Burbank Bob Hope Airport launches loyalty program - LA Times
Burbank's Bob Hope Airport has become the first airport in the state to adopt an airport-wide loyalty program.
The effort lets passengers who spend money on food, parking or souvenirs at the airport earn points toward airline and hotel loyalty programs.
The program, which was announced Friday, is an effort by airport officials to recover some of the passenger traffic that has been lost over the last few years.
Bob Hope Airport drew 5.9 million passengers in 2007, before the economic crisis lead to a drop in travel spending. Last year, the airport had only 4 million passengers.
Upgraded Palm Springs Airport tower ready for increased business - Desert Sun
Construction began in June 2010, and completion is on schedule, say FAA officials, who also add the $24.5 million structure is on budget. It was funded, in part, with $13.9 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as federal stimulus funding.
The new tower — which will be more than twice the size of the old 60-foot tall 1967 control tower and will sit atop a 7,000-square-foot base building — stands as a major update of the airport’s aircraft control system which has essentially been out of date since the main runway was extended to 10,000 feet in the late 1990s.
Commentary: Marketing JWA hurts Newport Beach - Daily Pilot
It is hard to serve the airport and our tourism interests at the same time.
Newport Beach resident Robert Hawkins, a member of AirFair, writes, "I fully support . . . Airfair's recent letter regarding our surprise and anger over the head of Visit Newport Beach Inc.'s participation in marketing John Wayne Airport"
Mr. Gary Sherwin "missed the point. First, he said he was doing this as chairman of the Orange County Visitors Assn., not as head of Visit Newport Beach Inc., the city of Newport Beach's visitor's bureau, which receives almost all of its money from the city. And second, he said that nothing in their efforts violated the settlement agreement."
"To the first point, if Mr. Sherwin's position as chairman of the Orange County Visitors Assn. creates a conflict for him in his duties as head of the city's visitor's bureau, and if he cannot resolve this conflict, by quitting one of the positions, then the City Council must resolve it by terminating its association with Mr. Sherwin and/or his corporation."
"More importantly, Mr. Sherwin appears to be in the dark as to the current settlement agreement negotiations, which have recently generated a draft project for the upcoming settlement agreement extension."
"If Mr. Sherwin's marketing efforts are successful, then the residents of Newport Beach will be assaulted by 300,000 more passengers during the years 2026 to the end of 2030. That conflicts with his duties to the city, and again, either he or the council must. . . resolve the conflict."
Click for the entire letter. . .
JWA traffic continues to recover
Airline
passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport increased in June 2013 as
compared to
June 2012. In June 2013, the Airport served 811,447 passengers, an
increase of
3.4% when compared to the June 2012 passenger traffic count of 784,849.
Commercial
aircraft operations increased 1.3%, while Commuter aircraft operations
decreased 25.2% when compared to the levels recorded in June 2012.
Cheapest airfares: Long Beach, Fresno, Oakland in the top 5 airports - Mercury News
California is home to four of the 10 most affordable airports in the nation, according to just-released Cheapflights.com research.
The website's 2013 Airport Affordability Index ranks 101 of the country's most popular airports (popular in terms of fare searches) by the average June airfares to top U.S. and global destinations.
Long Beach Airport, which was No. 2 last year, moved up to No. 1 with an average airfare of $216. South Carolina's Myrtle Beach vaulted from 42nd to second place this year. And Fresno's airport held firm at No. 3.
Oakland International Airport came in at No. 5 (up from No. 8) and Burbank's Bob Hope Airport, which was No. 1 in 2012, ranked at No. 9.
Another California airport, Orange County's John Wayne, came in just out of the top 10.
Website Editor: The methodology used is unclear. Cheapflights' website says they average fares for popular destinations like Miami, Cancun, London and Honolulu, none of which have direct service from Long Beach. The U.S. government generates similar statistics and it has always seemed that airports with short flights have low fares. Surprise!
July 8 - July 14, 2013
Ontario officials will face challenges if the city gains control of ONT airport - Daily Bulletin
Ontario politicians and business leaders insist their city must take control of L.A./Ontario International Airport, or the economic consequences for the area will be dire.
The Ontario International Airport Authority has been coy on exactly what steps it will take to improve air service at L.A./Ontario International Airport, if it can take control of the facility.
Around the Inland Empire, optimism is high. Perhaps, some say, Ontario can turn the airport from a sleepy backwater into a viable alternative to Los Angeles International Airport.
But boosters might be overreaching. Attracting air service is a cutthroat business, and airports from San Jose to Sacramento to Pittsburgh have tried for years to attract new flights, with limited success. Evidence suggests improvements brought about by new management could be slow and incremental.
Airline analysts and executives say Ontario's best chance at growth may come from short-haul flights along the West Coast. And even attracting those flights will not be easy. Ontario will be competing with facilities like Burbank Bob Hope Airport and Long Beach Airport [and John Wayne].
More . . .
Mandatory curfew would affect UPS, FedEx carriers at Bob Hope Airport - Burbank Leader
A bill moving through the U.S. Congress to allow Bob Hope Airport to change its voluntary curfew to a mandatory one is supported by the airfield and the city of Burbank, but it could present a tricky situation for UPS and FedEx, which rely on early-morning arrivals.
Back in May, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), along with Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), reintroduced the Valley-Wide Noise Relief Act, which would give Bob Hope and Van Nuys airports the authority to prohibit flights after 10 p.m. and before 7 a.m.
Commercial airlines at Bob Hope generally adhere to those hours. However, cargo carriers arrive earlier to begin processing deliveries for the day.
Currently, FedEx lands two flights each weekday, one at approximately 4:15 a.m. and another 5:40 a.m., with both departing at 7 p.m., according to airport spokesman Victor Gill.
UPS flies two planes into Burbank daily during the week — one at 4:30 a.m., which would be affected be a curfew, and the other at 4:30 p.m., which would not. The early arriving plane and the previous day's afternoon arrival depart at 7 a.m., Gill added.
The measure had failed to pass during the last legislative session. Schiff said Tuesday that he is hoping to meet with the chair of the House Transportation Committee to discuss the bill, and is looking to attach it to larger legislation — such as the FAA's next reauthorization bill.
July 1 - July 7, 2013
Burbank's Bob Hope Airport shows slight increase in passengers - LA Times
Bob Hope Airport in Burbank saw the number of passengers who passed through its gates rise slightly in May -- the second month this year to show an increase.
The airport handled 345,997 passengers in May, a 0.4% increase compared to 344,566 in May 2012, according to statistics released by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority last week.
This uptick came two months after a 0.27% increase in March, which was followed by a 2.4% drop in April. There were double-digit declines the first two months of the year.
Airport spokesman Victor Gill said it is too early to tell if May represented a new trend, and if so, whether it was due to specific actions by the air carriers or the impact of the improving economy.
FAA may revisit Upper Newport Bay flight path - Daily Pilot
The Federal Aviation Administration could revisit Newport Beach's request for an advanced departure procedure from John Wayne Airport that would dampen the roar of jet engines over homes neighboring the Upper Newport Bay, according to a letter the FAA sent the city.
But first, FAA officials said, the world's busiest airport is in line for a test version of the upgrade.
Starting this fall, Delta Air Lines pilots taking off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will have the option of flying a Required Navigation Performance departure procedure, which would "take aircraft on a curving path over a golf course" west of the airport, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor wrote in an email.
Atlanta was chosen for the prototype because its air traffic controllers have extensive experience working on other advanced satellite-guided take-off and landing procedures through the FAA's NextGen program, he wrote.
RNP departures until now have been reserved in the U.S. for takeoffs under difficult geographical constraints — as in Juneau, Alaska, where planes risk crashing into mountains if they veer off course.
Although Newport's procedure is still years away from guiding planes over the curves of the Back Bay, City Manager Dave Kiff said the letter was heartening.
JWA May Passenger Traffic Up - OC Business Journal
Passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport in May rose 7.8% from a year earlier to 799,755 passengers.
International traffic, which accounted for nearly 4% of the airport’s total for the month, was up to 30,677. The jump reflects the addition of service to Mexico by AirTran Airways last June. Interjet added service to Mexico from JWA in October.
Southwest, which includes its subsidiary AirTran, served the most passengers—333,447—during the month at JWA.
United Airlines was the next busiest carrier (133,060 passengers) followed by American Airlines (97,292 passengers).
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