for the entire Victor Valley in the wake of the closure of George Air Force Base, Victorville city officials say this year Southern California Logistic Airport Authority's operating revenues are expected to equal its expenses.
Boeing recently extended its lease agreement to test engines there, two companies fought for hangar space, M&M/Mars moved its candy factory to the
airport and United Furniture snagged the largest commercial space available in the area to build coaches and chairs.
But look beyond day-to-day business, and you'll find the airport is bonded to the hilt, defaulting on debt payments and facing investigations by local and federal authorities.
By 2008, SCLAA had racked up $330 million in bond debt, with lofty plans for a city-owned power plant, a railroad connection and an EB-5 visa investor
program that would generate additional capital.
Wall Street crashed and property values plummeted, slashing the tax revenues SCLAA receives. The power plant project fell apart after the agency had invested some $80 million and BNSF said the rail connection wasn't going to happen anytime soon, with $30 million sunk into preparations for the spur. Then Victorville's EB-5 program became the first in the nation to be terminated by the federal government, stripping away $25 million in loans proceeds the city had been counting on.
Further complicating the situation are questions about whether the city has mishandled funds, with SCLAA bond funds used to buy land near City Hall for
a library that never got built, for example. The Securities and Exchange Commission launched an investigation into the expenditures, with the San Bernardino County Grand Jury and FBI also sniffing around.
January 1 - January 8, 2012
JWA traffic up in November
Commercial
aircraft operations decreased 1.9%, while Commuter aircraft operations
decreased 27% when compared to 2010 levels.
Total passenger
traffic for the first eleven months of 2011 was 0.4 percent below the
2010 level.
John
Wayne Airport negotiations move “behind closed doors”
– El Toro Info Site
report
Newport Beach resident Jim Mosher chided his City Council, in December,
for
entering into secretive discussions with the County regarding the
future
utilization of John Wayne Airport. Mosher reminded the Council of
previous negotiations over the airport that he said were conducted
“behind
closed doors” with the public “cut out of the discussions.”
Mosher
complained that participants in the coming negotiations, that will set
limits
on the airport’s use after current passenger caps expire in 2015, must
sign
confidentiality agreements.
Council
Member Leslie Daigle confirmed that negotiations with the County will
be
confidential and said that the City Council will be advised of the
directions
being taken in Executive Session, which are closed to the public and
press.
While Mosher objected to the public being kept in the dark, the “closed
doors”
may be to shut out another group. A clue may be found in comments by
Airport
Director Alan Murphy who was quoted in the press as telling a meeting
of
Newport Beach-area residents, “This time around, the
air carriers are ‘the true
enemy,’ Murphy said. ‘The FAA is really going to look to the
airlines to
see if it's a good deal or not.’"
Supervisor
John Moorlach, speaking at the same meeting, said, "We
have to be very careful not to irritate the FAA."
These statements suggest that county management may work out a deal
with
Newport Beach before involving the airlines - the “enemy” – the FAA and
the
passengers who use and help pay for the airport.
In 2002, working with Newport Beach, the County certified Environmental
Impact
Report 582 for the new JWA third terminal. The airlines objected to the
plan’s
restricted gate capacity and the County increased the allowable number
of
passenger boarding gates in order to gain air carrier and FAA approval.
That expansion was completed in 2011 with a nearly 300,000 square foot
terminal
and 2,000 parking spaces. The upcoming negotiations will decide the
extent to
which this added physical capacity will be utilized to provide more
passengers
with more flights to more destinations.
L.A.
airport board discusses closing one Ontario terminal - LA Times
Because
passenger traffic at L.A./Ontario International Airport is continuing
to drop, officials began to explore closing one of the airport's two
terminals.The idea comes as Ontario International finds itself among the fastest-declining midsize airports in the country. A pillar of pride for the Inland Empire, the sprawling facility — owned and operated by the city of Los Angeles — lost a third of its 7.2 million passengers during the economic downturn between 2007 and 2010. The airport is on track to have as many passengers this year as it saw in 1987. Nationally, only Cincinnati is shedding travelers at a faster pace.
December 12 - December 25, 2011
LAX up, ONT down
Los Angeles International Airport saw a 3.7 percent increase in passengers in November. Year-to-date LAX traffic was up 5.2 percent.
LA/Ontario Airport traffic was down by 5.6 percent in November and by 5.3 percent for the first eleven months of 2011.
December 5 - December 18, 2011
Fewer fliers choosing Bob Hope Airport - Burbank Leader
Passenger numbers at Bob Hope Airport took another nose dive in October, dropping 4.7% compared to the same period last year, officials said this week.
Though the impact to parking revenues was not available this week, the drop in passengers is almost sure to be a drag on those revenues.
The confluence of declining figures was cited by the credit rating agency Fitch earlier this year when it warned that the AA- rating for the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority could be threatened in the future, especially as officials pursue a $90-million transit center.
For the period covering January through October, 3.58 million passengers have traveled through Bob Hope Airport, a 3.7% decrease from the 3.72 million users during the same period last year.
Passenger figures at other regional airports varied greatly. Ontario Airport reported a 10.3% plummet, while John Wayne Airport saw its number edge down 0.8%. Los Angeles International Airport continued its passenger growth with a 2.7% jump.
[Long Beach] Airport Seeks Strategic Airfield, Business Plans - Gazette.com
Long Beach Airport officials asked the City Council for approval Tuesday to move forward with an airfield geometry study and airport strategic plan.
Airport Director Mario Rodriguez said LGB currently does not have a business or master plan, and a business plan would help the airport handle future contingencies and run the airport more cost-efficiently.
“We don’t have a business plan, and we need to have one,” Rodriguez said. “The airport needs to run like a commercial venture, and we need to seriously think about things that could happen in the future and set goals… That way we can better mitigate the possible loss of an airline or Boeing or the cost of fuel going up — things that are normal in the business world.”
A geometry study would help airport officials determine if changes need to be made to the layout of airplane runways, including the possible closure of one or more runways that are infrequently used, Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said the airport needs to continue looking at other ways to redesign and improve efficiency outside of the modernization projects underway.
November 28 - December 4, 2011
Ontario faces more traffic losses into 2012 - Press-Enterprise
There are a third fewer travelers using Ontario International Airport since 2007 and there's bound to be even fewer passengers using the airport in the coming months based on schedules that show how many flights and seats the airport's airlines are offering through July.
Southwest Airlines for one, which carries more than half of all of departing and landing travelers at Ontario, had 37 fewer flights in November versus a year ago and as a result, about 4,109 fewer seats to sell, according to statistics from research firm UBM Aviation Worldwide Ltd.
At least 150 fewer flights will be offered at the airport some months.
Local politicians have seen something sinister in the airport's shrinking traffic, with Reps. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, and Ken Calvert, R-Corona, most recently imploring the U.S. Transportation Secretary to help save the airport owned and operated by the city of Los Angeles.
Officials with the city of Ontario have spent two years blaming the airport's bleeding on the airport's owner saying LA has neglected the Inland destination in favor of its other airport, LAX, making it more costly for airlines to do business there and not spending any money on marketing. The city of Los Angeles and airline industry experts have countered saying Ontario's costs may be high but the decline is economically motivated with airlines hunting for profits at larger hubs.
The only Southern California airport to see an increase in passengers in the three years since 2007 was Long Beach Airport which grew by just 2.6 percent. John Wayne Airport's traffic out of Orange County dropped 13.5 percent, Palm Springs dropped 6.9 percent and Burbank dropped 24.1 percent. LAX in that time had 4.2 percent fewer passengers.
At 31.5 percent, Ontario's losses have been the steepest among its Southern California neighbors and similar sized airports that lost 12 percent to 18 percent of their passenger traffic.
The cost for airlines to do business at Ontario International Airport on a per passenger basis has been among the highest in Southern California. Latest cost per enplaned passenger figures at each Southern California airport:
Ontario: $11.76
LAX: $11.23
John Wayne: $11.13
San Diego: $7.54
Long Beach: $6.50
Palm Springs: $3.70
Burbank: $2.10
JWA passenger traffic down slightly in October; flight operations decrease.
Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport decreased in October 2011 as compared to October 2010. In October 2011, the Airport served 726,513 passengers, a decrease of 0.8% when compared to the 732,106 passenger traffic count of October 2010.
Commercial aircraft operations decreased 2.8%, while Commuter aircraft operations decreased 10.5% when compared to the levels recorded in October 2010.
General aviation activity, which accounted for 64% of the total aircraft operations during October 2011, decreased 8.3% when compared to October 2010.
Monday expected to busiest at LAX - OC Register
John Wayne Airport was declared by Orbitz to be among the least crowded with holiday travelers, while LAX bumped Chicago O'Hare off the No. 1 slot for busiest airports this year.
While LAX is expected to take in the bulk of Thanksgiving holiday travelers Monday, officials at John Wayne Airport projected Sunday as its busiest day.
Typically at JWA, it's the return days of Saturday, Nov. 26 and Sunday, Nov. 27 that see the most consistent busy periods, airport officials said. In 2010, 187,028 passengers traveled through JWA during the week of Thanksgiving.
Officials said that overall passenger volume at LAX has not yet returned to 2007 levels, when passenger volume reached its highest post-9-11 level before dropping again due to the past few years' economic difficulties.
November 21 - November 27, 2011
Congressmen want review of Ontario International's sharp decline - Los Angeles Times
Two California congressmen Monday urged U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to have the Federal Aviation Administration take action to reverse the severe decline at L.A.-Ontario International Airport.
Reps. Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) and Ken Calvert (R-Riverside) also wrote to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, demanding that Los Angeles World Airports, which operates Ontario, take immediate steps to either improve business at the airport or turn over control to Inland Empire officials.
Ontario had been one of the fastest-growing regional airports in the nation. Now, it is one of the fastest declining, having lost a third of its passengers since 2007. Flights have been reduced by 47% and destinations by 60%.
ONT continues to tumble
Passenger traffic at LA/Ontario International Airport fell by 10.27 percent for the month of October. Year to date, ONT volume was off by 5.25 percent.
With attention at John Wayne Airport centered on the planned addition of flights to Mexico, we note that Ontario holds its "international" designation by providing one daily AeroMexico non-stop round trip to Guadalajara, the most popular air destination from the Southland.
LAX traffic continues to rebound
Air travel from Los Angeles International Airport was up again in October. Year to date, LAX has served 51,968,302 passengers which amounts to an increase of 5.35 percent over 2010.
November 14 - November 20, 2011
LAX expects jumps in Thanksgiving holiday passenger traffic - Contra Costa Times
About 1.78 million travelers are expected to make their Thanksgiving pilgrimage through Los Angeles International Airport through Nov. 28, marking a 16.3 percent jump from the same period last year, officials said Friday.
LAX is bucking the turkey trend this year. Instead, the airport's busiest travel days will be the Monday after Thanksgiving and Saturday, said LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles.
Last week, the Orbitz travel website predicted that LAX would be the nation's busiest airport during the Thanksgiving traveling season, overtaking longtime front-runner O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
Travelers looking to avoid crowds at LAX can drive down the San Diego (405) Freeway to Orange County, where John Wayne Airport is expected to be one the nation's 10 least busy airports for Thanksgiving.
Continental ending O.C.-Maui flights - OC Register
Continental Airlines will end non-stop service from John Wayne Airport to Maui after Jan. 2.
"The demand in the market is not sufficient to sustain the service for the long-term," said United-Continental spokeswoman Mary Clark in Houston. "We are contacting customers currently booked on our flights between Orange County and Maui and offering to either re-accommodate them on other flights or provide a refund."
The airline, which is merging with United Airlines, said it remains committed to its non-stop service between Orange County and Honolulu.
November 7 - November 13, 2011
Mexico service will make JWA truly international - OC Register
Orange County travelers no longer will have to make the trek to LAX or San Diego to fly to Mexico after John Wayne Airport starts offering direct flights to Cabo San Lucas and Mexico City next year.
Plans by Southwest Airlines to offer Mexico service through its AirTran Airways subsidiary were announced Sunday during dedication ceremonies for JWA's Terminal C, opening today.
County Supervisor John Moorlach, who attended the ceremonies, noted the Mexico flights will be a real boost for Orange County tourism.
Mexico ranks first among international visitors to Orange County. Last year, 890,000 Orange County tourists came from Mexico, according to CIC Research.
"Travelers from Mexico who come to Orange County stay about a week and spend a lot of money," Moorlach said. "This is really good."
Southwest officials said they would have to wait until they get Department of Transportation approval for the service before they will be able to announce the Mexico flight schedule or fares.
New JWA terminal set for takeoff - OC Register
When plans for the latest John Wayne Airport expansion were approved five years ago, the economy was booming and it was everything the two existing terminals could do to keep up with the nearly 10 million passengers passing through the gates each year.
But the economic boom times are over. The airline industry is consolidating and cutting flights and fewer people are flying. In fact, the FAA predicts air passenger traffic won't return to its 2000 record highs until 2030 – 19 years from now.
So as JWA officials prepare for the official opening of a new terminal, parking structure and other amenities on Monday, they face some rough skies ahead.
Critics like Leonard Kranser, a Dana Point resident and former El Toro airport opponent . . . are skeptical about whether JWA is getting its money's worth.
"A lot more seats in the terminal, a lot more spaces in the lot but no more seats on airplanes," he said. "No private business would spend that much on a project that big without planning how much physical capacity really was being added. If they can't generate a lot more revenue to pay for it, they probably should have saved their money."
"Len's wrong," responds Airport Director Alan Murphy, who sees the expansion as a necessary investment.
He noted that the 1990 expansion that included the iconic vaulted Thomas F. Riley Terminal was designed to handle 8.4 million passengers a year.
Even with the recent decline in traffic, nearly 8.7 million passengers used the airport last year. An amended airport noise agreement with neighboring Newport Beach allows a maximum of 10.8 million annual passengers.
"We needed to be out in front and build a terminal that could handle that load," said Murphy during a media tour last week.See also the LA Times: More room, more parking for travelers at John Wayne Airport
JWA to Mexico by the numbers
Having built an international arrival area at John Wayne, county officials have agreed to encourage airlines to use it.
The Board of Supervisors has approved an agreement with the Customs and Immigration Service to station 10 full time agents in Terminal C at an initial estimated cost of between 1.7 and 1.9 million dollars per year.
To encourage the airlines to bear this cost, the county has agreed to reimburse the airlines with incentives of up to $900,000.
Under the terms of the incentive agreements, a new or existing JWA air carrier will be required to fly non-stop from JWA to a Mexican city at least five times a week for a year. Three such incentives are available.
If the three incentives are earned, JWA might see a minimum of 3 x 5 flights per week x 52 weeks per year or 780 flights in each direction per year. Assuming an average of 100 passengers on each arriving flight, the 10 agents will process approximately 78,000 inbound passengers a year.
Further, assuming that there will be the same number of outbound flights and passengers, JWA will see an increase of 156,000 annual passengers:- a bump of about 2 percent in passenger traffic,
LAX currently handles a total of over 2 million annual passengers to several cities in Mexico.
Long Beach Airport traffic continues strong
Through September, Long Beach Airport served 2,329,851 passengers. The tally was 4.6 percent ahead of the same period in 2010 and was the best nine-month total in the airport's history.
October 31 - November 6, 2011
Readers hoping for JWA flights to Mexico - OC Register, Travel
Puerto Vallarta. Cabo. Mexico City. Jalisco.
[Travel Editor Gary Warner writes] I've spent a good amount of time over the past week talking and messaging with readers who are excited about the possibility of nonstop flights from Orange County to Mexico. A few readers would prefer to see no flights at all from Mexico, but that goes with territory anytime you open up a discussion about our neighbor to the south.
The wish list is appropriate because the county is trying to make the flights happen – and soon. This month, the Board of Supervisors will consider a plan for discounted rent at John Wayne Airport as a reward for any airline that starts flying to Mexico.
The reason: The new Customs and Border Protection facility at the airport will be idle when Terminal C opens Nov. 14.
Website Editor: The Customs area is not the only thing idle when the new terminal opens with lots more space and additional gates. So perhaps the Board of Supervisors should consider a plan of incentives to get flights going again to New York's JFK airport - Southern California's top out-of-state destination - and to Washington DC which is #10 on the list of destinations. It would be no surprise if Florida, a gateway to the Caribbean, would also be more popular than some of the suggested Mexican destinations.
In 2009-10, 417,497 passengers flew from LAX to San Jose del Cabo. Just how many of this small number does Orange County expect to capture? If JWA got 10 percent of this number that would come to a bit over 100 seats per day; enough to half fill one flight in each direction. Does that justify the expansion or put JWA volume back where it should be?
Ready for Takeoff! - OC Metro
Your first look at the upgrades to John Wayne Airport
(They're so cool, you'll hope your flight is delayed.)
John Wayne Airport is about to get bigger - by a bunch - and no doubt better. More gates, more parking. More staff, more food. More room. More conveniences, airport officials say.
Website Editor: In case anyone forgets what an airport is for, how about more flights to more destinations?
"our surveys show us that more places to eat has been a major priority for Orange County travelers," say [public information officer ] Wedge. "We are going to give it to them, first class."
"This is not really an expansion at all" [County Supervisor] Moorlach says, :It's really a remodeling; one that came at a fortuitous time in our economy. We were smart to remodel when we did."
