Southern California Aviation News

[202_Cyclist]

United LAX-to-Shanhai flights get final approval

By Art Marroquin Staff Writer
Daily Breeze
Posted: 10/13/2010

http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_16332163?source=rss

Just one day after applying, United Airlines on Wednesday was granted approval by the U.S. Transportation Department to launch daily, nonstop flights between Shanghai and Los Angeles International Airport beginning May 20, officials said.

Flights will be offered on Boeing 777-200 jetliners configured with 267 seats. Continental Airlines will also offer the flights under a code-share agreement with United until the two carriers merge into a single operation sometime in late 2011 or 2012.

The route was approved just one week after federal authorities allowed American Airlines to offer daily, nonstop flights between LAX and Shanghai beginning April 5.

[PragmaticIdealist]

http://www.cp-dr.com/node/2831

Airport's Tailspin Imperils Development in Ontario

The future of land use in the City of Ontario is up in the air. Literally.

For 40 years, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) -- a subsidiary of the City of Los Angeles -- has owned and operated the LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT) under a joint powers agreement between the cities of Ontario and Los Angeles. Now, Ontario says LAWA has welched on its promise to increase air traffic at Ontario. So the city has launched an aggressive, frankly worded campaign to wrest control of the airport's operations and management from LAWA in order to get the most out of what is considered one of the primary economic engines of the Inland Empire.

As recently as four or five years ago, Los Angeles International Airport was approaching its mandated cap of 70 million annual passengers. To relieve pressure on Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), LAWA pledged that ONT's traffic would rise from roughly 7 million annual passengers in 2005 to its cap of 30 million annual passengers by 2030. As a result, the generally growth-friendly city adopted an ambitious general plan update that would promote development to complement what would be one of the 25 busiest airports in the country.

“Every real estate developer across the board would benefit from a boom in the Ontario Airport,” said Christine Iger, a political consultant who sits on the Urban Land Institute’s Inland Empire Committee.

LAWA’s pledge to promote ONT was the centerpiece of the effort to “regionalize” air travel in Southern California and, among other things, steer passengers away from long drives to LAX. Concentration of air travel at LAX is a big regional problem; no other large metropolitan area concentrates so much of its air travel in one large airport – and LAX is far away from most population centers. Previous efforts to coordinate air travel among the LAWA airports and other regional airports, such as Orange County John Wayne and Burbank Airport, had yielded negligible results.

But none of those results are so disheartening as those at ONT.

In the past five years, traffic there has gone down to 4 million annual passengers – a decline of almost half. Meanwhile, traffic at LAX has trended steadily upward. Ontario officials are blaming LAWA for the dropoff. They claim that LAWA, which is controlled by the Los Angeles mayor and City Council, has allowed landing fees and administrative costs to balloon in a deliberate effort to direct traffic to LAX in order to benefit the City of Los Angeles.

“The issue of LAWA’s control and the way they have handled the airport the last few years is largely regarded in this area as a form of economic warfare of the city of Los Angeles with regards to the economy of the Inland Empire,” said economist John Husing, whose work focuses on the Inland Empire.

City officials say that whatever benefit Los Angeles gained has been devastating for Ontario’s economy and, if it persists, threatens to undermine the city's newly updated general plan, which is part of a larger civic effort called The Ontario Plan.

The general plan update, adopted earlier this year, assumes that heavy traffic at ONT will generate demand for development in the city. Ontario Planning Director Jerry Blum said that the rule of thumb in the aviation industry is that a city’s airports create the demand for approximately one square foot of office space for every annual passenger. He said that the city's current supply of Class A space is sufficient for current traffic but that the city's plan calls for the several million more square feet that would complement a more crowded airport.

"At 5, 6, 7 million…the localized region probably has approximately that much Class A office," said Blum. City officials contend, however, that traffic will remain at low levels so long as LAWA remains in control. This means that land in and around the airport will be grossly under-utilized, they say.

“Right now, basically it’s being managed by an out-of-area landlord who really has no sense of what’s going on or the true economic value of the property,” said Alan Wapner, the Ontario City Councilmember who is leading the campaign to gain local control. “The city of Ontario sees it as part of the big picture.”

Wapner said that some of the airport’s 1,700 acres “are just dirt” and could be developed. Beyond the airport’s footprint, Wapner said that the city has planned for housing, retail, and amenities to go along with more development. The city even has what it considers an ideal site to accommodate airport-related development. Blum said that a 250-acre, single-owner parcel south of the 10 Freeway is ideally suited to be a new, aviation-fueled downtown.

“Ontario Metro Center area is probably going to be the next urban center in Southern California,” said Blum. “And it’s (premised) on it being driven by the airport.”

Likewise, ONT is seen as a hub of multimodal transportation in the region. The Gold Line light rail Foothill Extension is planned eventually go to ONT, and there has been talk of including the airport in the state’s planned high-speed rail network.

But regional boosters fear that none of this may come to bear as long as long as LAWA remains in control.

"To stay at 4 million or 5 million air passengers for 20 or 25 years would be disastrous," said Blum. The city’s Recovery Plan estimates that depressed traffic at ONT cost the city’s economy $400 million and 8,000 jobs between 2007 and 2009.

In September the City of Ontario published a white paper entitled "A Recovery Plan," which outlines what many consider to be an underhanded plot by LAWA to artificially depress traffic at ONT in favor of that at LAX. Every passenger ticket at ONT includes a 15% surcharge, and city officials contend that LAWA's management is bloated and that its wages are based on inappropriately high wage rates that prevail in Los Angeles. With local management, the city contends that it could reduce overhead, make tickets to ONT cheaper, and attract a flood of new traffic, especially from low-cost carriers such as Southwest and Allegiant.

Maria Tesoro-Fermin, spokesperson for LAWA, said that LAWA is willing to consider any proposal that the city puts forward for local management. Wapner said that the city has yet to make a formal plan or establish a timeline for submitting such a proposal.

Husing said that boosters across the Inland Empire have expressed their support for a more robust ONT. And, concurrent with the release of the city's Recovery Plan, the Southern California Association of Governments circulated a letter unequivocally supporting local control, by which “ONT can recover from the economic downturn of the past several years while positioning itself for long-term growth."

The letter notes that local control would put ONT on equal footing with other low-cost secondary airports, such as Long Beach. The city claims that ONT’s $14 per-passenger landing fees are unnecessarily inflated by administrative bloat, whereas they are $11 at LAX and $2 at Burbank Airport. Meanwhile, at $29 per passenger, ONT’s operating expenses are double those of other regional airports.

Perhaps most importantly for the city, local control would affect not only air traffic but also development both on and adjacent to ONT property.

Moreover, unlike in many cities that consider airports to be one of the ultimate unwanted land uses, the Ontario General Plan has already been designed to accommodate new growth. Moreover, the community has agreed to up to 30 million annual passengers (up from a previous general plan's cap of 22 million), so, unlike vitriolic battles over traffic at LAX, ONT's build-out is already cleared. At 30 million, it would rank as the 20th-busiest airport in the country, compared to current traffic.

Although the current situation suggests that the Ontario Plan may have been developed with overly optimistic air traffic projections, or on too much trust in LAWA. Blum rejects that contention.

“It was totally reasonable,” said Blum. “At the time, our numbers were going up. LA had been sued and they had agreements in place that they were nearing their 70 million maximum. They were having to push out our way.”

Ultimately, however, any grand plans for a new metropolis depend on LAWA. Though LAWA officials have said they will entertain proposals from Ontario, the prospect of giving up control remains highly uncertain.

“I doubt it,” said Husing. “LA’s got every incentive to keep us as a colony. If you’re hearing the disgust in my voice, it’s there.”

Meanwhile, southern California's air pollution, traffic congestion, and jobs-housing imbalances continue to drive skilled labor and the middle classes from the region to places that offer greater livability.

[PragmaticIdealist]

(KSBD Photo)

Million Air terminal at San Bernardino International Airport opens


10:00 PM PDT on Friday, August 6, 2010

By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
The Press-Enterprise

In order to get to Stater Bros.' headquarters, officials from the grocer's suppliers such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi and ConAgra fly into the new Million Air terminal at San Bernardino International Airport.

"Every business should advise their suppliers that we have the finest corporate airport in America," Stater Bros. CEO Jack Brown said Friday evening at a grand opening for the terminal.

It's one of 30 Million Air terminals that cater to corporate aviation departments and general-aviation flyers, offering lounges and high-end amenities.

Brown was among many local business owners and elected officials who gathered at the event. Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, called the terminal "phenomenal" and said it would be an economic driver for the region. Once corporate jets begin flying in, business opportunities shouldn't be far behind, he said. "Indeed, the country will be looking at us in a very special way," he said.

Million Air CEO Roger Woolsey said the company is going to highlight the San Bernardino terminal at other airports and in the company's magazine.

"We're pollinating our own customers," he said.

It cost Million Air San Bernardino, a franchisee of Houston-based Million Air Interlink, about $20 million to build the two-story terminal and hangar space for corporate jets and charters, and took three years to build.

"This will be the gateway to Inland Southern California," said San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris, a leader of the Inland Valley Development Agency and San Bernardino International Airport Authority.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/sbcounty...7.3190616.html

[202_Cyclist]

Airport's Tailspin Imperils Development in Ontario

The future of land use in the City of Ontario is up in the air. Literally.

For 40 years, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) -- a subsidiary of the City of Los Angeles -- has owned and operated the LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT) under a joint powers agreement between the cities of Ontario and Los Angeles. Now, Ontario says LAWA has welched on its promise to increase air traffic at Ontario. So the city has launched an aggressive, frankly worded campaign to wrest control of the airport's operations and management from LAWA in order to get the most out of what is considered one of the primary economic engines of the Inland Empire.

I don't doubt that high landing fees explain part of the drop in passengers at Ontario but this article ignores several other consideration, none having to do with LAWA. First, the Inland Empire has one of the nation's highest rates of foreclosures and one of the highest unemployment rates in the Southern California region. Second, LAX offers many international flights and connections with these flights via codeshare partnerships. International travel has been growing at a faster rate than domestic air travel for several years. Third, as noted repeatedly in other threads, many of Southern California's jobs are located on the westside and along the Wilshire Corridor, which is much closer to LAX. Finally, LAX is served by low-cost carriers such as Alaska and Virgin America, which prevents more price-sensitive passengers from using reliever airports that also have these low-cost carriers.

[202_Cyclist]

LAWA’s pledge to promote ONT was the centerpiece of the effort to “regionalize” air travel in Southern California and, among other things, steer passengers away from long drives to LAX. Concentration of air travel at LAX is a big regional problem; no other large metropolitan area concentrates so much of its air travel in one large airport – and LAX is far away from most population centers. Previous efforts to coordinate air travel among the LAWA airports and other regional airports, such as Orange County John Wayne and Burbank Airport, had yielded negligible results.

The Atlanta metro region only has one commercial airport, Hartsfield Jackson. Although Chicago has several reliever airports within varying distances (Midway, Gary, Milwaukee) I would think the concentration of that region's passengers at O'Hare is similar to what is found at LAX.

There is an event on this subject at the upcoming 2011 Transportation Research Board annual meeting in January. It should be interesting and I look forward to attending.

Event Title: Best Governmental Structures of Multiairport Operating Agencies
Event Date: Jan 25 2011 1:30PM- 3:15PM
Event Location: Shoreham
Presiding Officers: Moog, Roger P. - Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Sponsored By: Intergovernmental Relations in Aviation (AV010)

http://pressamp.trb.org/conferencein...D=20296&Email=

Learning Objectives:
1) Identifying the various governmental structures applicable to airports and airport systems
2) Understanding how different governmental structures affect the aviation system planning process
3) Analyzing the aspects of airline service in a multi-airport region and the resultant effects on aviation system planning.

Presentations:
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Governmental Structures and Impacts on Aviation Planning (P11-0678)
Clark, Patty - Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Multiairport Airline Service Aspects in Texas (P11-0680)
Penney, Kent - City of Fort Worth
Nonhub Multiairport Authority Issues (P11-0681)
Edwards, Tim - Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority
Rethinking Airport Improvement: Analysis of Domestic Airline Service to U.S. Metroplex Airports (11-3668)
Sherry, Lance - George Mason University
Donohue, George L. - George Mason University
Schaar, David - George Mason University

[PragmaticIdealist]

Why are Los Angeles taxpayers being asked to fund expansions worth billions of dollars at LAX when L.A.W.A. is legally-obligated to shift traffic to other airports?

Moreover, the actions of Mayor Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles City Council regarding ONT are undermining southern California's efforts, including those of the City of Los Angeles, itself, to attract and retain a desirable labor force. So, the policies of the L.A.W.A. and Los Angeles' continuing ownership of ONT are incredibly short-sighted.

Perhaps, the greatest irony, though, is that people on the West side may have an easier time getting to ONT than LAX despite the fact that Los Angeles International is located only a few miles away.

The citizens of Los Angeles should be demanding greater accountability from their elected officials who need to be focused on the long-term health of the city and of the region and not on any short-term economic benefits increasing traffic at LAX provides.

[PragmaticIdealist]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

I don't doubt that high landing fees explain part of the drop in passengers at Ontario but this article ignores several other consideration, none having to do with LAWA.

ONT has a cost structure that is, by far, the highest of any airport in southern California. Tickets regularly cost $100 more to the same destinations from Ontario than from LAX. And, fees at ONT are more than triple those of SBD.

The Southern California Association of Governments is not happy with the situation. And, the City of Los Angeles is jeopardizing its access to federal and state transportation funding by not cooperating with the M.P.O.

[202_Cyclist]

Terminal C construction on schedule

The John Wayne Airport project will have six new passenger gates and two commuter terminals.


Photo courtesy of the Daily Pilot
Workers are silhouetted in a large semicircular window at the new Terminal C currently under construction at John Wayne Airport.

By Sarah Peters
February 24, 2011
Daily Pilot

"JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT — The barrel-vaulted ceilings of the new terminal at John Wayne Airport were nearing completion this week, as construction crews entered the final stretch of an almost five-year airport improvement project, an airport spokeswoman said.

Terminal C will duplicate the look given to Terminals A and B, which were built at JWA almost 20 years ago. It will incorporate natural stone, neutral colors and the same vaulted ceilings, as much as new building codes allow, said project manager Khatchig Tchapadarian, of McCarthy Building Companies.

Tchapadarian and other airport officials took Orange County reporters on a tour of the construction site Thursday.

The $195.9-million project is on time, despite a few weeks of delay caused by winter rains, and is expected to be completed by November, he said..."

http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dp...0,197415.story

[202_Cyclist]

This is no surprise. I remember posting a few years ago on this thread that, at best, this seems like wishful thinking. Ontario airport is only twenty miles away and has plenty of runway capacity to accomodate demand from the Inland Empire.

FBI raids San Bernardino airport agency as part of investigation

Los Angeles Times
September 21, 2011

"The FBI on Wednesday raided the San Bernardino International Airport Authority and Inland Valley Development Agency in San Bernardino, agencies accused of rampant mismanagement and questionable financial oversight in a recent county grand jury investigation.

Both agencies oversee the development of the airport, the old Norton Air Force Base, which was shuttered in 1994 and converted to civilian use.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said federal search warrants were executed in six locations as part of a criminal investigation. Authorities with the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office and state Department of Justice also took part in the raids..."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...authority.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by Los Angeles Times

John Wayne Airport expansion: More parking, more restaurant choices, new terminal
The Orange County airport expansion is set to open Monday, with more parking, new restaurant choices, state-of-the-industry check-in and a third terminal.
By Chris Erskine, Los Angeles Times staff writer
Los Angeles Times
November 13, 2011

Beginning Monday, passengers at Orange County's John Wayne Airport will find more parking, more elbow room, state-of-the-industry check-in kiosks and an array of works from local artists. They'll also find more places to plug in a laptop and more places to lap up a lunch.

It's all part of the biggest upgrade at John Wayne since the airport's Thomas F. Riley Terminal opened in 1990, modernizing a facility that has historically carried more cachet than most regionals because of its landmark noise-abatement work in the '80s and '90s.

At the very least, the $543-million project will mean a better and more pleasant way for travelers to start or end a trip.

"It's a two-pronged approach," airport director Alan Murphy said of the project's goal. "We hope to make the customer experience better in hopes of attracting more airlines."

However, he added, "the basic architecture is the same. The thing they're going to notice is a more open terminal area and the way it's lighted."

The most striking change is the new Terminal C, home to Southwest and Frontier airlines. The terminal, which joins the existing A and B terminals, has its own short-term parking lot, and for the first time, a customs area. John Wayne's only international flights go to Canada, but the airport is hoping to add more, with Mexico being the most likely target.

"Flight of Ideas," a Plexiglas-and-steel salute to birds and the freedom of flying, will hang over the new baggage claim area of Terminal C, probably the most attention-grabbing of the new art displays that will grace gate areas and the bridges that connect the three terminals.

The space allotted to concessions will nearly double. One of the existing Starbucks is being replaced by a Ruby's Shake Shack , playing off a landmark in the Crystal Cove area of southern Orange County.

New bars and lounges will include a Hobie Sand Bar and the Anaheim Ducks Breakaway Bar & Grill. Laguna Culinary Arts plans to open an airport version of a farmers market, where travelers can grab fresh, healthful snacks.

Visitors also will find more short-term parking. The Terminal C parking structure adds 2,024 spaces, but construction closed others down, leaving a net gain of 1,024 spots at an airport that often reaches parking capacity, particularly at midweek. If needed, there is the option of adding 800 more spaces down the line.

Patrons will be able to swipe a credit card at the parking lot exit, a change intended to eliminate parking stubs and expedite payment. On-site lots cost $2 an hour.

Power-hungry passengers will find more outlets at gate waiting areas. As before, there will be free Wi-Fi, and there will be new work areas at gates as well.

Check-in kiosks will not be airline-specific in Terminal C, a change that will also be seen eventually in terminals A and B. It's all part of a general airport trend to use generic service areas that airlines can share and open and close to accommodate passenger loads.

"The major flaw with [John Wayne] is just that it is so crowded," said passenger Mike Mitchell, who estimates he uses the airport 16 times a year, mostly for business. "But I'm thinking that the move of Southwest to the new terminal may help alleviate that."

How big will John Wayne Airport get? That depends largely on adding new airlines and flights.

The 41st busiest airport in the U.S. handles about 250 commercial flights a day, compared with 1,700 at behemoth LAX. The new construction adds 282,000 square feet, but because of runway limitations on the cozy 500-acre footprint, John Wayne will never be able to handle the bigger A380 or 787 aircraft.

Curfews also limit John Wayne's traffic. No flights can leave after 10 p.m., and no flights can arrive after 11 p.m.

Still, whatever John Wayne is doing, people will pay attention, says Aviation Week's Guy Norris, citing the airport's past leadership on noise control.

"Will this prove to be a second gateway to the south?" he asked, speculating that John Wayne could one day join LAX as a departure point to Mexico and the rest of Latin America.

Read More: http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-...,5226584.story

[202_Cyclist]

Congressmen want review of Ontario International's sharp decline


Image courtesy of the LA Times.

By Dan Weikel
11/21/2011
Los Angeles Times

"Two California congressmen Monday urged U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to have the Federal Aviation Administration take action to reverse the severe decline at L.A.-Ontario International Airport.

Reps. Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) and Ken Calvert (R-RiversidE) also wrote to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, demanding that Los Angeles World Airports, which operates Ontario, take immediate steps to either improve business at the airport or turn over control to Inland Empire officials..."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...p-decline.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by Los Angeles Times

Facebook says LAX tops list of most 'social' airports
Los Angeles Times
December 13, 2011 | 9:06 am

Facebook has compiled a list of the world's most "social" airports and says LAX is No. 1.

The social networking behemoth found that more people share that they are at LAX than any other airport in the world.

Airports in the United States make up the top six spots on the list, with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the No. 2 spot followed by Chicago O'Hare International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport and Denver International Airport.

Australia's Sydney International Airport was the first air hub overseas to make Facebook's list, coming in at No. 7. Rounding out the top 10 were Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

To determine the rankings, Facebook tabulated data from people sharing their location at airports on Facebook as well as third-party location services between August 2010 and November of this year.

Further down the list at No. 15 was John F. Kennedy International Airport. San Diego International Airport was No. 17.

Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/tech...-airports.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by Los Angeles Times

LAX operations pump $40 billion into Southern California economy
Los Angeles International Airport supported more than 294,000 jobs in 2011 and added about $2.5 billion in taxes to the city, county and state, a report says.
By Dalina Castellanos, Los Angeles Times
August 20, 2012, 12:05 a.m.

Los Angeles International Airport helped pump $39.7 billion into the Southern California economy last year, and that number is expected to grow in the next few years as the airport expands, according to a new report.

The report by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. found that LAX's operations in 2011 supported more than 294,000 jobs and pumped billions of dollars from new construction and airport payrolls, nearby LAX-related businesses and tourist spending into Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The operations added an estimated $2.5 billion in taxes to city, county and state coffers, according to the report for Los Angeles World Airports, the operator of LAX.

"This comprehensive report underscores the irrefutable importance of commercial aviation activity at LAX, and indeed throughout the Southern California region, on our economic well-being," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement. "From passenger spending to the enhancement of national and international trade, LAX and our region's other airports are uniquely where the action is."

In 2011, 265,000 flights from all over the world landed at LAX, generating the employment and revenue streams for 25,540 people in all job sectors within the airport's property. The transportation and warehouse sector — including airline staff and freight handling — make up the bulk of the employment, with 16,809 workers. City, county and federal entities provide jobs for 4,225 people there.

With its ongoing renovation and construction, LAX had a monetary effect of nearly $2 billion in the Southern California region last year, with $850 million of capital improvement spending and $690 million in labor income, the report estimated.

"In total, these projects represent significant infrastructure improvements for the region," the report said.

The capital improvement projects by the Los Angeles World Airports could result in $590 million in tax revenue in Southern California, the study found.

Read More: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...wed+Stories%29

[dragonsky]

• Video Link

http://westfieldatlax.com/

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by Contra Costa times

Long Beach Airport unveils resortlike concourse, terminals
By Karen Robes Meeks Staff Writer
Contra Costa times

LONG BEACH - If it weren't for the commercial airplanes visible through tall glass walls, travelers might mistake the new concourse at the Long Beach Airport for a resort hotel.

Visitors will now be greeted by stylish new decor including plush red seats, elongated fire pits and a garden walkway - part of a renovation officials showed off Wednesday.

The new concourse - which will feature two terminal buildings, 4,200 square feet of outdoor seating and more than 10,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space for Long Beach merchants - is set to open to airline

The public will be able to check it out before the checkpoints are put in place Sunday (tour reservations are required).

"It's a community asset," Airport Executive Director Mario Rodriguez said in advance of the Wednesday evening unveiling that was attended by local dignitaries.

"It really is what we're trying to build here. It's their airport."

The $45 million terminal project - which is five months ahead of schedule and on budget - has been years in the making. The work was funded entirely through airport revenue.

The airport had already built a new parking garage as well as part of the modernization overhaul.

Read More: http://www.contracostatimes.com/cali...urse-terminals

[dragonsky]

• Video Link

Originally Posted by Los Angeles Times

Light rail plan for Los Angeles International Airport advances
Airport agency and Metro, formerly with competing visions, get together on four possible light rail station sites at LAX.
By Dan Weikel, Los Angeles Times
December 18, 2012, 2:16 a.m.

Plans to build a light rail connection to Los Angeles International Airport advanced Monday with the unveiling of four potential station sites that would link to a people mover serving passenger terminals.

The most expensive options are two underground station designs inside the central terminal area, west of Sepulveda Boulevard.

Another proposal calls for a station to be incorporated into a planned transportation center adjacent to Parking Lot C, near the northeast edge of the airport. The facility would serve light rail trains, buses, taxis, ride-share vans and charter vehicles.

The fourth possibility is to put a station about a mile east of LAX at Aviation and Century boulevards at Manchester Square, where a consolidated car rental facility and additional airport parking are planned.

Read More: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,7377861.story

[dragonsky]

• Video Link
The New Bradley International Terminal - LAX

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by The Burbank Leader

Metro breaks ground on new Bob Hope Airport-Hollywood Way Metrolink Station
Facility to improve train/plane link for Antelope Valley rail passengers.
By Daniel Siegal
June 21, 2013 | 5:22 p.m.

BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- Getting to and from the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank is already easy, but it's expected to be even easier. Officials held a groundbreaking Friday for a new Metrolink station.

The station will connect the Antelope Valley Line to the airport. The train won't go directly to the Burbank airport. It will drop off at a platform that will be built on San Fernando Road, about a mile away from the gates. Passengers would then board a free shuttle bus for the rest of the trip.

http://www.burbankleader.com/the818n...,4891494.story

[dragonsky]

• Video Link

Originally Posted by LA Times

Officials celebrated the groundbreaking Tuesday for the $2.06-billion north-south Crenshaw Line that will connect the Mid-City Expo Line with the South Bay's Green Line.

"This is a day that Angelenos deserve, a great day for L.A., a day to move America forward," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

The Department of Transportation also announced Tuesday that the project would receive a $545.9-million loan. The project also is expected to receive about $130 million in other federal transportation funds, according to a statement.

"This is a partnership -- a local, state and federal partnership," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...,1889081.story

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LA Times

Now open at LAX: the airport version of the Original Farmers Market

Now open across from Rock & Brews (“serving those who rock!”) in Terminal 5 of Los Angeles International Airport is the air-travelers satellite of the 80-year-old Original Farmers Market (“meet me at Third and Fairfax!”), dubbed Farmers Market at LAX.

On Thursday the airport version of the Original Farmers Market, which includes outposts of Loteria Grill and Monsieur Marcel gourmet market, celebrated its grand opening as part of the airport’s sweeping restaurant revamp. (In the same terminal is a Ford’s Filling Station and Skewers by Morimoto.)

A bas-relief replica of the Farmers Market clock tower stands at the entrance of what looks like a food court that also includes T&Y Bakery, the Coffee Corner, refrigerated shelves for “Farmers Market To Go” items and Bennett’s Ice Cream, and kiosks for Magee’s House of Nuts, Dragunara Spice Bazaar, the Dog Bakery and the Magic Nut & Candy Co.

Of the more than 100 restaurants and vendors at the historic Fairfax district marketplace, nine were selected by food service operator Delaware North Cos. “It was a matter of taking what sells best at the Farmers Market and figuring out how that would best work in an airport,” said Delaware North Cos. concepts director Cindy Martin. “Will people buy Magee’s nuts to snack on the plane? Absolutely.”

http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydis...612-story.html