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Market Wire, August 30, 2006 - updated August 31
"Busy Summer Travel Season Ends With Labor Day Weekend"

"Los Angeles International Airport's (LAX) busy summer travel season concludes with the four-day Labor Day weekend. An estimated 810,000 travelers are expected to depart and arrive on flights at LAX from Friday, Sept. 1, through Monday, Sept. 4, an increase of 4 percent over the same Labor Day weekend last year."

"The year-over-year increase is largely due to record load factors and airlines adding flights to their late summer schedules. LAX airlines have added 4.2 percent more domestic flights and 1.9 percent more international flights compared with the same period last year. This is the first significant increase in flights by LAX carriers in more than a year, reflecting strong demand and the ability of the carriers to increase fares."

"Ontario International Airport (ONT) in the Inland Empire is expecting to serve approximately 80,000 travelers over the four-day holiday weekend, about the same as last year."

The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports "At Long Beach Airport, officials don't expect any larger crowds than the normal influx of travelers the facility handles during the summer, primarily because it's more of a driving holiday, said airport spokeswoman Sharon Diggs-Jackson."

"'We're seeing a small increase in car travel this year at least partly because air travel has become less affordable due to higher jet fuel costs,' said Auto Club spokeswoman Carol Thorp."

Website Editor: Most of the local airports saw passenger decreases for the first seven months of 2006 when compared to last year.

John Wayne Airport reports - without making any predictions for this Labor Day - "Last year, more than 93,000 passengers used the Airport during the Friday-through-Monday holiday."

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Voice of San Diego, August 29, 2006
"Appealing to Emotion: The Arguments over Miramar"

"The two sides have submitted their arguments for and against the November [San Diego County] ballot measure that could eventually lead to the closing of Lindbergh Field and move the region's international airport to Miramar. The statements give each side a chance to directly tell voters why they should check one box or the other."

"But at times, they read more like angry e-mails than the carefully worded arguments they're touted as."

"On both sides, they are visceral appeals to emotion. Voters will see them in pamphlets mailed by the county registrar. Both sides get 500 words of free advertising -- especially important in a race where both sides have raised little money."

Click for the entire report.

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Long Beach Press-Telegram, August 28, 2006
"Fake bomb threat delays flight out of L.B. Airport"

"A man on Saturday earned a one-way ticket to jail after allegedly calling in a false bomb threat at Long Beach Airport. Authorities arrested Yechezkel Wells (21) on suspicion that he raised the false alarm after being told he couldn’t board his Ft. Lauderdale-bound JetBlue flight because he arrived too late."

"'He was frustrated he wasn’t allowed on,' said Kenny Smith, a spokesman for the Los Angeles office of the Federal Investigations Bureau."

"Flight 243 was delayed 50 minutes as authorities interviewed Wells and his three companions and investigated all bags on the plane."

More . . .

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LA Times, August 27, 2006
"Residents, Merchants Weigh In on LAX Modernization Plan"

"A planning session Saturday with residents and merchants near Los Angeles International Airport underscored many of the challenges officials face as they try to modernize the 77-year-old facility."

"88 people who attended the four-hour session. It was the second such gathering since the proposals were unveiled Wednesday."

"Several participants Saturday continued to press for their preferred solution — moving much of the airport's business to other city-owned facilities, especially in Palmdale, where officials have had trouble attracting airlines, and Ontario."

"Many favored proposals to double-deck Century Boulevard or create direct airport access from the two freeways and bring the nearby Metro Rail Green Line directly into the airport. But they voiced strong opinions against any plan that would put more vehicles on the area's streets . . . saying Los Angeles is one of the few major cities in the world where local and airport traffic use the same streets."

More . . .

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El Toro Info Site report, August 25, 2006
ALUC challenges radio tower safety

The Orange County Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) reached across boundaries this month to challenge the safety of a tower in LA County. The Orange County ALUC reacted negatively to a finding by the City of La Mirada that a KFI radio tower - proposed to be reconstructed in that city after being struck by a small plane - "will have no impact on air safety."

ALUC called the tower in the vicinity of Fullerton Municipal Airport a "significant threat." The previous antenna at the location was involved in two fatal plane crashes that took three lives.

Each county makes its own decisions regarding land uses in the vicinity of airports. This can create issues when airports or airport environs developments are close to county boundaries.

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El Toro Info Site report, August 24, 2006
Unrealistic prediction, dubious explanation, bad result at JWA

Passenger travel at John Wayne Airport is down this summer though airport management predicted a substantial increase over a year ago. The Register reports “Airport officials, who had predicted a 10 percent surge this summer, aren’t sure why.”

“An industry analyst and a representative of a local travel agency suggest that part of the shortfall might come from growing airline options at nearby airports.”

That’s a dubious explanation. Passenger counts also were down for the first six months of the year at Long Beach, Ontario and LAX so it does not appear that “options at nearby airports” are siphoning off the missing 10 percent of JWA customers.

A more likely explanation is that the prediction was unrealistic. Long security lines, higher fares and scarce airplane seats combine to make flying a hassle to be avoided if possible.
The industry Air Transport Association predicted a modest 1-1/2 percent gain system-wide this summer.

In contrast with John Wayne management, Los Angeles World Airport officials made more conservative forecasts for this summer, predicting that LAX traffic would rise a little over 1 percent and Ontario passengers would increase by about 2-1/2 percent.

Unfortunately, as a byproduct of predicting a “10 percent surge” in passengers at JWA - and unwarranted fear that the airport’s 10.3 MAP cap might be put in jeopardy – county officials rejected an airline proposal to offer more flights. As a result, the traveling public lost additional flying choices and possibly more competitive fares at JWA.

The MAP cap is not in jeopardy. Unless there is a change, the airport appears headed towards 9.5 million passenger year. This might be a good time to rectify the error and authorize additional flights to new destinations from Orange County.

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LA Times, August 23, 2006
"Proposals to Ease Gridlock at LAX to Be Unveiled"

"In a proposal that would dramatically alter the main roadway to Los Angeles International Airport, city officials are considering double-decking Century Boulevard to relieve gridlock that chokes city streets around the world's fifth-busiest airport."

"Building an elevated six-lane concrete roadway over Century — similar to the raised carpool lanes on the Harbor Freeway south of downtown — is one of eight alternatives that officials will unveil tonight to reduce congestion around LAX."

"The proposals, which also include adding two under-runway tunnels on Sepulveda Boulevard, were devised over the last several months by airport-area residents and the city agency that operates LAX."

"In addition to double-decking Century Boulevard . . . alternatives include providing direct airport access from the 405 Freeway several blocks to the east and extending the Metro Rail Green Line."

Click for more. . .

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OC Register, August 22, 1006
"Rising over the Great Park"

"A 72-foot-wide orange helium balloon might rise above the old El Toro Marine Corps air base as soon as Oct. 14."

"The balloon may not be able to carry passengers on its first day, but its inflation will signal the launch of a new landmark for the county."
 
"Lennar Corp., the Great Park private developer, is paying more than $1 million in start-up costs for the balloon, and about $300,000 annually in maintenance and liability costs for the first three years."

Website Editor: The October 14 launch date confirms our expectations that the publicity grabbing event will occur prior to the city elections. Lennar's offer to pay for its installation and operation, well in advance of the park becoming a physical reality, was negotiated at about the same time as the developer sought city approval to triple the number of housing units on its portion of the former base.

The Register provides three articles today on the balloon and the Great Park Sports Park - the first part of the overall project. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2007 with a 2009 opening date.

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El Toro Info Site report, August 21, 2006
McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad

"The best way to handle San Diego County's growing airline traffic is to expand Lindbergh Field and to lengthen the 4,600-foot runway at McClellan-Palomar Airport, an economics professor said Thursday at a forum on the Miramar airport ballot measure."
 
Richard Carson, chairman of the Economics Department at UC San Diego, said "Diverting some jets to Carlsbad, while squeezing a second runway onto the 661-acre Lindbergh Field, would provide a much cheaper alternative to the estimated $7 billion plan to close Lindbergh and build a 3,000-acre international airport on Miramar Marine Corps Air Station."

McClellan-Palomar airport is three miles southeast of Carlsbad at Palomar Airport Road and El Camino Real, 30 miles north of downtown San Diego. According to Mapquest, it is 52 miles from the Irvine Amtrak station and closer to that from most of South Orange County

The airport currently offers service to Phoenix and LAX.

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El Toro Info Site report, August 19, 2006
County response to the Grand Jury on Great Park control

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors is scheduled to approve a response to the Grand Jury's recommendations regarding the Great Park.

The Grand Jury stated: "By relinquishing control of the Great Park, the Orange County Board of Supervisors helped contribute to the loss of countywide participation."

The Board's response boils down to: "The Board of Supervisors never had control of the Great Park."

In our view, immediately after passage of Measure W, the County could have purchased and folded most of El Toro's roughly 4,000 acres in to the county's 37,000-acres under the Harbor, Beaches and Parks Department. Despite the restrictions of Measure W, the county could have devised revenue generating sources on the property to gradually pay for park development. Once the airport option was dead, county voters probably would have agreed to some relaxation of the stringent land use limitations of Measure W or the resale of a portion of the property to private ownership to raise funds for the project. The Board - for a mix of good and bad reasons - had no desire to pursue a non-aviation reuse.

The Grand Jury also recommended: "The Board of Supervisors, representing all Orange County citizens, should consider legal action to return control of the Great Park to the people of Orange County." The Board will answer wisely that "There is no basis for legal action by the County against the City of Irvine."

Irvine's response to the Grand Jury recommendations is scheduled to be discussed by the city council on September 12.

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OC Register, August 17, 2006 posted August 18
"Slow summer at John Wayne Airport"

"Passenger travel at John Wayne Airport is down this summer – even though officials there had predicted a 10 percent surge over a year ago."

"This July, 876,431 passengers flew in or out of the airport, a 2.5 percent decrease over last year's July, according to John Wayne's most recent statistics. That downturn followed June's half-percent decrease."

"Yet in May, an airport official had forecast a 10 percent uptick because airline representatives said their summer bookings were up."

"Jenny Wedge, an airport spokeswoman, said it is unclear why forecasts were not met."

"The Air Transport Association of America, a trade group representing major airlines, had predicted only about a 2 percent increase in traffic."

"Los Angeles International Airport's passenger traffic is also down this year . . . a half-percent from last year."

"John Wayne Airport had 9.6 million passengers in 2005. The airport, through July, is on pace to come in with a 1 percent decrease over last year."

Website Editor: The overly optimistic forecast was used as basis for denying a request by Southwest Airlines to add over a half-million seats of service at JWA.

Insufficient service relative to demand is one of the reasons why John Wayne showed the greatest increase in air fares this year of any of the region's airports.

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Voice of San Diego, August 17, 2006
"[San Diego] Airport Authority PR Push Continues Without Review"
 
"Questions surrounding the airport authority's public relations campaign persist . . . Planning for the airport authority's family event -- a mix of clowns and Lindbergh Field capacity statistics -- was in full swing. The date was picked. The Balboa Park location was confirmed. Even a t-shirt company had been contacted."

"The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority's long-planned July public outreach event had been designed to spread the word about the authority's site-selection process. But it simply disappeared."

Website Editor: That's not unlike the anti-airport victory celebration promised at El Toro for July of 2005, then last October, now this summer. Our most recent inquiry has gone unanswered about the schedule for what appears to have morphed into a big-budget PR event.

"The cancellation is just one example of a recent change to a controversial behind-the-scenes planning effort -- one that has sought to convince San Diegans that Lindbergh Field will soon hit capacity and drag down the local economy. The $3.8 million outreach effort has been criticized for excluding viewpoints contrary to the [airport] authority's."

"The authority's election attorney cautioned the board about its outreach strategy. Some lines between education and advocacy are clearly drawn, he said. Others can be blurry. 'The view may be that the only reason you're putting information out a week before [the election] is to influence opinion,' attorney Lance Olson told the board." More . . .

Website Editor: Which leaves us wondering again if the launch of the big orange balloon and much delayed public celebration at the site of the future Great Park will occur just before the Irvine city elections in November  - to the PR advantage of the incumbents running for reelection.

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El Toro Info Site report, August 16, 2006
"Number of short flights could shrink" upsetting aviation forecasts

USA Today reports that "Heightened security at the nation's airports following the thwarted bomb plot could reduce the availability of short-hop flights in the USA."
 
"Short hops become far less appealing to travelers when they know they must arrive earlier at the airport, stand in long lines and be subjected to more-intrusive searches. Many travelers will drive instead."

"A USA TODAY analysis shows that the number of domestic flights shorter than 400 miles this month are 25% below August 2001. Over the period, flights longer than 400 miles are up 7%."

In Southern California, short trips make up well over one-third of all aviation demand.

This is one more reminder of why the Southern California Association of Governments consistently forecasted a greater need for airport capacity than actually occured.
SCAG has already pushed out the time untill regional passenger demand tops 150 MAP from 2020 to 2030 and is now working on a similar forecast for 2035.

In 1982, SCAG stated "By 1995, the demand for air travel is projected to range from a minimum of 88.4 million annual passengers (MAP) to a maximum of 109.9 MAP in the region." Actual passenger traffic in 2005 was 88,295,696. 10 years behind the predicted timetable, demand was just under the minimum projection for 1995.

Palmdale was predicted to be needed and operational in 1995, but it does not have a single flight today.

Forecasts of aviation growth could not anticipate the SARS epidemic that hit air travel in 2000 or the 9-11 terrorist attacks. No provision is made for disruptive future events, such as a repeat of this month's foiled airliner attack (or the similar one planned to destroy 11 planes over the Pacific in 1995), a bird flu pandemic, war, or a major disruption of the international oil supply.

Technological advances - some in the works and some only barely dreamt of today - also are likely to alter the need for air travel.

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LA Times, August 15, 2006
"4th Glitch in a Month Has LAX Blaming FAA"

"Top Los Angeles International Airport officials Monday publicly questioned whether the Federal Aviation Administration was adequately maintaining its air traffic control equipment after a key landing system malfunctioned, the fourth mishap in less than a month."

"The latest breakdown occurred Monday morning with the Instrument Landing System, the same equipment on the airport's south airfield that malfunctioned a week ago. The system shut down for about 40 minutes, slowing air traffic into LAX."

"To the dismay of LAX officials, the FAA still hasn't determined why the Instrument Landing System went down last week."

Click for more  . . . 

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Voice of San Diego, August 14, 2006
"Taxpayers: Bah to Miramar"

"The San Diego County Taxpayers Association's transportation committee has tentatively recommended opposing the November Miramar airport ballot measure."

"The association's transportation committee cited several factors in its recommendation, which is not yet finalized as it awaits input from interested parties. It said the expansion of Lindbergh Field hadn't been fully examined. The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority's insistence on a 3,000-acre template with two 12,000-foot runways 'predestined the outcome of their efforts,' the committee wrote."

"The association -- a nonpartisan fiscal watchdog -- has been previously been critical of the authority's search."

In a related matter, a different group, the anti-Miramar Airport San Diego Taxpayers for Responsible Planning, announced the election of J.R. “Jack” Batzler, RADM (USN, Retired) to the position of Chairman.

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 El Toro Info Site report, August 12, 2006
LAX trails DFW at mid-year

Passenger data through June 30th shows LAX in fourth place at mid-year on the list of the nation’s busiest airports behind Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas-Ft. Worth. The trend towards DFW overtaking LAX was reported by this website two years ago.

The recently expanded Texas airport is serving more passengers while the Los Angeles facility – once the nation’s third busiest - has shrunk in usage. Six month data from the airports, for all carriers, shows DFW served 30,166,825 passengers, up 4.5 percent from last year. LAX served 29,871,913, down 0.2 percent.

LAX also ranked behind DFW in numbers of flight operations.

Los Angeles’ declining position in the industry comes as a result of years of political concessions. Former L.A. Mayor James Hahn stuck to an election campaign promise to limit the airport’s utilization. His predecessor, Mayor Richard Riordan’s vision of expanding LAX to play a growing role in the local economy has been abandoned.

Instead, the City of Los Angeles and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) advocate regionalizing of air travel to Ontario, Palmdale and other, possibly reluctant airport communities that may be unwilling to pick up the shortfall.

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Market Wire, August 11, 2006 - updated
"Major Federal Air Service Grant Awarded for Palmdale Regional Airport"

"Mayors Jim Ledford of Palmdale and Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles announced the award of a grant from the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) today for support of the Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD)."
 
"The DOT SCASDP grant, in the amount of $900,000, was awarded to the City of Palmdale to support a revenue guarantee program for regional jet service, on a major U.S. airline, from Palmdale Regional Airport."

"Mayor Villaraigosa [said], 'This is a great day for the Southern California airport regionalization efforts that I have been committed to since my election. This has been a priority for me and I have worked closely with LAWA's new Board of Airport Commissioners and Executive Director Lydia Kennard to make regional air service at Palmdale a reality.'"

"Palmdale received the entire $900,000 it had requested, along with a match of $3.7 million in local commitments from the regional partnership known as 'Wheels Up Palmdale'. . .  The City of Palmdale contributed $1 million dollars of matching funds but the bulk of the funding, $2.3 million, came from Los Angeles World Airports."

Website Editor: Billions of dollars of investment are needed for Palmdale to achieve SCAG's goal of 12.8 million annual passengers. The $900,000 grant and matching funds may subsidize some convenient service for a relatively small number of North Los Angeles County residents. However, extensive study and a far greater commitment is required - including ground access infrastructure - for Palmdale ever to significantly "alleviate air traffic congestion at LAX" or play what is billed as a "key role" in the region.

Click for more from Market Wire.

Click for coverage in the Antelope Valley press.

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LA Times, August 11, 2006
"U.S. air travelers accept the latest security rules, even as they grudgingly discard personal items."

"U.S. airline passengers were forced once again Thursday to adjust to new, hastily imposed security procedures. And for the most part they responded with an air of resigned acceptance, even as they filled garbage bins with expensive perfumes, bottled water, shampoo — even fine wine."

"After some long lines and confusion early Thursday, airports across the country generally seemed to adapt to the new rules. By midafternoon, virtually all flights at LAX were running on or close to schedule."

"After British authorities said they had foiled a plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners with liquid explosives, federal transportation officials banned, at least for the moment, nearly all liquids and gels from aircraft cabins."

"That meant not only no bottled water, but no contact lens solution, no lip gloss, no toothpaste, no latte, no deodorant."

"Some of the newly designated contraband had a regional flavor. In Vermont, bins filled up with plastic jugs of maple syrup. In New Orleans, it was hot sauce. And at San Francisco International, 'we understand we have a good collection of wine right now,' airport spokesman Douglas Lyon said."

Click for more on what is permitted and banned and for a review of airport screening.

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El Toro Info Site report, August 10, 2006
Government reports LAX no longer nation's third busiest airport

Department of Transportation data released today and posted below ranks LAX as the nation’s fourth busiest airport for the five-month period ending May 31, 2006.

Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by Jan.-May 2006 System* Scheduled Enplanements
Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)
Jan.-May 2006 Rank	Airport	Jan.-May 2006 Enplaned Passengers	Jan.-May 2005 Rank	Jan.-May 2005 Enplaned Passengers
1	Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson	16.5	1	17.3
2	Chicago O'Hare	13.9	2	13.5
3	Dallas-Fort Worth	11.6	3	11
4	Los Angeles International	9.2	4	9.1
5	Denver	9.1	7	8
6	Las Vegas McCarran	8.6	6	8.2
7	Phoenix Sky Harbor	8.6	5	8.3
8	Houston Bush Intercontinental	8.1	8	7.4
9	Orlando	7	11	6.8
10	Detroit Metro Wayne County	6.9	10	7
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market
* System equals domestic plus international

The federal statistics are based only on data from U.S. airlines  – a disadvantage for LAX which serves many foreign carriers.

Statistics for all passengers on all airlines for the first half of 2006 will be published here shortly. This more complete data is expected to show that LAX – once the nation’s third busiest airport, and often still referred to as such – is trailing DFW in the number of passengers served.

Fifth place Denver International Airport experienced record traffic for the first half of 2006, up 11.1 percent over 2005 and is gaining on Los Angeles.

Year end data is the final determinant of airport rankings. That the Texas airport was moving up on Los Angeles initially was reported on this website two years ago. 

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LA Times, August 10, 2006 - updated 10:00 AM
"U.S. Airline Threat Level at Highest Level"

"Federal officials, in response to the alleged terrorist airplane plot foiled by British authorities, elevated the aviation threat level in the United States to its first 'red' and immediately banned all liquids and gels from carry-on luggage."

"Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the terrorists planned to carry liquid explosive devices and hide their detonating devices in commonly carried items like beverages or electronic devices. He said all such items would now be banned from carry-on bags, except for baby formula and medicines, which would have to be inspected."

"'We are taking the step of preventing liquids from getting into the cabin to give us time to make adjustments in our current screening tactics,' he said."

"In Britain, authorities arrested 21 individuals who were allegedly plotting to detonate liquid explosives in mid-flight on board six to 10 commercial flights traveling from Britain to the United States."

A spokeperson for Los Angeles World Airports said "passengers should come to LAX between two and three hours early for domestic flights and between three to four hours ahead of time for international flights." The plot targeted flights from Britain to the U.S., particularly to New York, Washington and California on United Airlines, American Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc., a counterterrorism official said Thursday.

For more details, click for reports from several other news sources.

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John Wayne Airport media release, August 9, 2006
"John Wayne Airport posts July statistics"

"Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport decreased in July 2006 as compared to July 2005.  In July 2006, the Airport served 876,431 passengers, a decrease of 2.5% when compared to the July 2005 passenger traffic count of 898,521."

"Commercial Carrier flight operations increased 1.7%, while Commuter Carrier (air taxi) operations decreased 1.9% when compared to the same levels recorded in July 2005."
 
Website Editor: With two of the summer's busiest weekends now accounted for, JWA traffic year-to-date is 0.9% behind 2005. While this is a small decrease, it supports our contention that the county could have allowed airlines to fly the half-million additional seats they requested without risk of running into the 10.3 MAP cap.

John Wayne served 9.6 MAP in 2005 and airlines were restricted to operating with the same number of seats this year.

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El Toro Info Site report, August 8, 2006 - updated
Newport Beach-County agreement on airport is delayed

Today’s Newport Beach City Council agenda initially included the following item of interest regarding the city’s efforts to gain control over the future of John Wayne Airport by wrapping it in a package of “spheres issues”. Note that the word "airport" does not appear in the agenda item title or description.


The “attached draft Agreement” was pulled and the staff report changed to read: “The City Manager recommends continuing this item to a future meeting in late August or early September to allow for continued discussions with County staff and supervisors.”

One county supervisor’s staff member told us “There is no deal between the County and the City.”  Another reported that the negotiations "are not going anywhere" so far as John Wayne Airport is concerned.

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LA Times, August 8, 2006
"Another Malfunction Leaves LAX Flights Up in the Air"

"LAX's already bumpy summer travel season experienced more turbulence Monday when a key landing system inexplicably failed, forcing jets to circle around Los Angeles and causing flight delays of more than 90 minutes."

"The computer snafu came three weeks after a massive radar failure at a Palmdale facility shut down flight operations around the region for several hours and as one of LAX's four main runways remains closed for repairs."

"Airport officials stressed that the computer glitch didn't jeopardize passenger safety."

Click for more.

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El Toro Info Site report, August 7, 2006 - updated
Airport regionalization faces resistance

The Southern California Association of Governments is working on its 2008 regional aviation plan. SCAG's Aviation Task Force heard in late July that staff's "preferred scenario" is "similar to" the 2004 plan allocation of traffic amongst airports.

LAX is projected to be capped at 78 million annual passengers (MAP) by the elimination of passenger gates. By closing gates, the terminals will be restricted from serving the 89 MAP that the runways are said to be capable of handling.

The only airports that have acquiesced to pick up the reassigned demand are Los Angeles-owned Ontario and Palmdale. Unless LAX expands, resistance from other airport communities may leave the region short of capacity.

Riverside County supervisors moved to keep the airport at March from being a "dumping ground" for reallocated passenger traffic proposed by SCAG.

Long Beach airport neighbors are fighting an expansion of their airport's terminal in a move intended to preserve the current limit on flights.

Burbank airport officials called SCAG forecasts for their airport "not achievable".  The airport authority has a ten-year agreement with surrounding cities not to expand Bob Hope Airport's terminal or parking.

John Wayne Airport is expanding its terminal, number of gates and parking space but airport officials are unwilling to acknowledge any capacity beyond what is allowed under the existing agreement with Newport Beach. See the report below about other efforts to constrain JWA.

So where will future travelers go to catch a plane with LAX service capped? Stay tuned as SCAG grapples with the question.

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Daily Pilot, August 4, 2006 posted August 6
"City stalls on pact with county: Agreement would have given Newport more control over John Wayne Airport and the bay."

"Newport Beach city officials were preparing to reveal a groundbreaking pact with Orange County that would give the city more control over a number of issues [principally the airport], but they pulled back late this week."

"The agreement was slated for Tuesday's City Council meeting, but city and county leaders need more time to look it over, Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau said Friday. The pact has been in the works for three years."

"'It still needs to be reviewed by some people at the county,' he said. 'We need all five supervisors to be there.'"

"The pact, which the city calls the sphere-issues agreement, would give Newport more say in the future of John Wayne Airport, some management of the Santa Ana Heights redevelopment agency and ownership of the Newport Dunes, and it would provide for comprehensive planning for the upper and lower Newport Bay. The airport is the centerpiece of the agreement."

"'Right now the city really doesn't have any control except the control that we have through the settlement agreement,' Bludau said. 'It would basically give the city a seat at the table in consideration of future expansion of John Wayne Airport outside of its current 500 acres.'"

"Bludau said he expects agreement to come to the City Council for approval in late August or early September."

Website Editor: This website has been following the negotiations which have occurred largely out of public sight. Our position is that the Board of Supervisors should not tie the hands of future supervisors who will have to deal with Orange County air transportation needs  - unless a comprehensive plan is in place to get travelers to alternative airports.

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LA Times, August 6, 2006
"Anaheim Transit Center Is a Step Closer to Reality"

"Anaheim's vision of one of the largest transit centers in Southern California — between Angel Stadium and the Arrowhead Pond and 15 years in the planning — is coming into focus."

"Plans call for the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center to include the county's largest bus terminal, a parking structure, platforms for Amtrak and Metrolink trains and room to add tracks for high-speed rail."

"The city has won a spot on the proposed route of the California High Speed Rail system between San Diego and Sacramento."

"[Anaheim Mayor Curt] Pringle also is on a commission of California and Nevada officials studying a 270-mile high-speed train linking Las Vegas and Ontario International Airport. Pringle is pushing to extend the route to Anaheim. The so-called Maglev train could ferry passengers at more than 250 mph from Anaheim to Ontario in 15 minutes." Website Editor: The Disneyland-Anaheim area is Orange County's biggest generator of air travel demand.

"Anaheim's plans also fit into the region's transportation needs, said Art Leahy, the OCTA's chief executive. With LAX congested and a cap on growth at John Wayne Airport, flights at Ontario International Airport are expected to increase as the region continues to grow, he said."

Click for the entire article.

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OC Register, August 4, 2006
"Newport nerves fray over Irvine Business Complex"

"Tensions between Newport Beach and Irvine are rising faster than condo towers as the cities spar over development in the Irvine Business Complex."
 
"At issue is whether Irvine should keep approving new housing in the area near John Wayne Airport before finishing an across-the-board environmental study, which could take 18 months. In strongly worded letters, Newport officials have called for a halt to the industrial area’s urbanization while the study is under way. Nearly 5,900 condos and apartments are awaiting approval, and the resulting influx of residents could jam Newport Beach streets and parks, officials say."

"Newport officials last month agreed to allow up to 2,200 new houses on their side of the border near the airport, but not before completing a full environmental study."
 
Click for more.

Website Editor: The Orange County Airport Land Use Commission is responsible for reviewing development projects in the airport environs. However, city councils can override ALUC decisions. The ALUC looks at encroachment by tall buildings on airport operations and the risks of excessive aircraft noise and hazards on persons in the buildings.

The ALUC's John Wayne Airport Environs Land Use Plan was based on airport activity in 1985 - when flights were fewer but planes were noisier - and has not been significantly updated since. An ALUC subcommittee is considering a possible revision. The plan is required by law to look 20 years into the airport's future.

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SD Union-Tribune, August 3, 2006
"Service at Tijuana airport on upswing, director says"

"Tijuana International Airport's director says the problems that have beset the airport since its privatization seven years ago are being solved and the facility is offering improved service to passengers on both sides of the border."

"At a presentation yesterday to the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce's Mexico Business Center, Enrique Valle Alvarez . . . expressed interest in cooperating with San Diego on a cross-border terminal that would allow passengers to check in on the U.S. side of the border and proceed across to take flights from Tijuana."

"The number of destinations within Mexico served from Tijuana has been boosted by six to 26 cities, and a weekly flight leaves for Havana on Saturdays."

"More international flights are in the works, Valle said. AeroMexico is considering offering service on Boeing 777s to Tokyo. Mexicana is weighing flights to Shanghai, China."

"Several airlines include taxi service from downtown San Diego in the price of their airline tickets. There also is shuttle bus service directly to San Diego and several California cities, and negotiations are under way to allow car rentals that permit motorists to drive into the United States."

"Valle said a cross-border terminal would better serve U.S. passengers and could double the Tijuana airport's 3.5 million annual passenger load."

Click for more . . .

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IWN, August 3, 2006
“The new Great Park Web site is up.”
 
“The Great Park Corp.’s Web site was redesigned to be more user friendly and to provide more updated information, said Marsha Burgess, the corporation’s manager of public affairs.”

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Voice of San Diego, August 2, 2006
"Struggling for a Buck: Miramar Fundraising Quiet Early"

"Political action committees fighting for and against the November Miramar vote have filed their first campaign finance reports, and one thing is clear . . . In a campaign where some managers have cited the need to raise millions, just $73,559 was raised through June 30."

"While proponents of the Miramar plan have raised more money, they appear to be facing an uphill battle. A private poll taken in mid-July shows 61 percent of the city's population is opposed to the ballot measure, with 34 percent in favor. The poll, which has a 4.3 percent margin of error, also showed that 48 percent of likely voters would definitely vote no on the ballot measure."

"It remains unclear how the opposition groups will coordinate their separate campaigns."  More . . .

Website Editor: The San Diego situation reminds us of the early days of the El Toro fight. Orange County airport proponents and opponents faced similar challenges of fundraising, organizing, and conducting such a campaign.

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El Toro Info Site report, August 1, 2006
Regional air travel inches up in first half of year; still lags pre-911 level

The six airports in the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) region -LAX, John Wayne, Ontario, Bob Hope, Long Beach and Palm Springs – served 43,080,905 passengers in the first six months of 2006. This is up only one-tenth of one percent from the 43,031,659 passengers in January thru June 2005 despite predictions of a busy summer season.

Bob Hope (Burbank) and Palm Springs International airports are the region’s only gainers so far this year.

Airport	6 months  2006	6 months 2005	Percent change
LAX	29,872,718	29,898,233	-0.2
SNA	4,690,483	4,716,762	- 0.6
ONT	3,466,992	3,478,634	-0.3
BUR	2,762,854	2,593,945	+6.5
LGB	1,374,939	1,498,772	- 8.3
PSP	904,842	845,313	+ 7.0
Total	43,080,905	43,031,659	+0.1

Total Southern California regional volume still hangs below its peak 2000 first-half record of 43,358,522 passengers. This is largely due to a drop in travel at LAX which served nearly 3 million fewer passengers in the first six months of this year than the 32,788,421 it served in the same months pre-911.

The Los Angeles airport, frequently referred to in local newspapers as the nation’s third busiest, may be headed for a drop in national ranking this year. Click here for previous news stories