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  #21  
Old Posted Nov 3, 2009, 6:33 PM
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Burbank flight ban rejected (LA Times)

Burbank flight ban rejected

Simon, Richard
Los Angeles Times
November 3, 2009


Federal officials on Monday dealt a serious blow to a decades-long effort to
restrict nighttime flights at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, asserting that to do
so would harm the national air transportation system.

The Federal Aviation Administration rejected a proposed curfew that would
have banned flights by airlines, cargo operators, charter services and private
pilots between 10 p.m. and 6:59 a.m. with some exceptions, including
emergencies.

The airlines now operate under a voluntary agreement not to fly between those hours.

In a 42-page ruling, FAA officials concluded that the restriction was "not
reasonable" because it would "create an undue burden on commerce." They said that other measures, such as soundproofing homes, are available for reducing aircraft noise in nearby neighborhoods.

Bob Hope, which is operated by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport
Authority, is home to 15 air carriers as well as private aircraft. In 2008, it
served about 5.3 million commercial passengers and had about 120,000 takeoffs and landings.

"We are disappointed, but we have not given up the fight," said Joyce
Streator, president of the airport commission, which plans to review the FAA
decision as well as options for challenging the ruling.

Local officials have fought for years to reduce aircraft noise for about
180,000 residents in Burbank, Glendale and Los Angeles who live along the
airport's southwest departure routes. In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in, striking down a Burbank ordinance banning overnight takeoffs.

The current proposal has become the focal point of one of the most
acrimonious homeowner battles in the San Fernando Valley out of fear that the curfew would shift flights from Bob Hope to Van Nuys Airport, increasing the noise problem there.

Since 2000, the airport authority has spent about $7 million to study the
night curfew and submit the proposed restriction to the FAA for approval. A
formal application was made in February.

The research indicated that between 2008 and 2015, the restrictions would
generate about $67 million in benefits for the public and $48 million in costs
to airlines, passengers, cargo carriers and general aviation.

The benefits of the curfew would include increased property values, lower
costs for noise abatement and a decrease in noise. The costs to passenger and cargo carriers would result from the elimination of night flights, canceling
delayed flights and transferring some operations to other airports.

In Washington, D.C., Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and Brad Sherman
(D-Sherman Oaks) said they would consider legislation as a way around the FAA, including nighttime restrictions for Bob Hope and Van Nuys.

The proposed restrictions ran into political opposition from FedEx, United
Parcel Service and other cargo companies and trade groups who said the airport exaggerated the noise problem.
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  #22  
Old Posted Nov 4, 2009, 6:11 PM
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LA airports' dream come true? (Daily Breeze)

LA airports' dream come true?

The Torrance Daily Breeze
11/3/09

Los Angeles World Airports' Disneyland initiative to increase passenger
traffic at its nearby regional hub, LA/Ontario International Airport, is a
hopeful sign that airport officials haven't forgotten about air
regionalization.

LAWA plans to focus on out-of-town Disneyland visitors as a new target
market for Ontario Airport - where passenger volume has shrunk with the
economy, from more than 7 million in 2007 to something less than 5 million
expected this year. The idea is to redistribute some traffic from both LAX
and John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

Redistributing air traffic from LAX is ultimately the right way to go for
the growth of air traffic in the region. All the improvements to LAX's
terminals and runways won't make the traffic surrounding the centrally
located airport any lighter. But any attempts at regionalization should be
backed up with practical approaches in ground transport.

Peggy Ducey, the consultant who presented the plan at a recent meeting of
the Board of Airport Commissioners in Los Angeles, said she had spoken to
officials from Disneyland and several Orange County cities, all of whom had
expressed support. LAWA doesn't operate John Wayne Airport, but many Orange
County officials and residents would rather have some air traffic diverted
from that busy Orange County airport, and underused LA/ONT would be a
willing recipient.

But making Ontario an effective Disneyland hub will take more than a clever
marketing campaign. As Ducey made clear, LAWA would have to figure out a
transit system since a majority of travelers visiting Disneyland use taxis
or shuttles to get there from the airport.

Here's an easy and doable suggestion: A FlyAway bus from Ontario to
Disneyland and back.

LAWA operates FlyAway bus routes to LAX from Union Station in downtown L.A.,
from Westwood and from Van Nuys. There are plans for another line from the
Amtrak/Metrolink train station in Irvine.

The easiest way to funnel visitors from Ontario to Disneyland would be a
similar FlyAway route, which could run every hour - every half-hour once use
picks up. It would stop at the Disneyland Hotel and also at the front gates
of Disneyland and California Adventure, for those who chose to stay
overnight near the Ontario airport and then hit the parks the next day.

LAWA could subsidize the cost to keep the price low for all riders, or could
make it free for anyone who comes back with a Disneyland ticket stub -
something along those lines. Combine that with Ducey's suggestions, such as
a price break on park tickets or rebates for hotels or flights, and you'd
have a very attractive package.

Of course, LA/ONT is not going to pull away all of the 1.8 million
Disneyland visitors a year who fly into LAX. But a good-size fraction of
those travelers could make a huge difference in the future of air
regionalization - and the passenger congestion that is routine at LAX.
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  #23  
Old Posted Nov 4, 2009, 7:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist View Post
LA airports' dream come true?

The Torrance Daily Breeze
11/3/09

Los Angeles World Airports' Disneyland initiative to increase passenger
traffic at its nearby regional hub, LA/Ontario International Airport, is a
hopeful sign that airport officials haven't forgotten about air
regionalization.

LAWA plans to focus on out-of-town Disneyland visitors as a new target
market for Ontario Airport - where passenger volume has shrunk with the
economy, from more than 7 million in 2007 to something less than 5 million
expected this year. The idea is to redistribute some traffic from both LAX
and John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

Redistributing air traffic from LAX is ultimately the right way to go for
the growth of air traffic in the region. All the improvements to LAX's
terminals and runways won't make the traffic surrounding the centrally
located airport any lighter. But any attempts at regionalization should be
backed up with practical approaches in ground transport.

Peggy Ducey, the consultant who presented the plan at a recent meeting of
the Board of Airport Commissioners in Los Angeles, said she had spoken to
officials from Disneyland and several Orange County cities, all of whom had
expressed support. LAWA doesn't operate John Wayne Airport, but many Orange
County officials and residents would rather have some air traffic diverted
from that busy Orange County airport, and underused LA/ONT would be a
willing recipient.

But making Ontario an effective Disneyland hub will take more than a clever
marketing campaign. As Ducey made clear, LAWA would have to figure out a
transit system since a majority of travelers visiting Disneyland use taxis
or shuttles to get there from the airport.

Here's an easy and doable suggestion: A FlyAway bus from Ontario to
Disneyland and back.

LAWA operates FlyAway bus routes to LAX from Union Station in downtown L.A.,
from Westwood and from Van Nuys. There are plans for another line from the
Amtrak/Metrolink train station in Irvine.

The easiest way to funnel visitors from Ontario to Disneyland would be a
similar FlyAway route, which could run every hour - every half-hour once use
picks up. It would stop at the Disneyland Hotel and also at the front gates
of Disneyland and California Adventure, for those who chose to stay
overnight near the Ontario airport and then hit the parks the next day.

LAWA could subsidize the cost to keep the price low for all riders, or could
make it free for anyone who comes back with a Disneyland ticket stub -
something along those lines. Combine that with Ducey's suggestions, such as
a price break on park tickets or rebates for hotels or flights, and you'd
have a very attractive package.

Of course, LA/ONT is not going to pull away all of the 1.8 million
Disneyland visitors a year who fly into LAX. But a good-size fraction of
those travelers could make a huge difference in the future of air
regionalization - and the passenger congestion that is routine at LAX.
The article sort of mentions both, does anyone know if that 1.8 million number refers to all Disneyland air traffic (including John Wayne) or is it just LAX. If it's just LAX then this makes a lot of sense, but I'm surprised that that number is so high. John Wayne is significantly closer to Disneyland than either LAX or Ontario. It would seem like a better plan would be to try and direct more Disneyland traffic to John Wayne.
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  #24  
Old Posted Nov 4, 2009, 8:20 PM
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mwadswor-- John Wayne (SNA) is closer to Disneyland but the airport is capped at 10.8 million passengers annually so there will be a need to shift some of these passengers to Ontario as the activity level there approaches the cap. I think Disneyland and northern Orange County is fairly close (30-45 min) to Ontario.

The 'Go Local' report by Landrum & Brown (http://www.eltoroairport.org/issues/...esentation.pdf ) some interesting information about the number of passengers who considered flying out of other airports and the destinations of passengers arriving at John Wayne. According to the presentation, many of the passengers already take a hotel shuttle to the resorts/hotels in Anaheim.
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  #25  
Old Posted Nov 4, 2009, 8:35 PM
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Quote:
The article sort of mentions both, does anyone know if that 1.8 million number refers to all Disneyland air traffic (including John Wayne) or is it just LAX. If it's just LAX then this makes a lot of sense, but I'm surprised that that number is so high. John Wayne is significantly closer to Disneyland than either LAX or Ontario. It would seem like a better plan would be to try and direct more Disneyland traffic to John Wayne.
Another possibility once high speed rail is built is a quick shuttle ride to the Anaheim station and then using rail to access Ontario International Airport. I looked on the CA High Speed Rail Authority website but I was unable to find the trip time for this route.
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  #26  
Old Posted Nov 9, 2009, 2:20 AM
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^I'm curious what Disney itself offers in terms of Shuttle service to the region's airports? I know that if you go to Orlando, you can check your bags at your origin airport and then just ride a shuttle to your Disney resort (your bags end up at your hotel and you don't have to deal with them after you depart). Does Disney offer up that type of service at LAX/ONT/SNA? Then again, most of the visitors aren't likely staying at a Disney resort here in SoCal.

I'd love to see the Disneyland monorail extended to the HSR transit station in either Anaheim or Santa Ana.

The FlyAway bus seems like a really good idea.
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Old Posted Nov 9, 2009, 4:59 AM
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^I'm curious what Disney itself offers in terms of Shuttle service to the region's airports? I know that if you go to Orlando, you can check your bags at your origin airport and then just ride a shuttle to your Disney resort (your bags end up at your hotel and you don't have to deal with them after you depart). Does Disney offer up that type of service at LAX/ONT/SNA? Then again, most of the visitors aren't likely staying at a Disney resort here in SoCal.

I'd love to see the Disneyland monorail extended to the HSR transit station in either Anaheim or Santa Ana.

The FlyAway bus seems like a really good idea.
Nope. Disneyland like you said is more geared toward the highly profitable local markets. I bet they have arrangements with certain shuttle companies or car rentals or whatever but there is nothing as convenient or free as Disney Magical Express in Orlando. The reason for that service is that Disney World competes with other multiday destinations like Sea World and Universal, whereas all Socal parks are pretty much the one park and you don't spend more than a few days maximum on them. Disney World wants people to come to Orlando for them and nothing else and keep them on property, so the free service makes more sense for them. Also the monorail probably will never go to the ARTIC transportation center. Renderings always show a nifty little people mover that probably does head over to the resort but who knows if that was more a vision than a plan.
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  #28  
Old Posted Nov 19, 2009, 7:31 PM
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South Floridians get new California options (Miami Herald)

These seem like weird routes. I understand that So. Florida is a large metro area and there are many businesses travelers between these city-pairs but I can't imagine that demand is strong enough for five daily nonstops. I would think most leisure travelers in California would decide to go to Mexico or Hawaii instead of South Florida.


South Floridians get new California options

OLORUNNIPA, TOLUSE
Miami Herald
11/19/09

The airways between tropical South Florida and sunny California are about to
become busier.

Virgin America's new nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco
International and Los Angeles International airports kicked off with a tarmac
party Wednesday, one day after JetBlue began flying passengers between Fort
Lauderdale and San Francisco.

Headlined by Virgin founder Richard Branson, Virgin America's celebration
featured music, martinis and speeches by elected officials and airline
professionals.

The two airlines have created increased options for travelers looking to fly
between the West Coast and South Florida, sparking questions of whether a price
war would ensue.

``When we announced that we were coming here . . . another airline managed to
get their flight plans sorted out in five hours, and announced they were also
coming here,'' Virgin founder Richard Branson told a crowd gathered in front of
two planes that had arrived from Los Angeles and San Francisco.

``They're only flying once a day, we're flying four times a day.''

Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention &
Visitors Bureau, said the new planes coming into FLL from the West will
translate into more jobs and tourism spending in Broward County.

She estimates each plane will represent $4 million worth of spending in the
area.

``It's going to open up that skyway so that [Californians] can visit us. . .
. It means about 400 passengers, four times a week -- that's 1,600 new bodies
coming into Greater Fort Lauderdale every week.''

The Virgin and JetBlue flights from California are the latest in a push to
raise Fort Lauderdale's profile on the national scene, Grossman said, noting
that the world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, and
the city's first five-star hotel -- the Ritz Carlton, Fort Lauderdale -- are
likely to draw new attention to the region as well.

Prices for the cross-country flights start at $99, one-way.

The new routes come during a trying time in which the airline industry has
suffered amid the global recession. Worldwide airline losses are expected to be
$11 billion in 2009, according to International Air Transport Association.
Losses are forecast to continue through 2010, with $3.8 billion in losses
expected next year.

The five-hour flights between Florida and California offer free Wi-Fi, video
touch-screens on each seat and power outlets. Leather seats with built-in
massagers are available for first-class flyers. Virgin filled the inaugural
flights from California with celebrities and contest-winners, offering music,
drinks and a sing-along on the flight.

``It was fantastic,'' said Ruth McCartney, the sister of singer-songwriter
Paul McCartney. ``We expect nothing less from Richard.''

Founded in 2007, Virgin America, flies to 10 destinations. It is
headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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  #29  
Old Posted Dec 4, 2009, 12:57 AM
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These seem like weird routes. I understand that So. Florida is a large metro area and there are many businesses travelers between these city-pairs but I can't imagine that demand is strong enough for five daily nonstops. I would think most leisure travelers in California would decide to go to Mexico or Hawaii instead of South Florida.
There are actually 12 daily non-stops between South Florida and the LA area (AA has seven; VA has two; Spirit, Delta and JetBlue have on each), which in 2008 was more heavily traveled than Boston-LA, Atlanta-LA or Philadelphia-LA.

It is a very busy air corridor, especially due to the entertainment/media/fashion industries and tourism (both tourism as in tourists, and tourism as in the industry behind it). You are underestimating how much Los Angelinos love South Beach - it's like LA, but with a real nightlife since things don't have to shut down at 2AM (which then becomes 1.30AM by default). I'm in South Florida 4-7x a year, though I have family connections.
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Old Posted Dec 5, 2009, 2:03 PM
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Airbus' California presence grows as Boeing's shrinks (LA Times)

Airbus' California presence grows as Boeing's shrinks

The European aircraft maker touts the expansion of its U.S. investments as its vies for a $35-billion Air Force contract for 179 aerial refueling tankers.

By W.J. Hennigan
LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,2813327.story

December 5, 2009

For decades, workers at McStarlite Co. in Harbor City pounded billboard-size sheets of metal into doughnut-shaped parts called lipskins that cover the edges of Boeing Co. jet engines.

But about 10 years ago, Boeing switched suppliers after McStarlite refused to cut prices to levels that the aerospace giant wanted. To stay afloat, McStarlite turned to Boeing's archrival, Airbus.

"I felt betrayed when Boeing left," said Simon Menzies, general manager at McStarlite. "But then Airbus came along and we've been doing business together ever since."

Airbus now provides about 85% of McStarlite's business. Just last month, Airbus awarded the company an additional $10-million contract to manufacture lipskins for the upcoming 300-passenger Airbus A350 XWB. McStarlite expects to add as many as 40 jobs beginning in late 2010. The company currently employs about 120 people.

"It's a tremendous boost to our business," Menzies said. "This new contract will provide us with work for the coming six years."

Airbus' contract with McStarlite is a snapshot of the European aircraft maker's increased investment in the U.S. In the last five years, the company, which is based in Toulouse, France, has doubled its spending in the U.S. to $10 billion.

From 2007 to 2008, Airbus said its spending in California had doubled to about $1 billion.

"Airbus has proven to be a strong business partner, with more than 100 suppliers throughout California," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa during the announcement of the McStarlite contract Nov. 17, which took place in front of City Hall.

"By doubling its direct economic investment, Airbus' commitment to the region is commendable and helps ensure that the aerospace industry remains a strong economic engine here in Southern California where it began," the mayor added.

Airbus has stepped up publicizing its investments in the U.S. as it vies for one of the Pentagon's largest contracts in decades -- and perhaps one of the most intensely sought after. The Air Force recently began its third attempt to award a $35-billion contract for 179 aerial refueling tankers. Airbus is competing against Boeing for the contract.

"If you can remind elected officials of your commitment to their area, it's important," said Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus Americas Inc. "We often get demonized. People sometimes think we're picking the pockets of the U.S. aerospace industry. It's not true."

Critics have argued that Airbus should not get the contract because the company could transfer jobs that were created with U.S. taxpayers' money overseas.

Amid these criticisms, McArtor said it was important for Airbus to show that many of its suppliers were located in the U.S.

Analysts said Airbus was taking a page out of Boeing's playbook. By contracting work with suppliers throughout the U.S., Airbus can build a political constituency with congressional members whose states and districts benefit from the manufacturing jobs. They could sway votes when large defense contracts are under debate.

Airbus has been touting how it is moving into California as Boeing has been shrinking its local supplier base for commercial planes. In 2005, Boeing had more than 7,500 suppliers in the state. By 2008, that number had dropped below 6,000.

"Boeing has been slowly pulling out of the state for a few years now," said Jack Kyser, founding economist of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

"It's a typical story of the aerospace industry in California," Kyser added. "Aerospace companies have found it to be politically expedient to have a presence all around the United States."

To be sure, Boeing suppliers in California still far outnumber the more than 100 that supply Airbus. And Boeing spends $6.3 billion on supplier purchases -- six times as much as Airbus.

Boeing also has a large footprint in the defense sector with a factory that produces the C-17 cargo plane in Long Beach. And it has a satellite operation in El Segundo.

But California's congressional delegation hasn't been organized as a voting bloc on defense contracts for about 20 years, said Jon B. Kutler, president of Admiralty Partners, a private aerospace investment firm in Century City. This could have an effect on Boeing's decision to move from California into other states, he said.

"California has been shockingly bad compared to other states' delegations," Kutler said.

Although Airbus may be building up political support to secure the tanker contract, now is a great opportunity for the company to invest in the U.S., said aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia of Teal Group Corp.

With a strong euro and a weak dollar, Airbus is getting a lot of bang for its euro in the U.S., Aboulafia said.

"If the dollar was at parity with the euro, it wouldn't make as much sense to invest," he said. "But looking at where the currency is now, investment becomes a necessity."

If Airbus is able to take home the tanker contract, the company is likely to increase its U.S. presence, Aboulafia said. Century City-based Northrop Grumman Corp., Airbus' partner in the tanker contest, has said the contract award would create more than 7,500 jobs for California's struggling aerospace industry, even though the planes would be assembled at a plant in Alabama.

By securing the contract and establishing a U.S. plant, Airbus has signaled that more U.S. suppliers probably will be added to streamline the manufacturing process -- which could help Airbus make more friends on Capitol Hill.

"Anything that increases manufacturing work in America is music to politicians' ears," Aboulafia said. "In the defense business, it's important to make friends and placate your enemies."
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Old Posted Feb 1, 2010, 3:09 PM
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O.C.'s only international flights begin in April (OC Register)

O.C.'s only international flights begin in April

By GARY A. WARNER and MARY ANN MILBOURN
The Orange County Register

http://www.ocregister.com/travel/can...ce-orange.html

(Update: Air Canada will offer introductory fares of $239 each way for travel from April 6 to July 10. Check the Air Canada website for full details, additional fees and restrictions. The last date to buy the specially priced tickets is Feb. 11.)

Air Canada announced today it will begin flying non-stop between Orange County's John Wayne Airport and Toronto, Canada, on April 6.


Air Canada jets are pictured on the runway of Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Service to Toronto from Orange County begins April 6.


Air Canada jets are pictured on the runway of Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Service to Toronto from Orange County begins April 6.

The flight will be the only international service to and from Orange County and will require an innovative customs and immigration system for passengers departing Canada for the United States.

The Register priced roundtrip airfares during the first days of service in April. According to Air Canada's website, the cost will be $848 roundtrip for economy class service. That is nearly twice the airfare for connecting service between Orange County and Toronto offered by Continental ($441), Delta ($444) and American ($444) airlines. Air Canada's business class fares on the route start at $3,343 roundtrip.

The trade-off for the higher price will shorter trips. Air Canada's non-stop would shave about three hours off the flight time each way of the best connecting combination of flights offered by other airlines.

The year-round service to and from Orange County will be daily and operate using an Airbus 319 aircraft.

The daily flight will depart John Wayne Airport at 8:00 a.m. and arrive at Pearson International Airport in Toronto at 3:41 p.m. local time. Flight time will be 4 hours and 41 minutes. The daily flight from Toronto will depart at 5:50p.m. and arrive at John Wayne Airport at 8:01 p.m. with an estimated flight time of 5 hours and 41 minutes. A formal lease must still be signed with the airport and approved by the Board of Supervisors, according to John Wayne spokeswoman Jenny Wedge.

"Everybody's feeling confident" about the service, Wedge said.

In addition to the lease, Air Canada must get state and federal approvals of the customs and immigration system it uses for other U.S. flights.

Under Air Canada's plan, passengers would clear U.S. customs and immigration at the Toronto airport. Anyone who did not pass muster would be denied boarding. At John Wayne Airport, passengers would disembark like those arriving on domestic flights.

John Wayne Airport currently has no immigrations and customs facilities, but plans to have them in the new Terminal C scheduled to open next year.

This is not the first international flight using John Wayne Airport. Alaska Airlines started Vancouver-Orange County service in 2002, but later discontinued the flights in favor of its service to nearby Seattle, Washington.

Air Canada said said the new service – one of seven announced to U.S. cities – was being taken in part to improve its chances of attracting passengers who would connect in Toronto to destinations in Europe.

Air Canada has been flirting with the idea of serving Orange County for more than a year. After rising to the top of John Wayne Airport’s waiting list in 2008, it was offered a chance last January to start service as early as the spring of 2009. But the bad economy apparently slowed the move, which some airline industry observers said at the time was most likely to tie in with the Winter Olympics that begin in Vancouver in February 2010.

The airline brought in aircraft in the summer of 2008 and spring of 2009 to prove they could pass the airport's strict noise standards. But from the last test in April until today, there was no activity. John Wayne Airport officials aid they were waiting for word from Air Canada and the airline declined to comment on its plans. When a new airport service plan was presented to county officials earlier this year, it once again included the open positions for Air Canada.

In addition to Orange County, Air Canada announced Wednesday it will offer new service to San Diego, California; Portland, Oregon; Memphis, Tennessee; Cincinnati, Ohio; Portland, Maine; and Syracuse, New York. All flights will be non-stop.
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Old Posted Apr 12, 2010, 7:17 PM
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Airport execs still look to land airline (SB County Sun)

Airport execs still look to land airline

Andrew Edwards and Joe Nelson, Staff Writers
04/10/2010
San Bernardino County Sun

http://www.sbsun.com/ci_14861943

The effort to transform the former Norton Air Force Base into a commercial airport is a gamble of more than $200 million that may well determine if San Bernardino can rediscover prosperity. Success would mean domestic and international flights landing and taking off from San Bernardino International Airport. It would mean travelers spending money at local hotels and restaurants. It would mean a busy airport employing well-paid professionals like air traffic controllers and aircraft mechanics.

It would also result in the initials SBD becoming as well known to Southern California travelers as LAX, L.A./ONT or JWA.

Failure would likely result in continued economic stagnation. The city's economy never fully recovered from the losses that accompanied the closure of Norton, and airport supporters say passenger travel would be the best way to reignite the economic engine that once was there.


A Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet N747A takes off from the AeroPro Corp. in March 2009 at San Bernardino International Airport. City and airport officials remain hopeful the airport will help rejuvenate San Bernardino. (LaFonzo Carter/Staff Photographer)

"This is a game-changer, for this city and this valley," said Mayor Pat Morris, who is also chairman of the San Bernardino International Airport Authority. "It provides tremendous inducement to businesses to locate, even those that are not aviation related."

But the hundreds of millions that have been spent on runway, terminal and road improvements in and around the airport are not enough in themselves to guarantee success. No commercial carriers have yet announced plans to do business in San Bernardino, and any airline doing so in the near future would also be taking a gamble at a time when their own industry and the Inland Empire economy are suffering.

"Where are you going to get the new airlines? Airlines already serve Ontario and Los Angeles," said Jack Keady, a former American Airlines marketing executive who now has a Playa del Rey-based travel and airline consulting company.

"It's a pretty far-fetched idea that you're going to get a new airline, and there are no start-up airlines," he said.



Globally, the airline industry has endured rough times since at least the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qaida terrorists showed the world that commercial jets could be used to murder thousands. In the years since, those troubles have been compounded by rising fuel costs and the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

The recession hit San Bernardino particularly hard. As Keady noted, an airline making a play for San Bernardino would be betting on drawing customers from a region with high unemployment and foreclosures.

Based on the principle that "money talks," Keady said San Bernardino International Airport management would need to find a way to guarantee that any airline coming to SBIA would be able to make money.

That's precisely what local officials are trying to do. In September, the Inland Valley Development Agency board decided to offer incentive packages to induce airlines to set up shop in San Bernardino.

The packages, which can be given to up to four airlines, include $500,000 in advertising and marketing money, SBIA Aviation Director Bill Ingrahm said.

The IVDA would pay airlines' landing fees for the term of the service agreement, which Ingrahm said is typically five years. The incentives also include revenue guarantees of up to $1 million annually for the airlines' first two years at SBIA.

Despite the aviation industry's current problems, Ingrahm said there's reason to expect SBIA can have a role in the marketplace.

Ingrahm said airports in Los Angeles and Orange counties have no room to expand, leaving the San Bernardino and Ontario airports in position to take on flights. Once the economy rebounds, there should be enough air traffic for both airports, he said.

But Ingrahm admits it won't happen overnight.

"When you look in a very long-term perspective, you realize San Bernardino's runway is very important. When I say very long-term, I mean decades," Ingrahm said.

Thus far, the most significant travel firm willing to try SBIA is Texas-based Million Air. Million Air is what's called a "fixed-base operator," or a terminal and fueling service for those who fly aboard private planes.

Million Air's franchise at San Bernardino can be seen near the north end of the airport from Third Street. The company's name is painted in big green letters fashioned to resemble the way the word "dollars" is printed on American currency.

From the outside, Million Air's terminal looks ready for business.

"The first week of May is our plan," said Terry Cross, Million Air's vice president of business development and operations.

Even in a weak economy, Million Air is counting on business passengers traveling to the greater Los Angeles region using San Bernardino to avoid heavy traffic in Santa Monica, Burbank and Van Nuys.

Resort amenities at Lake Arrowhead or Big Bear Valley, along with the potential to save time and money, could lure business travelers to SBIA, Cross said.

Construction to redevelop the base has gone very well, he said.

"We've been very impressed with their ability to rebuild the perimeter," Cross said. "You really don't know it was an old air field here if you don't know the history."

End of Norton AFB, beginning of SBIA

Norton Air Force Base officially closed in 1994. The efforts to convert the military base into a civilian airport have been part of a marathon job that is not yet completed, even though key figures in the transformation thought passengers would have been able to climb aboard jumbo jets by now.

It didn't help matters that the Air Force left Norton's facilities in less than pristine condition.

"The infrastructure was completely shot. The electrical, the gas, the water," said former flight engineer Stuart Williams, 60, of Highland, who was stationed 17 years at Norton before his 1991 retirement. "Everything out there was being band-aided."

Airport Authority managers say Norton's transition from military to civilian life was something that Congress could have handled better.

One of the biggest hang-ups was the government's requirement that environmental cleanups be completed before any property could be sold, said Donald A. Rogers, the airport's interim executive director.

This, he said, made it impossible to sell any property for a dozen years after the Air Force relinquished control.

Rogers also criticized the government for giving away Norton land to multiple entities in a patchwork pattern and not exempting the airport from the Endangered Species Act. The Airport Authority had to set aside 1,200 acres for the endangered San Bernardino kangaroo rat, preventing construction of a crucial second runway.

But Norton's conversion is not only an attempt to transform an Air Force base into a civilian airport. Former base land is also a place where hundreds of thousands of square feet of warehouse space have been built.

The Inland Valley Development Agency, a sister agency to the Airport Authority responsible for overseeing redevelopment of former Norton land, is another major component in the effort to bring jobs back to San Bernardino.

The construction around the airport is what made it possible for the Airport Authority to finance airport improvements, airport managers said. The IVDA gets a share of the property taxes generated by businesses in its territory and is then able to transfer the dollars to the airport to pay for construction work.

The largest example of new construction around Norton is Stater Bros. Markets headquarters. The grocery chain's 2.3million-square-foot facility opened in 2007 on what was the most blighted part of the former Norton Air Force Base.

The $325 million Stater Bros. headquarters and other facilities housing distribution centers for Kohl's, Mattel and Pep Boys have contributed to the rising property values and new tax revenues that have gone to airport construction.

In terms of capital investments, San Bernardino International Airport is almost complete. The airport has a new terminal, tens of millions invested into new concrete and a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility.

For months, the terminal has looked like an airport that's ready for action - minus the people. Airport managers boast that its ticketing counters have technology that would allow any airline's employees to quickly go to work and call up their company's flight schedule.

Television monitors are queued up to show snapshots of Southern California locales, and there are four jetway gates in place on the terminal's second level.

Behind the scenes, there's a state-of-the-art mission room equipped with the latest in communications gear, in case airport managers ever have to contend with a real-live crisis.

Building a full-service commercial airport hasn't come cheap.

The Airport Authority spent $60 million during the past six years on runway and taxiway work, including $15 million on a single job to pour new concrete 30 inches deep in order to improve a taxiway that SBIA managers say could otherwise not support the weight of modern jets.

The commercial passenger terminal cost $86 million, a fuel farm cost $12 million and $36 million in federal money went for road improvements on Tippecanoe and Central avenues.

There's also an additional $12 million to be spent on rebuilding an old rail bridge for automobile traffic in order to create a link to the airport from the 10 Freeway via Mountain View Avenue.

Still waiting for flights

Using IVDA revenues for construction means the airport will be able to operate at lower costs than other Southern California airfields, local officials said.

The airport hasn't had to borrow big money for capital investments and won't have to pass the costs of debt service on to airlines through its landing fees.

The upshot is that SBIA's managers are betting on the airline industry's troubles to attract carriers to San Bernardino.

"In my view, it's money. Because airlines are dying, every penny matters," said Donald Rogers, SBIA's interim executive director.

Still, success or failure remains an open question.

Using complicated assumptions, airport officials estimate they'll need 15 commercial flights a day to break even.

In 2008, airport officials said they expected passenger service to be offered by the end of that year. Public expressions of optimism continued to be made in 2009, when word from the top held that SBIA would announce a deal with an airline in that year.

But no airline has yet fired up its PR machine and spread word of new flights to and from San Bernardino. Airport officials have consistently said they are near a deal but cannot name names because airlines want the prerogative to make their own announcements.

"Everything is going as good as can be expected. We're just fighting a tough economy right now," Assistant Airport Director Michael Burrows said.

One thing that is known is that SBIA officials have been looking beyond the United States to find an airline.

Mayor Morris said he spent time during a November 2008 trade mission to Mexico City talking with Mexican business figures about the possibilities of direct international flights to and from San Bernardino.

"We have lots of movement," Morris said. "I can't tell you about it because they are ongoing negotiations."

Thus far, the most visible airplanes at SBIA are possibly the red-and-silver airtankers that fill up on fire retardant at the U.S. Forest Service base there when nearby mountains or foothills are on fire.

The airport's business plan is geared to discount airlines along the lines of Virgin America, Jet Blue, Frontier or Allegiant. It's hard to predict whether SBIA's future means that planes bearing the markings of those companies or other airlines will show up for business.

"There are things that can make it happen," said Michael DiGirolamo, a former deputy director of operations at LAX and airport manager at L.A./Ontario International Airport. "Whether Norton can jump on it, I don't know."

Success for Norton is not something that can be achieved simply by building new facilities, DiGirolamo said. Airlines need thriving markets, not brand-new facilities, and they need to have confidence that San Bernardino can be that market, even as the aviation industry is experiencing its worst depression in more than six decades.

"For it to become a commercial airport, there are some low-cost carriers that may be interested," DiGirolamo said. "It is going to take a very strong effort and a much stronger economy."

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  #33  
Old Posted Apr 12, 2010, 8:55 PM
pesto pesto is offline
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Isn't Ontario already under-utilized? Ontario is closer to basically everything except SB itself than SB airport is. Maybe private flights and cargo would make more sense for SB.
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Old Posted Apr 12, 2010, 9:08 PM
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Isn't Ontario already under-utilized? Ontario is closer to basically everything except SB itself than SB airport is.
I think flights are down 30%-40% at Ontario. from 2007-08. Even though the Inland Empire is forecasted to be one of the fastest growing regions of CA, I can't imagine there will be so much demand for aviation to justify this airport that is within 25 miles of Ontario. High speed rail will also divert some of the intrastate and perhaps Southern California - Las Vegas passengers to.
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Old Posted Apr 12, 2010, 9:38 PM
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Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist View Post
I think flights are down 30%-40% at Ontario. from 2007-08. Even though the Inland Empire is forecasted to be one of the fastest growing regions of CA, I can't imagine there will be so much demand for aviation to justify this airport that is within 25 miles of Ontario. High speed rail will also divert some of the intrastate and perhaps Southern California - Las Vegas passengers to.
You can blame L.A. World Airports for the decline in air travel at ONT. The City of Los Angeles keeps playing games with the fees at the inland airport. So, the four million people who live in the Inland Empire are often forced to drive to LAX.

ONT's fees are triple the regular fees at San Bernardino International. And, SBD is waiving them for the first four carriers. ONT has, by far, the highest cost structure and the highest fares in southern California

Last edited by PragmaticIdealist; Apr 12, 2010 at 9:50 PM.
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Old Posted Apr 12, 2010, 9:49 PM
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Reliable ground access has been the sticking point for airlines at SBD. But, billions of dollars are currently being invested in the transportation infrastructure to and from the airport, and the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board will be determining the alignment and stations for the Los Angeles to San Diego segment this year. San Diego County has no room for any new runways or gates, and Lindbergh Field is operating at maximum capacity. So, as ONT gets much of Los Angeles and Orange County's excess traffic, San Bernardino is positioned to get more of San Diego County's air-travel demand.

The population of the San Bernardino Valley alone is projected to increase by one million within the next 10-20 years, so the internal market is also expected to be robust. The Southern California Association of Governments projects SBD to be the fourth busiest airport in the six-county region by 2035 behind LAX, ONT, and John Wayne.
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Old Posted Apr 12, 2010, 9:59 PM
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This is the new executive terminal at SBD.
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Old Posted May 6, 2010, 5:19 AM
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Long Beach Airport moves ahead with improvement project
The plan to modernize the facility while preserving its Art Deco design and popular qualities has satisfied community groups and city leaders who scaled back earlier proposals.
By Dan Weikel, Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times
May 4, 2010

After years of controversy and a court battle involving local schools, the Long Beach Airport is moving ahead with a $136-million improvement project designed to modernize the facility without sacrificing its historic Art Deco terminal or reputation among travelers for convenience.

The project also satisfies community groups and city leaders who worked to scale back earlier proposals, which they feared would have weakened the city's noise ordinance that limits commercial and commuter flights at the airport because of surrounding residential neighborhoods.

Plans call for a new 1,989-space parking structure, ramp improvements and a concourse with a central garden and 11 gates that will replace the temporary trailers where travelers now wait for flights. About $2 million will be spent to refurbish the old terminal, which was built in 1941 and declared a historic landmark by the city decades later.

The project, however, will retain the open-air feeling of the current terminal complex, and passengers will still walk across the tarmac when boarding or leaving their planes. Baggage claim also will be partially enclosed as it is today.

"It will be pleasantly unlike other airports," said Mario Rodriguez, airport director. "Passengers will enter through a vintage terminal and pass into a modern concourse, all in a low-stress environment."

The parking structure, which will replace two surface lots and the airport's remote lot, is underway. After the City Council approves the final design in June as expected and contracts are awarded, work on the concourse and terminal improvements could begin by year's end. Everything should be completed in 2013.

"The project is designed to meet the needs and demands of our passengers," said Sharon Diggs-Jackson, an airport spokeswoman. "We want to keep it simple and efficient."

Long Beach Airport, which has been owned by the city since 1923, handles about 3 million commercial passengers a year, served by six airlines. The airfield is also popular among private pilots, commuter services and corporate jet operators, which account for about 300,000 takeoffs and landings annually.

The airport is known for its terminal, easy access by car and convenience for travelers who can usually get through check-in and security substantially faster than at Los Angeles International Airport or other major airports in the region.

Passengers say they welcome the new concourse and improvements as long as they don't lead to an increase in passengers or interfere with what makes the airport so attractive.

"We love this airport. It actually makes travel pleasurable," said Marlene Meng of San Pedro, who was there last week to pick up her grandsons and daughter. "They could use some new facilities. The airport is sort of a throwback."

The plan for the terminal and concourse will almost double the complex to about 74,000 square feet. Officials say the work will be financed with bonds sold to investors and the debt will be paid off over time with fees charged to airlines and passengers.

Officials at JetBlue Airways, which established its West Coast hub in Long Beach, said they were glad that the airport was finally proceeding with the project. Citing frustration with a lack of improvements, the discount airline indicated in April 2009 that it might cease operations at the airport.

"We had expressed our concerns earlier. The city has now really started to move forward. The parking structure is going full speed ahead," said Rich Smyth, vice president of corporate real estate for JetBlue. "We still have some things to work out, but there is nothing significant."

Earlier options for the project called for a much larger terminal complex: 133,000 square feet. But the proposals ran into opposition from community groups, who feared that the larger projects would encourage more flights and prompt attempts to weaken the city's noise ordinance.

Under the measure, commercial flights are now capped at 41 per day and commuter flights at 25. Today, the commercial slots are filled, and 16 commuter slots remain vacant.

In 2006, the Long Beach Unified School District joined the dispute when it filed a lawsuit alleging that the city's environmental analysis for the project was flawed and that dozens of schools would be affected by noise.

Two years later, a Superior Court judge upheld the city's environmental impact report, which concluded that the project would not affect noise and air quality.

Because of community concerns and the severe economic downturn in the airline industry, city officials steadily reduced the scale of the proposal to its current size.

"It's fabulous. It's the compromise everyone was hoping to reach," said Long Beach City Councilwoman Rae Gabelich, who opposed earlier versions of the project. "It serves the airlines, the project better represents the city, and it respects the noise ordinance that protects the community."
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Old Posted May 27, 2010, 8:50 PM
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John Wayne Airport expands with eye on Latin America flights (Daily Pilot)

John Wayne Airport expands with eye on Latin America flights

By Tom Ragan
Daily Pilot
5/26/2010

http://www.dailypilot.com/news/dpt-a...,5821065.story

Orange County is breaking out of its insular self as John Wayne Airport prepares for the possibility of international flights to Mexico and other destinations in Central America, which would follow in the contrails of JWA's new once-daily service to Toronto.

Construction began Tuesday on a walkway that will connect the airport's Terminal B to Terminal C, the future 280,000-square-foot facility featuring six new gates, which will go along with new international flights, said Jenny Wedge, the airport's spokeswoman.

Facilities for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will also be built, possibly turning John Wayne Airport into John Wayne "International" Airport. Technically speaking, however, the airport needs 15,000 international passengers a year and more than 2,000 international arrivals annually to be designated as such by the federal government.

"Right now, we have no plans to change the name," said Wedge, adding that the $540 million in improvements is expected to accommodate 10.8 million passengers between January 2011 and December 2015, according to a re-negotiated agreement between Orange County and the city of Newport Beach.

The improvements, she said, will be completed by December 2011. They started in July 2009. The new terminal itself will cost $195.9 million.

Other facilities to be added include a parking structure, three baggage carousels, food and beverage and news and gift concessions stands, along with the expected screening, security and checkpoints for international flights.

If no airline companies are interested in providing international flights, Wedge said, Terminal C can always be used for the overflow of passengers already occurring in Terminals A and B.

"It gets cramped in there right now," she said, adding that last year's total passengers came to 8.7 million, nearly 300,000 above the limit that was set in 1985 under the original agreement struck between Newport Beach and the airport.

At least $180 million of the improvements will be paid for by Passenger Facility Charge Revenues. That is, $4.50 per passenger is set aside to help fund major infrastructure development at airports across the country, the result of a law enacted by Congress in 1990.

To some residents, however, the so-called improvements are merely an "expansion" by the airport, and should be considered such, said Ron Darling, a former member of the Airport Working Group of Orange County.

"They love to play with the words and say it's just an 'improvement,' but it's really an expansion," Darling said. "People just don't understand. The problem is, it's the 29th busiest airport in the world and planes fly over hundreds of houses."

He said the airport property "is a tiny piece of property the size of a postage stamp."

According to Wedge, the airport is 44th busiest airport in the country in terms of its total number of passengers.

As for the 5,700-foot runway that sits parallel to the new Terminal C, it can only accommodate flights of five hours or less, Wedge said, adding that no bigger commercial jets will be brought into the fold.

The issue of noise, however, has been a source of constant complaints from hundreds of residents who live directly under the path of flights from the airport. JWA operates on 503 acres in what technically is unincorporated Orange County.

She said the airport tries to do everything within its ability to limit the noise from the jet engines by making sure all aircraft abide by several monitors installed to keep the noise to a minimum.
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Old Posted Aug 23, 2010, 3:23 PM
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New feather in JWA's cap (Daily Pilot)

I don't know why this paper or the OC Register can't seem to use the correct airport code (SNA) for Santa Ana/John Wayne.

New feather in JWA's cap
Airport 'improvement' includes three-level facility with six more gates, concession stands and checkpoints.


Work crews lay down the last piece of steel on the roof of Terminal C at John Wayne Airport. (Hand in, Daily Pilot / August 21, 2010)

By Joseph Serna
August 21, 2010

"John Wayne's brim got a little bit larger this month when developers completed the roof of the airport's new terminal, officials involved in the project announced Friday.

Construction crews from McCarthy Building Cos. on Aug. 2 laid down the last piece of structural steel on JWA's Terminal C, a new 280,000-square foot, three-level facility with six more gates for commercial airliners.

Crews began constructing the walkway connecting the terminal to Terminal B in May. Dubbed an airport "improvement" instead of expansion, the airport's remodeling costs about $540 million and includes more than just the new terminal. Construction crews are upgrading and renovating the airport's existing terminals to the tune of $102.3 million..."

http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dp...,4391724.story
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