LAX in disrepair, physical decay and design inadequacy - Board of Airport Commissioners agenda
Steps are contemplated to fix it with largest public works project in the city's history
A request for up to $25,000,000 for program management services, Item 1 on the Los Angeles Airport Commission agenda for March 3 begins as follows:
ITEM 1. RESOLUTION NO. -Award
of Contract: To DMJM AVIATION, INC. for
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SERVICES for the CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM at LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, for an amount not-to exceed
$25,000,000
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: It has become an accepted fact that the infrastructure of Los
Angeles International Airport ("LAX") is in a state of disrepair. The design of the facility
serving the needs of today's aviation industry and its passengers is the product of
plans formed more than 30 years ago. Today, LAX suffers from the combined
afflictions of physical decay and design inadequacy. The negative impact of these
afflictions is difficult to overstate. Beyond the chronic inconvenience to the traveling
public, LAX'S design and construction failings now present a tangible risk to a regional
economy. The Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation estimates this risk to
be $6.9 billion in additional regional economic output along with 34,300 direct and
indirect jobs and $1.7 billion in annual wages based upon market trends suggesting
LAX could capture 11 new transoceanic international flights by 2012.
There is no local precedent that matches the objective dimensions of the work
necessary to rebuild LAX. This work will exceed the scale and scope of every public
works project in our City's history. Our goal today is to launch the process of design
and construction that we can expect will take the better part of a decade to complete.
But there are components of the redevelopment process that cannot wait 10 years to
complete. By 2012, LAX must complete the architectural, engineering, planning,
design and construction of the Midfield Satellite Concourse as mandated by the Los
Angeles City Council in August 2007 and the realities of an aviation industry that is
migrating from old to newly designed aircraft.
Added to the realities of a failing infrastructure, enormous scale and a remarkably
ambitious schedule is the truth that Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) today has no
defined set of projects framed within a cohesive Capital lmprovement Program (CIP).
It has no developed, and hence credible, cost estimates against which to assess the
progress of design and construction expenses. The organization has no institutional
memory and no internal structure equal to the task of framing and managing the
facility-wide redevelopment program.
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SERVICES for the CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM at LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, for an amount not-to exceed
$25,000,000
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: It has become an accepted fact that the infrastructure of Los
Angeles International Airport ("LAX") is in a state of disrepair. The design of the facility
serving the needs of today's aviation industry and its passengers is the product of
plans formed more than 30 years ago. Today, LAX suffers from the combined
afflictions of physical decay and design inadequacy. The negative impact of these
afflictions is difficult to overstate. Beyond the chronic inconvenience to the traveling
public, LAX'S design and construction failings now present a tangible risk to a regional
economy. The Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation estimates this risk to
be $6.9 billion in additional regional economic output along with 34,300 direct and
indirect jobs and $1.7 billion in annual wages based upon market trends suggesting
LAX could capture 11 new transoceanic international flights by 2012.
There is no local precedent that matches the objective dimensions of the work
necessary to rebuild LAX. This work will exceed the scale and scope of every public
works project in our City's history. Our goal today is to launch the process of design
and construction that we can expect will take the better part of a decade to complete.
But there are components of the redevelopment process that cannot wait 10 years to
complete. By 2012, LAX must complete the architectural, engineering, planning,
design and construction of the Midfield Satellite Concourse as mandated by the Los
Angeles City Council in August 2007 and the realities of an aviation industry that is
migrating from old to newly designed aircraft.
Added to the realities of a failing infrastructure, enormous scale and a remarkably
ambitious schedule is the truth that Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) today has no
defined set of projects framed within a cohesive Capital lmprovement Program (CIP).
It has no developed, and hence credible, cost estimates against which to assess the
progress of design and construction expenses. The organization has no institutional
memory and no internal structure equal to the task of framing and managing the
facility-wide redevelopment program.
Supervisor urges PR shift on airport - OC Register
John Moorlach says that activists need to create publicity that makes airport expansion a county, not a local, issue.
Local residents need a solid public-relations campaign to keep a lid on roaring flights at John Wayne Airport, Supervisor John Moorlach said in a speech this week.
Gently suggesting that [Newport Beach] activists had botched a 2002 effort to build an airport at the old El Toro Marine Corps base – a project locals hoped would siphon air traffic away from JWA – Moorlach on Tuesday night implored members of the nonprofit Airport Working Group to give their message broader resonance.
“If you’re shooting at the wrong target, then they may bag you again,” Moorlach said, referring to South County residents – particularly a prominent airport activist named Len Kranser – who feel JWA can handle far more flights than those allowed under a legal settlement.
Instead of adopting a “NIMBYish” stance that isolates airport-area neighborhoods in the public debate, activists must convey that “our flight restraints … are good for the entire county,” Moorlach said. Website Editor: This will be a tough sell after JWA neighbors argued long and hard - during the El Toro fight - that Orange County needs more airport capacity.
Talks to extend a legal settlement that limits flights and passengers at JWA can begin in 2011, five years before the deal expires, said Mario Mainero, Moorlach’s chief of staff.
Great Park balloon grounded for safety investigation - OCRegister.com
The Great Park Balloon is grounded while the Federal Aviation Administration and independent experts review its operation and safety procedures, officials announced Thursday.
The Great Park Corp. and the city of Irvine made the joint decision to suspend flights so that the review could be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible, said Rod Cooper, operations manager for the Great Park.
“The decision was arrived at through an abundance of caution,” Cooper said. “We thought this was the most reasonable and responsible way to approach the issue.”
Website Editor: The controversial balloon - launched prematurely in the opinions of some - has taken 40,000 riders aloft during seven months of operation. The Times reported on June 23, 2006 that similar balloon rides in developed entertainment areas charge $15-20; this one is operated free to the public at a cost of several million dollars a year to the Great Park.
Idea to toll motorists headed to LAX is called costly - Daily Breeze
Charging a toll on motorists driving to Los Angeles International Airport might not be worth the effort, according to a study reviewed Wednesday by the Los Angeles City Council's Transportation Committee.
A series of security cameras, signs and a "fast pay" system to electronically collect fees would be needed to make a so-called congestion pricing plan effective, but such equipment would cost $40 million to $80 million, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
City Councilman Bill Rosendahl proposed a congestion-pricing system last August as a measure to reduce traffic at LAX, but the plan would actually have the reverse effect if toll booths were built.
While Rosendahl's initial proposal called for charging a higher fee to residents from outside Los Angeles County, the councilman said Wednesday that such details should be determined at a later date.
Lead us, Moorlach - Daily Pilot, The Bell Curve
I’ve just returned from the annual meeting and dinner of the Airport Working Group, where the featured speaker was Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach. In my column last week, I . . . suggested that Moorlach — who has consistently supported our efforts to check the expansion of John Wayne airport — would give us “marching orders” to that end.
Well, that isn’t exactly what happened. (See article below) In a speech that touched down periodically on airport issues amid funny and often insightful insider stories, Moorlach seemed to feel singled out unnecessarily for pressure, once asking: “Why are we whipping up issues when there aren’t any?”
* * * * *
A senior Great Park project manager told a Los Angeles Times reporter that only about 2% of the [El Toro] runway demolition was accomplished before Recycled Materials cut out. This translated into breaking up a few feet of runway in order to deliver commemorative chunks of concrete to park officials to illustrate progress for TV cameras.
It has occurred to me that these runways are being preserved by an act of God — or whatever force passes for God in dealings with the Great Parkers . . . Why not hire the mercenaries who put Measure B on the ballot in Newport Beach to perform the same service for a fifth vote on an El Toro airport? We won the first two. The runways are still there. Maybe we could win the fifth one.
Goal: Keep JWA at capacity - Daily Pilot
The chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors is intent on keeping John Wayne Airport at its current capacity, officials said Tuesday night.
The Airport Working Group of Orange County, an activist group that has sought to limit past expansion efforts at John Wayne Airport, gathered for its annual meeting Tuesday.
John Moorlach, the chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, spoke on some of the concerns surrounding John Wayne Airport as the expiration of AWG settlement is in sight.
“South County is still your enemy,” Moorlach said, clarifying later he was speaking about Leonard Kranser, a Dana Point resident who opposed an airport in El Toro. “We get regular e-mails that tell us John Wayne Airport can handle a lot more flights.”
Moorlach, and his Chief of Staff Mario Mainero, outlined the goal at John Wayne was to extend the settlement after it expires in 2015, keeping, along with current capacity, noise levels and flight curfews the same.
“Let’s start planning a strategic plan to have a good marketing appeal,” Moorlach said. “If you’re shooting at the wrong target, they may bag you again.”
Law states a new extension can’t be negotiated until 2011, Moorlach said.
“Ontario [airport] is asking for more flights,” said Moorlach, who also pointed to Palmdale airport as an option. “We just have to figure out how to move people.”
NPB council votes for JWA-Metrolink study
Tuesday night, with little discussion, the Newport Beach City Council unanimously agreed to seek $100K of OCTA "Go Local" funds for a study of ground transportation between the airport and Metrolink stations in Irvine and Tustin. Newport's $100K would be lumped with a similar amount requested by Costa Mesa.
City Manager Herman Bludau said that "Ultimately, we want to get passengers from outside of the county to other airports." Council member Leslie Daigle said that the Airport Working Group and AirFair support the idea.
According to Bludau, former Assistant City Manager Peggy Ducey would use the pooled $200K "by the middle of the summer" to examine existing airport survey data on passenger demographics. (Sounds like nice work if you can get it.)
What is unclear is how a bus or tram link to JWA from the Metrolink will reduce the number of passengers at the Orange County airport and get out-of-county passengers to go away. A 2005 study found that very few passengers originating at JWA are from surrounding counties.
The staff report proposing the grant says nothing about connecting to other airports. Perhaps the final grant request will say one thing and the money will be used for something a little different as suggested by Bludau.
This website supports a serious effort by OCTA to offer transportation from Orange County to Ontario Airport. At present, the only ways to get from OC to Ontario on Metrolink require either 1) taking an infrequent train to Downtown Riverside and connecting there, after a long wait, to the westbound Riverside line, or 2) taking the train to LA Union Station and then riding the Riverside line east to its stop in East Ontario. You are still not at the airport.
Plan aims to gauge LAX's effect on area's air quality - LA Times
The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners unanimously agreed Monday to spend $2.2 million to look at the effect of airport pollution on communities around LAX.
The ambitious study, said to be the largest of its kind, will monitor Westchester, El Segundo, Inglewood and Lennox to identify the sources of pollution there and determine how much of it can be attributed to airport activities.
Green light for LAX runway safety plan - Daily Breeze
A stoplight system that alerts pilots when it's safe to cross a runway will be installed at Los Angeles International Airport next year as part of a safety plan scheduled to be unveiled today by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The $6 million system will be switched on during the first quarter of 2009 and will be funded entirely by Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX, according to Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the FAA.
Robert Sturgell, acting administrator of the FAA, is scheduled to hold a news conference at LAX this afternoon to announce the new runway status lights system.
Plans call for installing the red lights on the inner runway and four taxiway intersections on the north airfield, where airline safety has been called into question.
See earlier Times article below.
Runway system being tested could save lives - LA Times
LAX officials would like to use technology under study to cut close calls.
As an American Airlines jet readied for takeoff on the runway at San Diego's airport recently, red lights embedded in the pavement at intersecting taxiways down the field blinked on, warning other aircraft to stay clear.
Air traffic controllers watched from the tower as the slender silver MD-80 started rolling down the runway, gaining speed on its way to Dallas. Once it was safe, the red lights clicked off.
The warning system, currently being tested at San Diego and Dallas/Fort Worth international airports, dramatically reduced the number of close calls between aircraft on a runway and taxiways where lights are embedded at the latter facility, federal auditors found.
But after almost two decades in development, the FAA has yet to decide whether to deploy the equipment at the nation's busiest airports, where close calls on the ground approached record levels last year. Officials at Los Angeles International Airport have been trying to get the system since 2006, even going so far as to offer to pay for it.
Long Beach to benefit from expected increase in tourism - LB Press-Telegram
Weak dollar will bring in international visitors as Convention Center events
Like the normally sunny climes of Southern California, tourism in and around Long Beach will be a bright spot in the economy in the coming year - and you can thank the weak U.S. dollar for that, economists say.
"You have a positive outlook for tourism," said Jack Kyser, vice president and chief economist of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.
It's one of the few bright spots Kyser sees in the U.S. and regional economies, and Kyser, considered "L.A.'s economic guru," believes Southern California will see a surge of international tourists in the coming year.
Week of February 18, 2008 - February 24, 2008
Councils consider adding more city transportation to reduce airport traffic. Ideas so far include light rails and express buses. - Daily Pilot
Newport Beach and Costa Mesa may begin a joint study to examine ways of easing road and air traffic at John Wayne Airport, employing a $100,000 grant from the Orange County Transportation Authority’s “Go Local!” program to do so.
While in its early stages, the feasibility study would examine ways the cities could relieve congestion at the airport by increasing access to Metrolink, while cutting down on the number of flights from the airport by shuttling passengers to other regional airports, such as Ontario or San Bernardino.
The Costa Mesa City Council unanimously approved city staff to accept the grant and move forward. Newport Beach’s council will consider the measure during its Tuesday night meeting.
Website Editor: The project, as described in the Newport Beach City Council agenda, would lump Newport's $100,000 grant with an additional $100,000 requested by Costa Mesa. NPB would be the lead agency and former Assistant City Manager Peggy Ducey is "envisioned to head the study team of consultants."
“We’re looking at an express bus, but they’re also talking about looking into light rail and other things,” Assistant City Manager Sharon Wood said. “I think it may potentially become more than just a shuttle bus.”
Keep JWA name, stop expansion - Daily Pilot editorial
Website Editor: While Los Angeles changed the name of Ontario airport to LA/Ontario International to attract passengers, here's an opposite viewpoint from the Newport Beach newspaper:
Maybe it’s a coincidence that as residents are urging officials to halt the expansion of John Wayne Airport, the very name of the airport is in question.
There is no need to change the name. In fact, that’s exactly what our residents don’t need.
The desire to turn the spotlight on John Wayne Airport is counter to the best interests of our residents.
Because the end result of successful marketing is more passengers, and the end result of more passengers is more pressure to increase flights and end current noise curfews.
JWA growth would destroy Back Bay - Daily Pilot Mailbag
Reacting to Joseph Bell's column, Newport Beach resident Treb Heining writes, in part:
You don’t sink a half billion dollars into a new terminal and lobby for more seats to be sold (with an elaborate explanation that this is not passengers) without having huge plans for increasing John Wayne International Airport.
Airfare and the Airport Working Group are moving ahead full steam and we support all their hard work and diligent efforts.
In addition to those efforts, we are organizing a group of citizens whose only goal will be to stop John Wayne Airport — not just from expanding — but from having commercial flights — period. We will not accept any more increases in passengers going out of John Wayne Airport and will be working to shut down the airport to all commercial air traffic.
John Wayne's family disapproves of changing airport's name - OCRegister.com
A plan to add Orange County to the name of John Wayne Airport, part of an effort to cash in on the region's pop-culture prestige, has incensed one of the late actor's sons, who says officials are going to sully an icon in hopes of profiting off a "glut of moronic shows" on television.
Local tourism officials broached the idea late last year, saying that rechristening the aviation hub as John Wayne-Orange County Airport would add cachet as well as clarity by listing a place, not just a movie star's name.
Website Editor: Perhaps the change would reduce the need to scan airport status boards and airline reservation sites for "Santa Ana", "Orange County" and "John Wayne". To email the five members of the Board of Supervisors with your opinion click here.
Alitalia circling back to LAX - Daily Breeze
After a six-year absence from the Southern California market, Alitalia will return to Los Angeles International Airport on June1, when it launches nonstop, round-trip flights to Rome, officials announced Thursday.
Flights between LAX and Rome will be offered five days a week, making it the only nonstop service between California and Italy, according to Thierry Aucoc, Alitalia's senior vice president for North America.
Alitalia was the only carrier offering direct flights from LAX to Italy from 1985 to 2002, but the service stopped when airlines saw fewer passengers in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to airport officials.
LAX has not fully recovered its market share since 9-11, but Alitalia's announcement Thursday showed that the airport is attempting to make a comeback, according to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Villaraigosa said, "Gaining new and increased international service at LAX is a top priority for my administration because of the substantial contribution these flights make to the economy of Southern California."
Great Park balloon ride safety violations alleged - OCRegister.com
A former employee of the company that runs the Great Park balloon has sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration alleging "unsafe behavior" at the balloon.
The letter is from Jonathan Bradford, co-pilot of the orange orb. Bradford says in the letter that he worked for BalloonVision from July 2007 to January.
The letter accuses BalloonVision, a subcontractor of the Great Park Corp. and operator of the balloon, of flying the balloon without the FAA-required five miles of visibility on more than one occasion, of operating the balloon with less than the recommended 1,000 feet between the top of the balloon and the lowest clouds and of taking the balloon past its height limit of 500 feet to 610 feet on two occasions.
Can't Find Palmdale Airport? Trust the Free Bus! - LA Curbed.com
To bolster business for Palmdale Regional Airport, a new bus line will shuttle from the San Fernando Valley up to the nation's 549th busiest commercial airport. That's 50 miles. For free.
Mark Thorpe, Los Angeles World Airports' director of air services development, said the buses will clear two hurdles for the airport - first by increasing the convenience for riders outside the Antelope Valley to use Palmdale flights and, second, by letting passengers know where the airport is without having to look at a map. "A lot of people don't know where the airport is," Thorpe said. "But the bus removes that obstacle."
The Palmdale Flyer service, paid for by County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, starts April 2. It leaves Van Nuys' Flyaway terminal, stopping at Santa Clarita's Via Princessa Metrolink station, on its way to wherever the hell Palmdale airport is.
Website Editor: We don't know if its the "549th busiest" in the nation but Palmdale did serve 12,022 passengers in 2007 - about what LAX does in one busy hour. That's not a lot of "regionalization" for a multimillion dollar subsidy and hoopla campaign..
Time to speak up about JWA - Daily Pilot column by Joseph N. Bell
Two weeks ago, Newport Beach Mayor Ed Selich told a Speak-Up Newport audience about the goals he sees as priorities in his new job as the city’s chief executive.
The following week, Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau sent a newsletter to all local citizens describing the projects that will receive the attention of city officials in the immediate months ahead.
These two events had one striking element in common. Neither stressed the urgent need by the city and its residents to address the actions, already underway, that set the stage for expanding John Wayne Airport.
New and drastic threats to the magnificently evolved atmosphere in which we live are underway right now with little or no awareness among those of us who will be most affected.
For example, under the Airport Improvement Program, almost $600 million will be spent to expand John Wayne Airport. This expansion — which is euphemistically called “improvement” — will include a new multi-level terminal of 250,000 square feet, six new bridged aircraft gates and two new parking structures with some 3,500 spaces.
The time has come to rev it up several notches. To put to use some of the muscle that comes with public outrage. And, for starters, to attend the Feb. 26 annual meeting of the Airport Working Group.
Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach will be the featured speaker at that meeting. He’ll provide plenty of ammunition for marching orders to those who attend.
Website Editor: This website has been trying for nearly two years to determine what capacity the county expects to achieve with the third terminal being built at JWA. But as to Mr. Bell's concerns about "drastic threats" to his way of life, we suggest reading the analysis below.
JWA utilization is up; big countywide gain causes limited neighborhood pain - El Toro Info Site report
Five years ago, under pressure from the airlines serving John Wayne Airport, Newport Beach and Orange County officials renegotiated the airport’s limits on service. JWA had been capped at 8.4 million annual passengers (MAP) since 1990. The nighttime curfew was left unchanged. Fortunately, any negative impact on airport neighbors proved to be substantially less than the gain in passenger service.
From 2002 to 2007, passenger traffic at the Orange County airport rose by 26 percent. As a result of raising the MAP cap, over 2 million more passengers each year now utilize John Wayne instead of being forced to drive to another airport.
Under the amended agreement, airlines are free to sell more of the seats on each plane. The 26 percent increase in passengers was accommodated with only an 8 percent increase in the number of air carrier flights. As a result, neighbors hear an average of only one additional commercial plane overhead every hour-and-a-half.
Also, newer aircraft are quieter. This website’s analysis of data from the airport’s noise monitoring program shows that between 2002 and 2007 the noise measured at the airport’s 10 monitoring stations remained largely unchanged. See the report “How much noise do 2 million passengers make?” for details.
Technology and industry changes are at work to enable airports to serve more travelers with less burden to neighbors on the ground.
Maglev above freeway unwarranted for L.A. - LA Daily News
Former LA City Council President Ruth Galanter editorializes over what she calls the Los Angeles City Council's infatuation with maglev to connect local airports.
Maglev fans have been around for years. The Southern California Association of Governments got into the act when someone discovered some federal money. SCAG's proposal was for a maglev from Los Angeles International Airport to downtown and out to Ontario Airport. SCAG's director claimed it wouldn't require any public money since the trains would run along the public freeways.
Galanter explains why high-speed rail (of any kind) is designed to connect distant places. It works best when the stops are far apart. It is utterly unsuited to commuter lines within a metropolitan area. It would work for connecting Anaheim with Las Vegas (with maybe one stop in the Inland Empire), but it would not work for connecting Anaheim with downtown Los Angeles.
It is always wise to ask who will pay, who will be displaced, what will happen to those displaced, and is any of it morally and fiscally justified. The answers are never easy. There is no free ride.
Lindbergh to Get Makeover? - San Diego Business Journal
Proposal Includes Moving All Three Passenger Terminals
Spurred by opposition to a plan for short-term improvements to Lindbergh Field, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority will move ahead with the plan while it considers a radical makeover, moving the existing passenger terminals to the north side, says Chairman Alan Bersin.
Bersin, who leads the agency that manages San Diego International Airport, says such a renovation would require obtaining property now in the hands of the U.S. Marine Corps and the San Diego Unified Port District and take years and many millions of dollars to accomplish. In the meantime, congestion at Lindbergh is reaching critical proportions, and a short-term solution is necessary.
“We need to proceed with the 10 gates and need to do that as originally envisioned,” Bersin said.
O.C. Great Park-airport debate didn't leave him bitter - Dana Parsons, LA Times
A former Newport Beach mayor, Clarence Turner, fought hard for an international airport on the El Toro Marine base, but he lost that battle. Now he wishes the park's developers well.
"El Toro is history," Turner says, using the shorthand for the airport's projected name. "We had our time at the plate, and we collectively blew it. We didn't make the case that we should have. The opposition was organized and they were very passionate about it, and we let that slip by."
They'll make a lot of mistakes," he says of the park's planners, "but eventually it will work out for them. And I hope it does."
Improvers living up to namesake - Daily Pilot Commentary by outgoing Costa Mesa City Council President Allan Mansoor
So what is an Improver? There is no official definition . . . nor is there a specific platform or spokesperson. The best definition is explaining what Improvers want to see in our city and what Improvers have done to better it.
Improvers supported an airport at El Toro, which was contrary to former council member Cowan, and councilwomen Foley and Dixon. If we had supported an airport at El Toro we might not be facing the problems we now have. The goal was to improve the quality of life of all Costa Mesa residents, and not just one part of town. Why would they take a position that is not in the best interest of the citizens of Costa Mesa and our quality of life? Improvers support keeping John Wayne Airport from expanding and believe at this point that a regional approach is the solution to our air travel needs.
Website Editor: Mansoor believes in "a regional approach" but not the one favored by Los Angeles which might ask Orange County to shoulder more air travel at John Wayne airport. He favored El Toro airport to improve the quality of life in Costa Mesa at the expense of quality of life in Laguna Woods and Irvine and Aliso Viejo. "Not in my back yard," is why, if the SCAG forecasts of future air travel demand are correct, we will not have sufficient airport capacity.
Traveler's jest ties up LAX - Daily Breeze
Travelers were evacuated from a Los Angeles International Airport terminal for about two hours Sunday afternoon after a passenger joked about explosives in his checked luggage, officials said.
Airport police shut down the Southwest and U.S. Airways terminal around 2 p.m., delaying at least 450 passengers on five planes, said Albert Rodriguez, a spokesman for Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that operates LAX.
The unidentified man, who joked to another passenger about explosives in his checked luggage, was detained after he exited Southwest flight 1182 from El Paso, Texas, Rodriguez said. He is in custody and being questioned by federal authorities.
Week of February 11, 2008 - February 17, 2008
City wins airport expansion ruling - Long Beach Press-Telegram
An Orange County judge ruled Friday that the city of Long Beach did not violate state law when it approved an environmental report for an expansion of the Long Beach Airport terminal.
LBUSD had alleged that the report didn't fully consider the noise and air pollution impacts on area schools that could result from a possible increase in the number of flights at the airport.
Superior Court Judge Thierry Patrick Colaw had issued a tentative ruling on Monday in favor of the city, but didn't make a final ruling until after a two-hour hearing Wednesday morning. The case had been moved to Santa Ana to be heard in a neutral location.
In his written ruling released Friday, Colaw said the airport project's environmental impact report was sufficient, the terminal expansion won't affect noise and air quality, the project complies with the California Environmental Quality Act, and that no new flights will result from the expansion.
Now that the lawsuit has been resolved in the city's favor, the airport terminal expansion can move forward as planned.
City officials have said construction on the parking garage is expected to begin in the summer and will be finished 12 to 18 months later. Then, the two-year process of expanding the terminal would begin.
The terminal improvements are expected to cost $70 million to $100 million, while the parking garage will cost another $60 million, city officials have said.
Old tires could take a load off John Wayne - OC Register
As part of an expansion project, John Wayne Airport will demolish a parking structure later this year. A baggage screening room inside needs to be protected, so UC Irvine researchers have studied covering the room with 30,000 tires to cushion the blow of falling concrete.
Airport expansion background
John Wayne Airport is in the early stages of a $570 million expansion that will add a terminal wing, six gates and up to 2,000 parking spots. The project is ostensibly aimed at future increases in travel and relief of often packed conditions in the parking lots. Some airport watchers, however, think the project will lead to the renegotiation of a legal settlement that restricts increases in flights.
The project will begin to affect travelers this summer, when one of the four parking structures is demolished. Some visitors will have to park in an outdoor lot at the airport and take a shuttle to the terminal. That situation will last until early 2011.
Deal gives travelers more flights to Australia - Daily Breeze
An open skies agreement signed Friday by officials from the United States and Australia could lead to reduced fares between Los Angeles International Airport and "the land down under."
The contract lifts all restrictions on U.S. and Australian airlines and opens up the lucrative market to carriers other than United Airlines and Qantas, which have dominated flights between the two countries for several years.
"This will be good news for travelers who will enjoy greater airfare competition and more choices of flights, while also benefiting the Southern California economy," said Paul Haney, deputy executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX.
JetBlue adds LAX, targets West for growth - USA Today
Low-cost carrier JetBlue said Tuesday that it will expand its West Coast footprint this spring by starting service at Los Angeles International Airport and by bolstering its service at other airports in the region.
The highlight of JetBlue's Tuesday announcement may have been its plan to start transcontinental service from Los Angeles International (LAX). JetBlue already operates out of L.A.-area airports in Burbank, Long Beach and Ontario, but — until now — it had not served LAX, the region's busiest.
JetBlue is also expanding elsewhere on the West Coast, saying it would add new routes at three other Southern California airports.
Airlines will oppose proposed California passenger rights law - Airport News Digest
California lawmakers will consider a bill that would require airlines to provide passengers with water, snacks, fresh air and clean restrooms if their aircraft is delayed on the tarmac for more than three hours. The Airline Passenger Bill of Rights is modeled after legislation that passed in New York.
The Air Transport Association challenged the New York law and is appealing a ruling by a lower court. An ATA spokesman said the group will also oppose the proposed California law. More . . .
Airport noise instantly boosts blood pressure - Reuters
Living near an airport isn't just irritating, it is also unhealthy, researchers said on Wednesday, in a study that showed loud noise instantly boosts a sleeping person's blood pressure.
The louder the noise, the higher a person's blood pressure went, a finding that suggests people who live near airports may have a greater risk of health problems, said Lars Jarup, who led the European Commission-funded study.
That study of nearly 5,000 people found that an increase in night time airplane noise of 10 decibels increased the risk of high blood pressure by 14 percent in both men and women.
In the four-year study, published in the European Heart Journal, the researchers remotely measured the blood pressure of 140 volunteers every 15 minutes while they slept in their homes near London's Heathrow airport and three other major European airports.
Virgin America arrives in San Diego - SDRAC media release
Virgin America's inaugural flight from San Francisco to San Diego carried with it Virgin Group Founder and Chairman Sir Richard Branson and Virgin America President and CEO David Cush.
Virgin America's new service to San Diego will bring more than 100,000 visitors to the region each year ... adding up to more than $40 million annually to the good of the regional economy.
JetBlue making LAX landing - Daily Breeze
The low cost carrier JetBlue Airways will launch service between Los Angeles International Airport and two East Coast cities beginning in May, while also beefing up flights offered at airports in Long Beach, Burbank and San Diego, according to several sources close to the deal.
JetBlue will offer three daily nonstop flights from LAX to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, and one daily nonstop flight to Logan International Airport in Boston.
The move could ultimately lead to lower passenger fares at LAX as JetBlue attempts to siphon passengers from competing discount carriers Southwest, Virgin America and AirTran.
Website Editor: JetBlue also flies from Ontario. This move brings JetBlue service to every Southern California airport with the exceptions of Orange County and Palm Springs. Palm Springs officials have been in discussions with the airline to add their airport to its route map.
JWA traffic continues to be held down - El Toro Info Site report
For the third month is a row, John Wayne airport passenger traffic dropped below that of the previous year.
Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport decreased in January 2008 by 5.9% when compared to the January 2007 passenger traffic count.
Commercial carrier flight operations decreased 2.9%, while commuter carrier (air taxi) operations decreased 10.8% when compared to the same levels recorded in January 2007.
As reported last month, the JWA decline runs counter to the pickup of air traffic seen at other airports in the region. It suggests that airport managers - and members of the Board of Supervisors who regularly approve management's recommendations - have been overzealous in applying an agreement negotiated with Newport Beach.
The Board rejected requests from Southwest Airlines to add capacity at Orange County in efforts to maintain a cushion below the agreed upon 10.3 million annual passenger (MAP) cap. Consequently, several hundred thousand flyers each year, who could be accommodated at JWA under the agreement, are forced to go elsewhere for their travel needs.
For the upcoming plan year beginning March 31, the county further reduced the number of seats that air carriers could provide by 300,000 below this year's level.
San Diego Airport Authority receives award for excellence
The California Council for Excellence has awarded a 2007 California Award for Performance Excellence to the San Diego Regional Airport Authority. The award recognizes superior performance in seven key business areas including strategic planning, customer and market focus, and business results.
The SDRAA was the only airport related entity to be so honored in 2007.
This website applauds San Diego leaders for their readiness to plan for their region's future aviation demands.
Southwest cuts four of its flights from BUR - Burbank Leader
Southwest Airlines, which accounts for up to 65% of departing and arriving flights, will cut four flights a day from its Burbank schedule, citing the country's economic woes, Southwest spokeswoman Ashley Rodgers said.
One daily round-trip flight from Phoenix, another from Sacramento and two from Oakland will be canceled, she said.
“We tweaked the schedule to reflect demand and revenue,” Rodgers said. “We’re trying to be strategic in our planning.”
Though the airport will lose four flights a day, the result might not be a loss of passengers, Rodgers said.
In January, Southwest converted all of its planes flying in and out of Burbank to Boeing 737-700 jets, increasing passenger capacity to 137. Previously, the Houston-based carrier used Boeing planes with a maximum capacity of up to 122 passengers, Rodgers said.
LAX remains nation's third busiest in 2007
LAX and Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport have competed for the title of the nation's third busiest airport behind Atlanta's Hartfield and Chicago's O'Hare. DFW has an advantage in federal Bureau of Transportation statistics that only count passengers on U.S. flag carriers and in FAA statistics on flight operations. But in the category of who carries the most passengers, Los Angeles was clearly ahead last year.
LAX served 61,041,066 total passengers in 2007. DFW dropped by 0.7 % from the prior year to finish 2007 with 59,786,476 passengers.
Week of February 4, 2008 - February 10, 2008
Great Park runway demolisher leaves - OC Register
The
demolition company slated to destroy runways at the El Toro base has
left after waiting a year to finish its job. The situation is unusual, said Mark Wachal, senior project manager for Recycled Materials Co.’s El Toro demolition, but the company is still willing to work with Lennar and the Great Park Corp. because it believes in the sustainability goals of the Great Park.
The company went through an extensive qualification and interview process with the city and the Great Park in 2002 – but that was before the corporation signed an agreement with Lennar’s Heritage Fields to handle the contract.
Lennar asked for a “timeout” to create a phased-in plan to determine the need for concrete at the site so that it wouldn’t be stockpiled at the Great Park.
The Great Park board was not told that the company had left, said Christina Shea, a Great Park board member.
The runway contract, she said, was supposed to be a huge symbolic demonstration to the county of Orange that no airplanes would ever land on these runways again. Now anybody can land there, she said, because the runways have never been destroyed.
Click for photos of the May 12, 2006 ceremonial start of runway demolition.
More from the Times . . .
Santa Monica Officials Meet with FAA - Santa Monica Mirror
Runway safety concerns at Santa Monica Airport (SMO) topped the agenda at a meeting in Washington D.C. between Santa Monica officials, Congresswoman Jane Harmon, Congressman Henry Waxman, James Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, and Federal Aviation Administration officials.
According to City documents, SMO “is classified by the federal government with an Airport Reference Code (ARC) of B-II which defines the Airport as suitable for use by slower, Category A and B aircraft.” However, in recent years there has been an increase of Category C and D aircrafts (jets) using the airport. This jet traffic increase has exacerbated “the safety risks created by the Airport’s location amidst residential neighborhoods, its situation on a plateau surrounded by hills, and its lack of Runway Safety Areas.”
[SD Mayor] Sanders signs on for broader airport approach - Union Tribune
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders wants to ground an airport authority expansion plan for Lindbergh Field to see if something more ambitious – with easier access to Interstate 5 – can be developed.
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has spent three years crafting a $1 billion expansion plan that features the addition of 10 airline gates and a 3,700-car parking garage at Terminal 2, the westernmost of Lindbergh's three hubs for aircraft boarding and deplaning.
But Sanders . . . said he wants to know if those gates can be shifted to property on the north side of the 661-acre airport. Expansion there would allow for better I-5 access and ease congestion on North Harbor Drive, Lindbergh's main transportation artery.
Website Editor: While airport operators in Los Angeles and Orange County avoid capacity expansion plans, apparently hoping that passengers will go somewhere else, San Diego demonstrates that leaders must deal with future realities. See also a report from Voice of San Diego.
System lets LAX planes glide in - Daily Breeze
A new landing system that allows jetliners to glide into Los Angeles International Airport is expected to reduce noise and pollution levels by more than 30 percent, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday.
About 250 planes arriving daily at LAX are using the so-called continuous descent approach, which allows pilots to switch to minimal power about 100 miles east of the airport, said Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman.
Although the number represents only 27 percent of the flights coming into LAX, the method was put into place two months ago as a way to improve air quality in neighborhoods surrounding the airport.
The new landing system cuts nitrogen-oxide levels by 34 percent, Gregor said. Additionally, airlines using the new approach will save about 250 to 465 pounds of fuel per flight.
Similar approaches are already used at airports in Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Louisville, Ky., where a 30 percent reduction in airliner noise was reported.
San Diego, LAX maintain on-time performance - El Toro Info Site
While on-time performance at airports had an overall poor year in 2007, the two Southern California airports maintained their above average records. Among the top 32 airports in the nation, San Diego ranked #3 and LAX #5 for departure timliness for the year. Both moved up a few notches in the national standings.
Rename John Wayne Airport?; Marketing push for O.C. as a whole may try to add the region's name to JWA. - OC Register
Local business and tourism leaders are embarking on a major marketing effort to cash in on the pop-culture phenomenon that is Orange County, developing a slogan, a logo and even pondering a name change for John Wayne Airport.
Executives from numerous visitor bureaus and top-flight attractions such as Disneyland and South Coast Plaza have been working for months on the strategy, resurrected from the ashes of a previous effort abandoned for financial reasons.
Despite heavy advertising by major destinations such as Disneyland, and the popularity of Newport Beach as a TV-show setting, officials say the county brand is underutilized.
Certainly a long-term idea -- is a name change that would add "Orange County" to the name of John Wayne Airport.
Supervisor Chris Norby, who has been briefed on the branding effort along with his fellow supervisors, said a fusion of place and name is possible. San Jose's airport, he noted, is known as the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport.
Runway work grounded at Great Park site - LA Times
In the latest setback in the construction of Orange County's Great Park, demolition crews that were supposed to tear up 600 acres of runways at the former El Toro Marine Corps base have gone home with little work completed.
Mark Wachal, Recycled Materials' senior project manager for the Great Park, said the company completed about 2% of the runway demolition in December 2006 but had not done much since. Work had been delayed by permit requirements and an inability to secure a long-term contract with Lennar.
In May 2006, Recycled Materials broke up a few feet of runway to great fanfare, and local officials were given chunks of concrete to commemorate the occasion.
The concrete was supposed to be used for the park's paths, buildings and even a planned waterfall. But the demolition work never took off.
The demolition was supposed to be completed in five years, with homes going up for sale this year and a park grand opening slated for next year. The only project that has been completed is a balloon ride and visitors center.
Lennar's Carol Wold, vice president of community affairs for the company's Heritage Fields arm, said the housing slump has prompted the company to reconsider when and where to build the Great Park homes. It does not have an estimated date for the demolition work to resume, she said.
The Great Park Corp. has spent about $49 million designing the park and establishing the balloon ride. To build much of the rest of the park, officials are depending on taxes from homes Lennar will build.
Plans to decorate L.B. airport stall - LB Press-Telegram
After apparent initial support, FAA says airport can't use Portraits of Hope art.
Stanford Middle School teacher Kelly Kurz [hoped] her students and about 900 local children could drape the concrete stem of the airport's control tower with 7,000 square feet of long, flexible panels. The panels were covered with a plethora of colorful decorated shapes and, when joined together, would turn each 120-foot side of the tower into a work of art.
The project was the brainchild of brothers Ed and Bernie Massey, whose Los Angeles nonprofit, Portraits of Hope, makes a specialty out of getting kids together to transform large things into public works of art.
Week of January 28, 2008 - February 3, 2008
Ontario opens arms to homeless - LA Times
At an enclave near the airport, people can get shelter, food and some social services. Many churches are helping.
Over the last six months, more than 250 homeless people have pitched tents near the Ontario airport, creating a burgeoning shantytown that sprawls across vacant lots and spills into side streets. Jets landing at the airport thunder just a few hundred feet above.
They call it Tent City, and for many it's a welcome refuge from the cars, bridges and offramps they usually inhabit.
Ontario officials don't call the place Tent City or Camp Hope as some do. They prefer "rest area." They set it up on city property just west of LA/Ontario International Airport last June to lure the local homeless away from dangerous sites.
"They were living along the railroad tracks, along the 10 Freeway at the major intersections," said Brent Schultz, director of the city's office of housing and neighborhood revitalization.
Regional airport panel disbands - Daily Breeze
The Southern California Regional Airport Authority, created more than two decades ago to find a regional solution to air traffic demands, was unceremoniously disbanded for the second time Thursday.
Three remaining members of the panel agreed to dissolve the group due to a lack of participation from [Orange and Riverside], two counties that were seen as key players in diverting air traffic from Los Angeles International Airport.
The decision was reached in the wake of an online survey that suggested the regional airport panel should either shape up or ship out.
"At this particular point, I just think SCRAA needs to be disbanded," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. "As long as the conversation revolves around the fact that we're looking out for our own backyards then I think this agency needs to go away."
Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster has said he stopped attending the meetings because he felt too much pressure to convert March Air Field into a commercial airport.
Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach refused to attend meetings because he feared SCRAA would have used its power of eminent domain to take control of John Wayne Airport, which is limited to 10.3 million annual passengers.
"We are pleasantly surprised," Moorlach's chief of staff, Mario Mainero, said of SCRAA's decision to disband. "Supervisor Moorlach remains interested in working productively and cooperatively with others in the region, particularly with ground transportation issues," Mainero said.
Levitation train system for L.A. gets initial OK - Daily Breeze
A massive plan to accelerate transportation in the region with a $26 billion high-speed train system received initial approval from the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday as it created a joint-powers agreement [with West Covina and Ontario.]
The move marked the first step in negotiations to solidify an Atlanta-based firm's proposal to construct a magnetic-levitation train system that would start at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, run through downtown and eventually reach Ontario Airport.
Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith said American Maglev Technology would foot the bill for the system and has been working with the Southern California Association of Governments on its proposal.
Meanwhile, a $9.95 billion bond measure is set to be on the November ballot to fund initial work on a 700-mile high-speed rail system from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
The first phase of that project would begin in Orange County and run through Los Angeles. The measure requires a simple majority vote, a California High Speed Rail authority spokesman said.
The Mayor’s Silence is Deafening - CityWatch Guestwords
Contributor David Coffin is a a member of the Neighborhood Council of Westchester-Playa del Rey.
Not since the announcement of the settlement in January of 2005 have we heard a word from Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa on the wayward LAX expansion plans.
However, before Antonio Villaraigosa became mayor, he was not so quiet about his, or his predecessors, plans as he campaigned as the candidate who would protect the community from airport expansion and work towards a regional solution where surrounding counties would contribute towards the region’s airport transportation needs when he became mayor. More . . .
Japanese delegation speaks on benefits of high-speed trains - OC Register
Shinkansen network is discussed as local officials ponder feasibility of such a system in California.
In a country about the size of the state of California, a high-speed rail system has for decades whisked millions of passengers to and from destinations.
A delegation of Japanese transportation officials attended a seminar Wednesday in Anaheim to talk about the Shinkansen and how its success could be applied to a proposed 700-mile highspeed route that would stretch from the Bay Area to Southern California.
“I have no doubt in my mind that California will have high-speed rail, but I can’t tell you exactly when,” said Mehdi Morshed, executive director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which is leading the effort to bring such a service to the state.
The authority has completed environmental studies for the Bay Area and is nearly halfway done with studies for an Anaheim-to-Los Angeles segment, stopping at Union Station.
Website Editor: Inter-city high speed rail is seen by many as the alternative to forecasted airport expansion which is opposed by communities surrounding most of Southern California's airports. The newspaper reports that the Japanese rail system serves 390,000 passengers per day which equals 140,000,000 per year. By comparison, all of the LA region's airports serve about 90 million annual passengers, roughly one third of whom travel less than 500 miles.
Airport, airlines settle fee dispute - Daily Breeze
The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners announced a short-term settlement Tuesday that resolves a year-long fee dispute with five airlines.
As part of the settlement, United, American, Continental, Northwest and Delta agreed to pay a combined $33 million worth of annual increases for terminal maintenance and operating costs dating back to 2006. Additionally, the airlines agreed to help pay for a new $218 million central utility plant at the airport.
In return, Los Angeles World Airports - the city agency that operates LAX - will credit the airlines $20 million for expenses the carriers had paid in protest during the dispute.
Combined
air travel at the Southern California Association
of Governments (SCAG) region's six major commercial airports set a
record in
2007. A total of 89,521,763
passengers were served, finally topping the pre 9-11 record of
88,482,980 set
in 2000. (Data does not include minor airports such as Palmdale and
Oxnard.)
As
previously reported,
With
the exception of LAX, all
With
the exception of John Wayne, all airports finished
2007 on an upswing, handling more passengers than during the final
months of
2006. JWA’s
November and December passenger downturn - at a time of higher
overall Southern
California demand - may be related to county efforts to keep its
service
level below
the MAP cap agreement with
|
Airport |
2000 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
Los Angles Intl. |
67,303,182 |
61,041,066 |
|
|
|
7,778,201 |
9,613,480 |
9,979,699 |
|
LA/Ontario |
6,739,329 |
7,049,904 |
|
|
|
4,748,742 |
5,689,291 |
|
|
|
637,865 |
2,758,362 |
2,906,556 |
|
|
1,281,073 |
1,529,005 |
1,610,943 |
|
SCAG Region Total |
88,482,980 |
87,681,108 |
|
|
|
15,820,342 |
17,207,913 |
18,326,761 |
SCAG region air travel took 7 years to finally reach and exceed its 2000 level. Absence of increased air travel demand, during a period when population grew, raises questions about SCAG's series of optimistic growth forecasts. The forecasts project that per capita air travel will increase but, since 2000, the opposite has occurred.
SCRAA meets Thursday to consider its future - El Toro Info Site report
The Southern California Regional Airport Authority meets on Thursday to hear the results of a consultant's report and to make a possible decision on the organization's future.
Click here for the meeting agenda. The report is included as the item "Interviews - Survey results. The consultant notes, as a weakness in its survey, that most of the respondents to the survey were members of the public rather than SCRAA members and "only one member of the SCRAA Voting Board responded to it."
"SCRAA is currently viewed as an ineffective body that as presently constituted is incapable of advancing regionalization and decentralization outside of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties."
"SCRAA should focus on working with the airports that want to expand (i.e. So Cal Logistics, Ontario, San Bernardino, Palmdale) rather than working with those who don’t (i.e. Long Beach, John Wayne, Burbank, etc.)" LAX is not mentioned in either category.
LAX, Ontario, Palmdale post results for 2007
Los Angeles International Airport finished 2007 serving 61,896,075 passengers, an increase of 1.4 % over 2006. Both domestic and international travel saw increases over the previous year.
LA/Ontario Airport finished the year with traffic of 7,207,154 travelers, up by 2.2 % over 2006.
It was not a record year for either airport. LAX's best year was in 2000 and Ontario had its biggest year in 2005 before hitting a dip in 2006.
Palmdale served 12,022 passengers in 2007. It's best year was 1991.
Burbank airport has record December and year
Bob Hope Airport saw a record number of passengers for a December and completed 2007 serving 5,921,336 passengers.
It was the airport's busiest year, during which it posted a 4.08 % passenger increase over 2006. The number of commercial air carrier operations rose by 4.8 % for the year.
Should airports board disband? - Daily Breeze
Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe has long been an advocate of diverting air traffic from Los Angeles International Airport to other local airfields, even before "regionalization" became a popular catchphrase.
So Knabe and representatives from the city of Los Angeles and San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties banded together in 1984 to draw up some solutions.
But the Southern California Regional Airport Authority they formed at the time quietly disbanded nearly 20 years later due to a lack of interest.
The panel resurfaced at the end of 2006 but the comeback has been shaky at best, marred by a series of canceled meetings and a lack of participation by two key members from Orange and Riverside counties.
History may repeat itself as SCRAA members decide Thursday whether to completely disband, or use the results of a recent survey to redefine and strengthen itself.
"I had high hopes back in the '80s, and again last year, but I just don't see SCRAA going anywhere now," said Knabe, whose Fourth District includes LAX.
Website Editor: Click this link for the website's library of reports on the several births and deaths of SCRAA.
