Los Angeles World Airports posts June results. Ontario stumbles
LA/Ontario International Airport posted June passenger statistics down 9.75 percent from June 2010.
For the 6 months through June, the airport saw 2,283,552 travelers - its slowest first half year since we began compiling records in 1990.
LAX traffic was up by 6 percent for the month.
Big food changes begin at O.C. airport - OC Register
The first of several new food vendors to enter a revamped food court at John Wayne Airport has opened with bigger terminal changes expected in the coming weeks, airport officials said.
Vino Volo, which operates more than a dozen wine bars in 10 domestic airports, has opened in Terminal B. The shop sells wines from around the world by the glass or bottle, offers wine tastings and sells gourmet foods.
Website Editor: Most airports trumpet more flights to more destinations. See reports below. Why all the fuss about a new way to kill time while waiting for your delayed flight?
July 18 - July 24, 2011
Allegiant Air to fly more frequently to Long Beach, Calif.- Las Vegas Review-Journal
Allegiant Travel Co. said Tuesday that the discount flier would start four more flights a week between Las Vegas and Long Beach starting Sept. 1.
Because Allegiant must use or lose its limited slots at the Long Beach airport, and because consumer demand for the Las Vegas-to-Long Beach route has risen, the flier doubled its schedule, a company spokesman said.
Airlines have also escalated their competition between Los Angeles International Airport and Las Vegas, going from 205 flights a week to 254 in the past year. Fliers that have entered the route or added seats include American, Delta, US Airways, Spirit and Southwest.
Airport has room to grow - Press Telegram
With the construction of a nearly 2,000-space parking garage complete, work continues across Long Beach Airport on more than $90 million worth of upgrades.
From a new 74,000-square-foot passenger concourse to runway rehabilitation, jet ramp improvements, landscaping and solar panel installation, airport officials are midway through a five-year modernization plan designed to accommodate the facility's tremendous growth in the past decade. The airport opened its new parking garage last week.
"The airport has seen continued growth, even bucking the trend of most other airports in recent years economically and in passenger volumes, and it's necessary we make these improvements to maintain the experience people like about this airport," said Mario Rodriguez, Long Beach Airport director.
Website Editor: The article says nothing about increasing the cap on the number of daily flights allowed.
July 11 - July 17, 2011
Long Beach unveils new airport parking garage - Press-Telegram
Long Beach Airport's new 1,989-space parking garage opens today, Friday, some four months ahead of schedule and $2 million under budget, alleviating parking congestion at one of California's fastest-growing airports.
The $58 million structure is expected to generate some $350,000 monthly while saving $80,000 the airport had been paying per month for shuttles to a remote lot, which itself cost $1.8 million to lease annually.
July 4 - July 10, 2011
Passenger traffic slides again at Bob Hope - Burbank Leader
Airline passenger traffic at Bob Hope Airport dropped by 6% in May compared to the same period last year, according to the latest figures — marking the third consecutive monthly drop that has pushed revenue below projections.
The airport reported drops of 5% in March and 5.2% in April.
Ontario Airport reported a similar passenger decrease for May at 5.8%.
The passenger drop came even as the number of available seats dropped by 6.5 % in May as airlines continue to eliminate flights to keep planes closer to seat capacity, according to the report.
Airport spokesman Victor Gill attributed the declines to high fuel prices and a flat economy.
Other regional airports saw dips in their passenger numbers. In Orange County, John Wayne Airport saw a 0.6% decrease in May and Ontario Airport reported a 5.8% drop. However, there was a 10.5% jump in passengers at Los Angeles International Airport in May.
Stage is set for John Wayne Airport noise debate - OC Register
Wrangling over the future of noise-related restrictions at John Wayne Airport is looming, and key players on the issue are arming themselves in hopes of preserving hard-won community protections.
Most airports are prevented by federal law from "reducing or limiting aircraft operations," but JWA has a grandfathered legal pact capping the loudest flights and passenger volume.
First signed in 1985, the accord pits Newport Beach and two residents groups, who aim to curb airport operations, against JWA, which says it wants to protect communities while also satisfying travel demand.
Amendments in 2003 loosened the constraints, and though the deal is good through 2015, negotiations over renewal and revisions could begin before summer's end.
"We've been working diligently behind the scenes," Supervisor John Moorlach said. Website Editor: Supervisor Moorlach is apparently wearing his Costa Mesa resident hat rather than his what-is-best-for-the-county supervisorial hat.
Eric Freed, access and noise manager at JWA, said it's "kind of premature at this point to even predict what will happen" with talks, describing a "balancing act" between meeting travel demands and minimizing disruption to neighborhoods.
Maintaining the status quo is expected to be a tall task. Airlines thinking long-term will almost certainly prod the airport – which is wrapping up an expansion of its terminal – to alter the agreement and provide more flexibility, say parties involved in the discussions.
June 27 - July 3, 2011
San Bernardino airport spending questioned - The Press-Enterprise
San Bernardino International Airport officials have spent the past five years planning for a deluge of air travelers. The fact that there hasn't been a trickle, or even a single passenger, hasn't stopped them from building ever-costlier terminals and other buildings.
A civil grand jury report issued Thursday faults Scot Spencer, the airport's developer, and Don Rogers, its executive director, for inadequately justifying the increase in cost and scope based on estimates of air travel headed to San Bernardino.
The report recommends the airport hire an auditor to examine $142.5 million in taxpayer money paid so far to contractor Spencer's companies for work on the terminal, the Million Air general aviation complex and a U.S. Customs building "to determine if the developer purposely inflated costs."
Among the concerns raised by the grand jury are decisions to increase the size and scope of a passenger terminal, the use of an auditing firm founded by the airport's executive director, and the potentially unnecessary purchase and repair of 11 jet bridges that are sitting idle.
3 airport communities fight L.A. for control - Daily Breeze
For decades, Los Angeles World Airports had managed a relatively happy family, leading four regional airports under a single banner.
But that relationship has fractured in recent years amid allegations that the three smaller siblings are neglected while all the attention is lavished on the agency's breadwinner, Los Angeles International Airport.
LAWA is now finding itself embroiled in a custody dispute with community leaders in Palmdale, Ontario and Van Nuys, who believe they can bring their respective airports back to prosperity.
Efforts to gain local oversight of LAWA's smaller airports appear to be gaining momentum.
After nearly three years of negotiations, Palmdale Regional Airport will likely be transferred this summer to the city of Palmdale.
Last month, the state Senate approved a measure that calls for creating an Inland Empire-based authority charged with negotiating a transfer plan for LA/Ontario International Airport. The measure now heads to the Assembly for consideration.
Last week, an alliance of nearly two dozen San Fernando Valley neighborhood councils called for a study to examine whether an independent panel should
oversee Van Nuys Airport, taking direct control away from the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners.
