Study: Is air traffic bad for health? - Daily Pilot
Many Newport Beach residents have long wondered if the fine black grit that seems constantly to end up on their windows and patio furniture has anything to do with the jets taking off and landing at nearby John Wayne Airport.
Until recently, technology that could gauge the amount of jet fuel emissions that come from the airport has not existed, said Newport Beach City Councilwoman Leslie Daigle.
Now city officials believe it’s possible to measure pollution from John Wayne Airport and determine whether it is harmful to residents. The city recently commissioned an air quality study to do just that.
The study will involve taking air samples from six different locations around the city to determine whether aircraft emissions from John Wayne Airport pose any health risk to Newport Beach residents.
Preliminary estimates put the cost of the study at about $58,900.
City officials hope the results will be available by early 2010.
Website Editor: Newport Beach apparently did not know about airport pollution when the city led the fight to build a huge commercial airport at El Toro. Or did they know and were they trying to move the noise and soot to someone else's back yard?
Minutes of the May 12 City Council meeting show that the study will be used to oppose utilization of the airport when the new third terminal is ready in 2011 and the current flight limitations are up for renegotiation.
JWA improvements bring gridlock - OC Register
Expect traffic near new terminal, parking structure amid construction.
If you’re headed to John Wayne Airport, expect heavier than usual traffic in the area of the new terminal and Parking Structure C.
Trucks carrying construction materials will also move on and off the construction site, just south of Terminal B. Construction vehicles will access airport roads at Airport Way from Campus Drive.
The construction is part of planned improvements at the airport that include construction of multi-level, 282,000-square-foot Terminal C and the new Parking Structure C.
The terminal is set to open as early as 2011, said spokeswoman Jenny Wedge. The parking structure should be completed by late 2010 but might open at the same time as the terminal.
Funding approved for Valley transportation projects - My Daily Find
Congressman Brad Sherman (Sherman Oaks) announced July 23 that the House of Representatives approved $550,000 for the construction of the Bob Hope Airport Regional Transportation Center.
The funding was included as part of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act for the fiscal year 2010, H.R. 3288. The legislation, which passed the House yesterday evening, requires approval by the U.S. Senate before being sent to the President for his signature.
The Bob Hope Airport Regional Transportation Center connects the Bob Hope Airport passenger terminals and the adjacent Amtrak/Metrolink Bob Hope Airport Train Station. The center will provide a hub for local and regional buses, as well as Amtrak bus service.
Week of July 20 - July 26, 2009
Congressmen pressure FAA for Burbank airport curfew - KPCC
Residents near Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport may sleep a bit more soundly soon. Two Congressmen are putting pressure on the Federal Aviation Administration to grant the airport a long-requested mandatory curfew on night time flights. KPCC’s Washington Correspondent Kitty Felde reports.
Activists have been trying to cut down on the noise ever since the first jet planes arrived at the Burbank airport 40 years ago. Commercial airlines have agreed to a voluntary curfew. They don’t fly between 10 at night and 7 in the morning. Now the targets are cargo planes and noisy small aircraft.
On Capitol Hill, Congressmen Adam Schiff and Howard Berman asked the Federal Aviation Administration to give “fair consideration” to residents who live with “airport noise day and night.” To press the point, the Burbank Democrats voiced concerns about the FAA’s curfew application process on the House floor and to the chairman of the subcommittee that funds the FAA.
Regional air travel drops 11.2% in the first half
Travel at the six airports that comprise the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) region dropped by 11.2 percent in the first half of 2009 when compared to the same period ending June 2008.
This year, our preliminary total figure is just over 38 million. Last year, 42.9 million passengers flew in and out of LAX, John Wayne, Burbank, Ontario, Long Beach and Palm Springs.
For the first half of 2001, prior to the 9-11 terrorist attacks, 43.2 million passengers flew from these airports and the record first half was hit in 2007 when 44.1 million passengers were logged.
The year-to-date percentage changes in traffic by airport are as follows:
| Airport |
Percent
change YTD June 2008-2009 |
| LAX |
-10.8 |
| SNA |
-9.5 |
| BUR |
*
-18.2 |
| ONT |
-28.7 |
| LGB |
+2.9 |
| PSP |
-8.9 |
| Total |
-11.2 |
* Estimate
Data is not yet available for San Diego International Airport where traffic for the 5 months ending May 2009 lagged the same period last year by 11.9 percent.
Airport Director Looks To The Future - Long Beach News
It’s exactly the kind of weather that convinced Mario Rodriguez to leave a job he loved in New Orleans, where he served as Deputy Director of Louis Armstrong International Airport.
But today, after accepting the position of Airport Director of the Long Beach Airport five months ago, it seems there’s no place that Rodriguez would rather be than the terminal’s second-floor Legends of Aviation restaurant. After five months on the job, it seems Rodriguez is planning to draw on a rich past to construct his plan for the future.
“This is the doorway to a community, and it should reflect the community,” says Rodriguez, who stresses that convenience and hospitality are the two things that set the Long Beach Airport apart from others, and that he intends to make them even better. “Five years from now, people will be impressed when they come here. Hopefully it will give people an idea of the way travel used to be.”
Takeoff has been anything but smooth. Rodriguez took command of an airport locked into a lawsuit with local residents and exploring the idea of privatization as a last resort. Just a few weeks into his tenure, the airport came under attack as JetBlue CEO Dave Barger made comments suggesting the airline would leave Long Beach if major improvements were not made.
On a scale of 1 to 10, Rodriguez says that relations with JetBlue were once “near a 2,” but are now almost a 9.
LAX parking lot is home away from home for airline workers - LA Times
Buffeted by their industry's turbulence, airline employees save money by living part time in a motor home colony at LAX.
For about 15 days a month, Alaska Airlines pilot Jim Lancaster lives in a motor home in Parking Lot B near the southernmost runway at Los Angeles International Airport.
The 60-year-old aviator's primary residence is a cottage he shares with his wife overlooking a quiet bay off Puget Sound in Washington state. Living in Lot B while he's on duty means he doesn't have to rent a Los Angeles apartment with other pilots or spend 12 hours a day commuting to and from the Seattle area.
He isn't the only one. Lancaster's 2001 Tradewinds sits among 100 trailers and motor homes that form a colony of pilots, mechanics and other airline workers at LAX, the third-busiest airport in the nation. They are citizens of one of the most unusual communities in the United States.
Week of July 13 - July 19, 2009
Final days for public comment on Bob Hope Airport curfew application - Burbank Community Examiner
In February of this year, the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority submitted an application for a mandatory nighttime curfew at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport (BUR). If approved, aircraft would be prohibited from taking off or landing at BUR between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:59 a.m. As part of the application process, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) established a 30-day window wherein any interested party may submit comment on the proposed curfew. That window will end on Wednesday, July 22nd.
The FAA is expected to rule on the curfew application by November 1, 2009.
Lawsuits threatened in major John Wayne Airport expansion - OCRegister.com
An ambitious expansion of John Wayne Airport became tinged with legal uncertainty as elected officials delayed major votes on construction contracts because of litigation threats.
County supervisors were asked to approve agreements to build a new terminal wing and a new parking structure. They instead voted 4-1, with Supervisor John Moorlach dissenting, to meet next week to discuss the legality of bids submitted on both projects.
Moorlach said the situations had been properly explained and that there was no sense in delaying the vote. "We're going to get sued either way," he said.
The terminal is set to open by early 2012, possibly several months sooner. The parking structure should be constructed by late 2010, but unless parking is very tight, it might just open along with the terminal.
Week of July 6 - July 12, 2009
Southwest takes drastic measures - Burbank Leader
As deflated travel budgets continue to discourage passengers at Bob Hope Airport, Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority officials are hoping that an uptick in fare promotions drives more customers to the gates.
Southwest Airlines, which accounts for two-thirds of Bob Hope’s operations, this week introduced what it described as one of the biggest fare sales in the company’s history.
JWA posts June results
John Wayne airport, generally the first airport in the region to post results, reported a 1.5 percent decline in June passengers compared to the same month last year. It was JWA's smallest such decrease in traffic in more than a year, possibly signalling that the rate of air travel decline has slowed.
It remains to be seen if other local airports show signs of approaching a bottom in what has been a year of plunging air travel demand.
Regional air travel off 11.5 percent for year to date
The six airports that comprise the Southern California Association of Governements, SCAG region served 31,058,403 passengers in the five months ending May 31. This was 11.5 percent fewer than in the same period in 2008.
Long Beach was the only airport to show higher traffic.
Long Beach airport continues to experience good demand
For the month of May, Long Beach airport served 250,935 passengers or 3.2 percent more than in May 2008.
Year-to-date, LGB traffic is 5.1 percent ahead of the prior year.
Airport Authority hosts media briefing and groundbreaking ceremony to kick off “The Green Build” - San Diego Regional Airport Authority media release
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority will hold an informational background briefing prior to a groundbreaking ceremony to provide details on design, construction and financing of “The Green Build,” formerly known as the Terminal Development Program, which will be the biggest set of improvements ever carried out at San Diego International Airport.
The Green Build will help meet current demand at SDIA, as well as make the travel experience more comfortable and enjoyable for San Diego County residents and visitors. Project highlights include the construction of 10 new jet gates, a dual-level roadway at Terminal 2 to separate arriving and departing passengers and new dining and shopping options. Construction will incorporate sustainable design principles with the goal of meeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification.
Southwest sets the pace for the decline at Bob Hope Airport
Burbank's Bob Hope Airport saw traffic drop by 18.1 percent in May. The airport's major carrier, Southwest, accounting for two of every three passengers, was off by 17.3 percent.
For the year to date, BUR passengers were down by 18.5 percent from 2008.
Week of June 29 - July 5, 2009
Newport Backs High Speed Train - Daily Pilot
Newport Beach is backing a plan that would create a high-speed maglev train route between Las Vegas and Anaheim.
The city added its formal endorsement to the plan this week. Mayor Ed Selich has written letters of support of the train project to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the California congressional delegation.
The so-called California-Nevada Interstate Maglev Project has been touted as a way to divert traffic from John Wayne Airport. The plan’s proponents believe the train would siphon more passengers to Ontario International Airport if they could take a 15-minute maglev train ride from Anaheim to Ontario. Operating at speeds more than 300 mph, a maglev trip to Las Vegas would take only 81 minutes.
Orange County Great Park 4th Anniversary Celebration Saturday, July 11th - Great Park Corp media release
Come celebrate the fourth anniversary of the Orange County Great Park at Growing the Park, a day-long family fun festival.
The event will mark the past, present and future of the Great Park at three themed areas: the Back Forty, the Runway and Sky’s the Limit. The day may include a special “fly-in” by two rare and historically significant aircraft that will become part of the Great Park Aviation Heritage Museum. Wing walkers will perform daring acrobatic feats. Modern military equipment and vintage artifacts will be on display. The Anaheim Ducks and the LA Galaxy will host interactive sporting activities. The Discovery Science Center will feature hands-on children’s science activities and challenges. Families will enjoy a petting zoo, music, kite flying and balloon rides.
Website Editor: The media release sent us to our archives to see what point in the long battle against El Toro airport and for the land's non-aviation reuse is being celebrated as an anniversary. On July 12, 2005 we posted Today is the day to declare victory.
AAA expects fewer drivers, more fliers this holiday weekend - ATA Smartbrief
AAA predicts fewer vacationers will drive for Fourth of July holiday weekend this year, though lower fares could lead to a surge of nearly 5% in airline bookings. AAA says the lowest average published airfare is down by 16% compared to this time last year, drawing more travelers out of their cars and onto airplanes.
Week of June 22 - June 28, 2009
Overseas air traffic at LAX drops 20.3 percent in May - Daily Breeze
Swine flu panic, the ongoing economic recession and service cuts by most major airlines contributed to a 20.3 percent drop in overseas visitors passing through Los Angeles International Airport in May, according to figures released Thursday.
Airline business observers say that if the dramatic decline continues through the summer, the trend could deal a devastating economic blow to Los Angeles, considered to be the nation's primary gateway to Asia and Mexico.
"Unfortunately, I think this will continue through the summer," said Jack Kyser, senior vice president and chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.
"You've seen some weakness at LAX for about a year now and people are being very cautious about spending money on travel," the LAEDC's Kyser said. "We're hopeful that things will improve next year."
Ontario Airport unable to shake off slump
Passenger traffic at Ontario International Airport for the month of May was off by 27 percent from the same month last year. Total traffic was down by the same percentage for the first five months of the year.
It was the airport's worst May volume in the ten years that this website has been keeping data, even falling below the post 9-11 dip.
Ontario had plans to build a third terminal once volume hit 10 million passengers and was projected to serve over 30 million by 2025. It is on its way to seeing fewer than 5 million travelers this year.
LAX posts May results down 11 percent
Passenger traffic at Los Angeles International Airport was down 11 percent in May and for the year-to-date.
International travel was hit worse than domestic, declining by 20 percent in May versus an 8 percent decrease in domestic passengers.
In weak economy, airport improvements fail to take off- ATA from the NY Times
Airports across the country are cutting back sharply on renovations and expansions amid a steep drop in travel, The New York Times reports. Passenger numbers are down by as much as 20% at some airports, causing a $150 million drop last year in federal collections for airport capital projects. Stung by lower fees from airline landings, concessions and so forth, airports are halting or scaling back billions of dollars worth of new terminals, parking garages and more. With lead times of about five years for major capital projects, experts say travelers will experience more crowded conditions for years to come once the economy picks up again.
A post card from Long
Beach AirportI flew to Boston for a college reunion this month.
The best way to go is JetBlue from Long Beach, though the non-stop that I hoped to take going east was deleted from the schedule and my ticket changed to a one-stop flight via Washington.
Perhaps this was fall out from the airline's decision to shift some of its west coast departures to LAX.
Long Beach Airport is so easy to maneuver.
The entire 56,000 square-foot terminal - planned to be expanded to 89,995 - can fit easily within the 282,000 square-foot third terminal being added at John Wayne airport, with room left over to absorb Bob Hope airport. See report below.
I couldn't resist sending this postcard to my son, depicting Long Beach's Daugherty Field then and now.
The back of the card informs that it was the first municipal airport to serve Southern California and has since been designated as a Long Beach Historical Landmark.
Not much has changed between then and now.
Week of June 15 - June 21, 2009
Bonds approved for airport improvements - OC Register
John Wayne will borrow up to $250 million to finance airport construction.
John Wayne Airport renovations got a $250-million-boost when Orange County supervisors unanimously approved issuing bonds to finance the latest stage of expansion efforts.
Up to $250 million will help pay for some $460 million in airport improvements, including construction of a new terminal and a parking structure. The work is needed to meet growing passenger volumes, which have been increasing since 2003 when the airport and city of Newport Beach agreed to raise the cap on the number of flights and travelers passing through the airport.
Website editor: JWA passenger total was 8.5 million in 2003, rose to 10.0 million in 2007 and dropped to 9.0 million last year.
Estimates for the airport improvements started at $435 million in the summer of 2007, then shot up to $570 million. Now it hovers at nearly $460 million, as construction firms slash their rates to find work amid the ailing economy.
Lagging air travel also plays a roll in the uncertainty by cutting into revenue from parking and a $4.50-per-passenger fee charged to each traveler at John Wayne. Those fees will be used to pay debt service and fund airport projects. The project is also being paid for with airport revenue and grants.
Newport Beach resident Charles Griffin said the county should save the money instead of paying for unnecessary airport improvements.
"I oppose and think it's very obnoxious and inappropriate and imprudent to go into debt to build a Taj Mahal-type of terminal to replace a very workable terminal," Griffin said.
The project includes a 282,000 square-foot terminal with six new gates scheduled for completion in 2011, and a 2,000-car parking structure that will be completed by 2010. Once the new terminal opens, that parking structure could be expanded based on demand. Commuter waiting areas also will be added. Meanwhile, two existing terminals are expected to be renovated by mid-2015.
Click here for the Fitch rating report on the JWA bonds.
JetBlue inaugurates service from LAX today - Press-Telegram
After a yearlong delay, JetBlue Airways will finally launch service today from Los Angeles International Airport to a pair of East Coast cities.
The low-cost carrier will offer two daily nonstop flights between LAX and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, and two additional flights from LAX to Logan International Airport in Boston aboard Airbus A-320 jetliners.
American Airlines drops flights from San Jose to Southern California - Mercury News
American Eagle will stop flying between San Jose and San Diego, and drop two daily flights between San Jose and Orange County.
American Eagle will drop three of its five daily flights between San Francisco and Orange County. All of the flight changes will take effect Aug. 25.
Once its five daily flights between San Jose and San Diego end, American no longer will provide any direct service between those cities.
Website Editor: We anticipated that the start of Virgin America flights between San Francisco and Orange County would benefit passengers by offering lower fares but might cannibalize traffic from other airlines rather than increase airport utilization.
Potential projects for the SCAG Aviation Program
Staff for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Aviation Technical Advisory Committee has laid out a list of projects for the organization to discuss. A June 18 memo to the Technical Advisory Committee states: "SCAG is committed to re-establish a vigorous and robust aviation program that will develop new regional aviation demand forecasts and policies, and new airport ground access projects and strategies for the 2012 Regional Transportation Plan. These new forecasts, policies, strategies and projects will respond to new economic realities that have convulsed the aviation industry and most commercial and non-commercial airports."
SCAG's previous Transportation Plans, which included assumed need for passenger airports at Palmdale, El Toro, San Bernardino and Victorville, were rendered obsolete by the events of September 11, increases in the price of oil, and shifts away from air travel.
Heading the list of projects is an Ontario Airport Regional Ground Access Study "to provide cost-effective access to Ontario Airport from population and employment centers in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties." The project reflects a slogan of the anti-El Toro campaigns, to develop and provide access to airports in the "Inland Empire first."
The project list also includes a study of the capacity of LAX which was capped at 78.9 MAP as a condition of a settlement agreement with neighboring communities that expires in 2015.
Week of June 8 - June 14, 2009
Airports offer relief for you and your pet - MSNBC
No bones about it, we’re a pet crazy country.
According to the American Pet Products Association’s most recent survey, 62 percent of American households own a pet. And, if the rise in pet-friendly hotels, restaurants, theme-parks and tourist attractions is any measure, many of those pets get to tag along when their owners head out on the road.
When those trips involve airports, though, things can get rough long before the flight leaves the ground. That’s because while every airport has plenty of well-marked restrooms for people, not every airport offers areas for pets to find relief.
In May 2008, the Transportation Department gave airlines a year to comply with new rules requiring accessible relief areas, and escorts to those relief areas, for passengers traveling with service animals at each airport a carrier serves.
Spokesperson Jenny Wedge says that while the new pet-relief area at John Wayne Airport in Orange County is small, “it does the trick and is ironically the same area where we used to have some planters where animals would relieve themselves anyway. Now we have an area clearly meant for animals that has a nice white picket fence, a fire hydrant and Astroturf.”
LAX to unveil new warning system on taxiways, runway - LA Times
Federal and local officials will unveil a new warning system that is designed to stop runway incursions that for years have endangered planes taxiing to and from terminals at Los Angeles International Airport.
The $7-million system relies on radar that is connected to status lights along a runway and eight taxiways deemed to have the highest risk for aircraft accidents. If the radar detects a potential conflict between two planes or an aircraft and a motor vehicle, the lights automatically turn red, alerting pilots to the risk.
John Wayne Airport posts May stats
Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport decreased in May 2009 as compared to May 2008. In May 2009, the Airport served 739,093 passengers, a decrease of 4.2% when compared to the May 2008 passenger traffic count of 771,124.
The Aloha Airlines' shutdown last April was not a factor in this month's decrease. Aloha did not serve JWA in either May 2008 or 2009.
It is unclear whether adding Virgin America flights this year had a positive effect on the airport's utilization. Air carrier operations rose by 1.4 percent for the month but many passengers may have switched to Virgin from one of JWA's other carriers for no net gain.
It is this website's position that JWA utilization will improve when the county allows more airlines to serve more new destinations.
WestJet to Canada from So Cal
WestJet Canada, will offer seasonal thrice-weekly nonstop service from San Diego to Calgary, Alberta, with all-economy 136-seat Boeing 737s.
WestJet has been on the waiting list of airlines seeking to serve Orange County's John Wayne Airport.
Week of June 1 - June 7, 2009
Passengers drop, but there’s hope - Glendale News Press
The number of passengers at Bob Hope Airport in April dropped 10.4% over the same period last year, according to the latest figures.
While it was still a drop, it was the first time in six months that the dip remained below 20%, prompting speculation over whether deflated travel budgets were starting to recuperate.
There were 407,716 passengers in April, 47,354 fewer compared with the same period last year, pushing the year-to-date total down 18.6% to 1.48 million, according to a report this week to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.
While the April figure was no cause for celebration, it marked the first time since December 2008 that year-to-year comparisons did not fall past 20%, airport Commissioner Charles Lombardo said.
Court Deems Airport EIR Adequate - Gazettes.com
The Fourth District Appeals Court ruled that Long Beach’s Environmental Impact Report for improvements at the Long Beach Airport was more than adequate, clearing the way for work there by the end of the year.
The ruling was unanimous, denying the appeal of the Long Beach Council of Parents and Teachers (PTA) of a previous Superior Court ruling judging the EIR adequate. That case, before Orange County Superior Court Judge Thierry Patrick Colaw, was pursued by both the Long Beach Unified School District and the PTA, but only the PTA pursued the appeal.
Denial of the appeal appears to end a six-year effort to certify an EIR for renovations and improvements at the airport. Attorneys for the PTA could petition the state Supreme Court to hear the case, but that appears unlikely, according to Assistant City Attorney Michael Mais.
Long Beach Airport continues to buck regional slump
Long Beach Airport passenger traffic was up 1.9 percent in April compared to April 2008.
Year to date, the airport's 4 month passenger volume was 3.5 percent ahead of last year.
