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September 24 - September 30, 2012

John Wayne traffic picking up

Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport increased in August 2012 as compared to August 2011.  In August 2012, the Airport served 838,623 passengers, an increase of 4.5% when compared to the August 2011 passenger traffic count of 802,534.

For the year to date, passenger volume is up by 1.7%

Commercial aircraft operations increased 2.8%, while Commuter aircraft operations decreased 4.2% when compared to the levels recorded in August 2011.



Southwest departures dropped 37 percent at Ontario
- Press-Enterprise
 
Southwest Airlines, the company ferrying the majority of passengers at Ontario International Airport, cut its daily departures there from an average of 53 in 2007 to 33 this year.

The airline also trimmed flights at LAX and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, but the steepest drop was at Ontario, according to data obtained from statistics firm UBM Aviation. The airline added flights at nearby John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

Southwest’s shrinking schedule of flights accounts for at least part of the plummeting number of passengers at Ontario in the past five years.




Hawaii flights could be in John Wayne Airport's future
- OC Register 

Nonstop service to Hawaii could be back on John Wayne Airport's radar after Southwest Airlines flight attendants agreed to a contract change that would allow them to make over-water flights.

Brad Hawkins, a Southwest spokesman, said Monday that the airline has no immediate plans to initiate Hawaii flights anywhere yet, noting there are still regulatory, labor, market and aircraft fleet hurdles.

Nonstop Hawaii service would be welcome news for JWA travelers who lost their last nonstop flights to the islands in April 2008 when Aloha Airlines abruptly closed after filing for bankruptcy.

JWA officials have been in search of a carrier to bring nonstop Hawaii service back to Orange County.

"We have talked with a number of our carriers, including Southwest, about initiating service to Hawaii," said JWA spokeswoman Jenny Wedge. "At one time, Aloha operated daily departures to five Hawaiian destinations, and did so profitably, which indicates to us that Hawaii is a strong market and worthy of nonstop service."



Plenty of potential for LA/ONT, reports says
- Daily Bulletin

L.A./Ontario International Airport could become the busiest midsized airport in its region, a top Los Angeles official wrote in a report that contemplates serious talks between his city and Ontario that could lead to the airport changing hands.

Miguel Santana, Los Angeles' top administrator, says his city should say "no" to Ontario's offer but begin negotiations with Ontario officials for the potential transfer of ONT.

Ontario politicians, who have rallied support from their counterparts in other Southern California cities, have maintained that local control of ONT could reverse passenger traffic declines that have plagued the airport for the past half-decade.

Neither Santana nor the consultants, led by New Jersey-based Acacia Financial Group, blame Los Angeles-based airport managers for the downturn at ONT.
Santana's report lists four options for Los Angeles and Ontario officials to consider if they meet to decide the future of ONT.

In three of those options, Los Angeles would give up control of ONT.

The options:


Santana's letter is accompanied by a lengthy consultants report that blames recent declines in passenger traffic at ONT on the Inland Empire's economic problems during and after the past recession, as opposed to any conscious effort by LAWA managers to divert business to LAX.

Although Santana's openness to talks may signal an increased probability that some kind of significant change is in store for ONT, he asks Los Angeles' council to dismiss a purchase offer from Ontario that includes $50 million in cash in exchange for Los Angeles ceasing to manage ONT.



September 17 - September 23, 2012

LAWA releases report on ONT's value
- Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

How much is L.A./Ontario International Airport worth? A report released Monday by Los Angeles World Airports detailed the value of the Ontario airport ranged from $243 million to $605 million, based on several factors.

The exact figures depends on how much the airport would bring in the next 50 years.

A 60-page document, "Estimate of the Fair Market Value of Ontario International Airport" was completed Wednesday by consultant Leigh Fisher in response to a request by the Los Angeles City Administrative Office, which has been looking into the feasibility of transferring ONT to local control.

The report states that there are a number of factors which could change the value of ONT, including a reduction in airport operations as well as a growth in passenger traffic.



September 10 - September 16, 2012

Ontario to airlines - more flights, free rent
- Riverside Press Enterprise

Free rent, a break in fees and up to $500,000 a year worth of advertising appear to be offers to any airline that adds new daily flights at Ontario International Airport, according to a proposal from the airport's owner Los Angeles World Airports.

The airport's manager had already announced a plan to offer incentives but few details were known until Wednesday, Sept. 12, when Los Angeles World
Airports released a letter it mailed to the leader of Ontario's Airport Airline Affairs Committee.

Any incentives would need the approval of the Los Angeles World Airports board of directors.

Website Editor:  Orange County is currently offering $300,000 breaks to airlines offering service to new Mexican destinations.



September 3 - September 9, 2012

Bob Hope Airport usage slides

There were 347,501 passengers who traveled through the airport in July, a 6.5% drop from the 371,837 seen in July 2011, according to the report released to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.

Since January, the airfield has served almost 2.35 million passengers, a 4.8% drop compared to the same period last year.



O.C.'s foreign flights take off
- OC Register Travel

Interjet is the most popular airline you've likely never heard of. But that won't be the case for long. The fastest-growing airline in Mexico – and its largest, by some measures – plans to start flying out of John Wayne Airport next month. It's part of a surge in foreign flights out of Orange County as the economy rebounds.

WestJet has been flying from Orange County to Vancouver and Calgary in Canada for a year now, providing a shot in the arm to local tourism by bringing in north-of-the-border visitors with package deals to Disneyland.

AirTran, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest, jumped into the Mexico market this spring with daily nonstops from John Wayne Airport to Los Cabos and Mexico City.

Now comes Interjet, which, if it gets the final government approvals as expected, will begin flying to Guadalajara and Mexico City. It also has a tentative green light to fly to Los Cabos but says it hasn't decided whether to start service right way.

If all goes as planned, the average day at John Wayne Airport would have six or even seven international flights.



August 27 - September 2, 2012

Ontario adds Riverside, OC to authority mix - Press Enterprise

The city of Ontario plans to choose Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge and the head of the Orange County Business Council to fill out the rest of its recently formed five-member Ontario International Airport Authority, according to a statement sent from the city.

It’s the latest step in the city’s effort to gain control of the Inland airport from the city of Los Angeles, which has managed it since 1967 and owned it since 1985. The authority board wouldn’t have any oversight over Ontario airport unless the city of Los Angeles cedes control.

The board is made up of two members of the Ontario City Council, the San Bernardino County supervisor whose district includes the airport — and, still to be appointed, two prominent people selected by the Ontario City Council from the region that makes up the airport’s customer base.

During its regular meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 4, the council is expected to fill those two open seats with Loveridge and Lucy Dunn, president and CEO of the Orange County Business Council.

Dunn, who serves on the California Transportation Commission, described Ontario airport as a major asset.

While she said she has a strong bias for John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, she said the Orange County airport and Ontario complement each other and serve different markets. She said the authority would benefit both.

A thriving airport has been vital to Orange County, Dunn said.  “It is a critical infrastructure asset to Orange County’s economy and probably one of the reasons why we have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state,” she said.

As an airline passenger, she said, Ontario is her second choice behind John Wayne. “Please don’t make me drive to LA,” she said.



JWA posts July stats

Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport increased in July 2012 as compared to July 2011. In July 2012, the Airport served 816,536 passengers, an increase of 4.0% when compared to the July 2011 passenger traffic count of 784,927.

Commercial aircraft operations increased 3.6%, while Commuter aircraft operations decreased 6.1% when compared to the levels recorded in July 2011.



Expansion Plans for LAX, Called Sorely Needed, Come Under Fire from Neighbors -
KNBC-TV

Local residents sounded off on LAX's long term expansion plans at a public meeting at a restaurant near the airport Saturday.

The event at the Proud Bird was a chance for the public to comment on a long-awaited evaluation of alternatives to improve Los Angeles International
Airport.  Possibilities include demolishing and replacing three terminals, moving runways and connecting LAX to the county's light-rail system.

The changes would be the first major improvements for the aging airport since 1984.

Six years in the making, the draft document under review Saturday - available at www.laxspas.org - details nine different plans meant to increase safety, efficiency and capacity at LAX, which is now the world's sixth-busiest airport.



New airline plans O.C.-Mexico flights -
OC Register


An aggressively expanding low-cost Mexican airline has received permission from the U.S. government to fly from Orange County to three destinations in Mexico. Interjet originally hoped to begin flying Sept. 14, but has pushed plans back to October, according to John Wayne Airport officials.

The city is the third Mexican destination that would be served by airlines flying from Orange County.

The budget Mexican carrier plans to fly from John Wayne Airport to Guadalajara, a new destination for Orange County travelers. It also has permission to fly to Mexico City and Cabo San Lucas, two destinations that are already served by Air Tran, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines.



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