Airports Southern California

Ontario and other airports in the Inland Empire are the clear beneficiaries in the latest revision of Southern California's airport plans. Under configurations being drawn up to accommodate the growth of passengers and freight expected in the next two decades, traffic through Ontario will grow to 15 million to 17 million annual passengers from 6.5 million today--as the airport's capacity grows to 20 million or even higher.

No daunting lines greeted passengers Monday at Southern California's regional airports. Traffic did not raise blood pressure. Parking was plentiful. The experience was very different from that at Los Angeles International Airport, where lengthy waits and other headaches nagged passengers trying to fly for the first time since last week's terrorist attacks. West Hollywood resident Elaine Curtis, 31, was waiting at a Burbank Airport terminal for a flight to Texas. "Did you see the parking lot?"

Farewell Orange County, Hello Inland Empire. Southern California public officials, concerned about an impasse over expanding Los Angeles International and other airports in the area, now are focusing on Ontario International Airport and former military bases in San Bernardino and Riverside counties as part of a regional solution to transportation woes that threaten future economic development. A delegation of area officials met last week in Washington with Transportation Secretary Norman Y.

Farewell Orange County, Hello Inland Empire. Southern California public officials, concerned about an impasse over expanding Los Angeles International and other airports in the area, now are focusing on Ontario International Airport and former military bases in San Bernardino and Riverside counties as part of a regional solution to transportation woes that threaten future economic development. A delegation of area officials met last week in Washington with Transportation Secretary Norman Y.

FBI Director William S. Sessions said in Washington on Wednesday that elements of Iraqi terrorist groups are in the United States, and Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates warned that the city could become a target for terrorist strikes. In addition, major airports throughout Southern California banned all non-passengers from boarding areas and took other security measures Wednesday.

When a single-engine plane plummeted into a home less than a mile from Fullerton Municipal Airport last week, Carol Varieur took more notice than most people. The crash killed the pilot and destroyed a house whose residents were away. It was the 31st incident--involving 12 fatalities--at or near the general aviation airport in the last 15 years.

FBI Director William S. Sessions said in Washington on Wednesday that elements of Iraqi terrorist groups are in the United States, and Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates warned that the city could become a target for terrorist strikes. In addition, major airports throughout Southern California--including John Wayne Airport in Orange County--barred all non-passengers from boarding areas and took other security measures Wednesday.

The cheapest way to get to the airport alone has always been a city bus. But if you're like most people, you go to the airport in a car, shuttle van or taxi. About 90% of the people who traveled to Los Angeles International Airport last year did so, according to an airport survey, and most of the rest took a chartered or special airport bus. Unless a friend or relative drops you off, a trip to LAX--with parking--can cost from $10 to $150.

Is Southern California ready for a major commercial airport out in the Mojave Desert, more than 80 miles from Los Angeles? Promoters say it is. They're betting tens of millions of dollars on it. Several regional planners say it isn't. They say that--in today's market, at least--it's a lousy bet. The debate has intensified in recent weeks as other plans for alleviating the Southland's increasingly urgent need for more commercial airfield capacity have bogged down in controversy.

Back in the not too distant past, when the Southern California economy was robust and passenger demand for air travel seemed limitless, regional airport planners worried--almost wistfully--about the day when new terminals and runways would be needed. Now, they really are worried.

A federal task force will create a draft plan for boosting capacity at Southern California's regional airports that Los Angeles officials can weigh against a $12-billion LAX expansion proposal, Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta told legislators on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Mineta and Federal Aviation Administration chief Jane Garvey met with local officials, led by Rep.

Following is a selected list of major national and international airlines that fly out of Southern California airports and other major cities in the United States. Aer Lingus (800) 474-7424 http://www.flyaerlingus.com Aero California (800) 237-6225 Aeroflot Russian Int'l. Airlines (888) 340-6400 http://www.aeroflot.org Aerolineas Argentinas (800) 333-0276 http://www.aerolineas.com Aeromexico (800) 237-6639 http://www.aeromexico.com Air Canada (888) 247-2262 http://www.aircanada.

Venting years of frustration at an airport they say has grown too large to warrant expansion, hundreds spoke out Saturday against the proposed $12-billion Los Angeles International Airport master plan at three simultaneous public hearings. The hearings come near the end of a 180-day comment period on the 12,000-page plan and accompanying environmental studies--five years and $65 million in the making. Ground zero for expansion opponents was the Furama Hotel in Westchester.

A local government organization that oversees regional growth gave final approval Thursday to a transportation plan that would limit growth at Los Angeles International Airport and encourage expansion of other Southern California airports. The vote by the Southern California Assn. of Governments, which is composed of more than 40 city council members and county supervisors from six counties, was a setback to Los Angeles airport officials, who want to significantly expand service at LAX.

A recently unveiled plan to expand Los Angeles International Airport assumes that other airports in the region will meet the city halfway in picking up the increased demand for air service. That may prove to be a precarious assumption. The LAX expansion calls on these smaller airports to triple their current levels of service. But some face a multitude of political and legal obstacles, while others generate little interest from the airlines because of their remote locations.

A recently unveiled plan to expand Los Angeles International Airport assumes that other airports in the region--especially in Orange County, with its plans for a sprawling new airport at El Toro--will meet Los Angeles halfway in picking up the increased demand for air service. That may prove to be a precarious assumption. The LAX expansion calls on these smaller airports to triple their current levels of service.

A Sun Valley airport shuttle services company faces possible revocation of its license for allegedly violating state law by using independent contractors as drivers, rather than company employees who receive benefits. The practice has also raised concerns that Prime Time may flood the market with too many drivers, who could improperly solicit customers. Prime Time Shuttle International Inc.

Nearly 140 airline flights at five airports in the Southwest were delayed up to 90 minutes when the region's new air traffic control computer in Palmdale failed, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday. The computer at the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center failed at 5:07 a.m. Thursday. It was fully restored at 8:05 a.m. It guides flights north of the U.S.-Mexico border, over parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and the Pacific Ocean.

The Mammoth-Yosemite Airport will be expanded to accommodate commercial jets, using $28.7 million in new funding from the federal government. The Federal Aviation Administration announced the funding in a letter of intent to Mammoth Lakes officials, airport director Bill Manning said Tuesday. The money will be paid over two years and will be used to lengthen the runway from 7,000 to 8,200 feet, widen it from 100 to 150 feet, and strengthen existing asphalt and concrete.

Though "airport" and "expansion" will always be fighting words from San Diego to Palmdale, it is possible to see the shape of Southern California's response to the challenge of growing air traffic. Briefly stated, this decade will see more cargo to airports in Ontario and the Inland Empire, more international traffic to Los Angeles International and a new airport at El Toro in Orange County that will alleviate but not solve shortages of airport capacity in Orange and San Diego counties.