Jwa

In these past months, Orange County bankruptcy events have forced Orange Countians to face reality in fiscal matters and county governance. However, the concept of realism seems to have not yet impacted the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) regarding the purchase of the John Wayne Airport (JWA). Supervisor Marian Bergeson, alone, of the 10 OCTA commissioners understands the reality of JWA. Recently at an OCTA meeting she asked, "How would acquiring JWA help the bankrupt county?"

The Transportation Security Administration plans to install full-body scanners to screen passengers at John Wayne Airport in the coming months, federal officials confirmed Tuesday. Scanners are planned for security checkpoints at all three terminals, including the new Terminal C set to open in November. Travelers randomly selected to undergo the body scans can opt to walk through the traditional metal detectors and receive a manual pat-down instead, according to the Daily Pilot. A recent public backlash about the machines' graphic depictions prompted the TSA to alter the images the scanners produce.

A July 20 editorial regarding the FAA's review of departure procedures was right on target when it called for "Safety First in Takeoffs." John Wayne Airport, the airlines, the pilots and the FAA all stand together in supporting standards that will enhance safety at JWA and at airports across the country. The editorial misses the mark on a couple of crucial points, though. First, it suggests that the new standards have not yet been implemented because of the noise test at JWA. In fact, as of April 1, 1992, every carrier and every departure at JWA meets or exceeds the proposed safety standards.

Rap singer and actor Snoop Dogg was sentenced Thursday to three years' informal probation and ordered to serve 160 hours of community service after agreeing to plead guilty to carrying an illegal police baton in his luggage while boarding a plane at John Wayne Airport last year.

The Transportation Security Administration plans to install full-body scanners to screen passengers at John Wayne Airport in the coming months, federal officials confirmed Tuesday. Scanners are planned for security checkpoints at all three terminals, including the new Terminal C set to open in November. Travelers randomly selected to undergo the body scans can opt to walk through the traditional metal detectors and receive a manual pat-down instead, according to the Daily Pilot. A recent public backlash about the machines' graphic depictions prompted the TSA to alter the images the scanners produce.

The Commentary by Richard Deeds ("One-of-a-Kind Noise-Abatement Policy Flies in Face of Safety," April 14) was very misleading. First, and most important, the departure procedures used by airlines serving John Wayne Airport have been determined by the Federal Aviation Administration to be safe for scheduled passenger service. The county's concern regarding FAA's current departure procedures stems from a desire to identify and plan for any environmental impacts which may result from changes to those procedures, not from any desire to usurp the FAA's exclusive regulatory and federally mandated responsibility to ensure the safety of this nation's air transportation system.

Two facts were overlooked in your recent article and editorial (Sept. 14) regarding my vote on the Commercial Airline Access Plan for John Wayne Airport (JWA) in relation to our TINCUP ordinance. First, for 5 1/2 years my airline access votes have been consistent: I have never wavered from supporting the most rigid policy to keep JWA on the cutting edge of new quiet aircraft technology. This requires providing incentives to encourage airlines to buy the quietest airplanes available.

Anti-airport letters to the Times contain propaganda that sounds as if it comes from one bad source. For instance in the Dec. 13 edition, Tristan Krogius of Monarch Beach said it is a fact the Millennium Plan is projected to create many more jobs countywide than an airport and six times the economic benefit by the year 2020. That is hardly a fact! It is closer to a pie-in-the-sky estimate perpetrated by anti-airport activists and refuted by experts who have studied both plans. There is a financial reason most business leaders, chambers of commerce, and unions support the El Toro Airport plan.

"Retain the El Toro Option" (editorial, Feb. 16), urging retention of the El Toro airport for future use for commercial air traffic, pulls the trigger without aiming. You miss the crux of the issue. With Orange County 86% built out and the John Wayne Airport operating at about half of its capacity in the hottest economy we have ever had, we don't need any more capacity than already exists at JWA. Simply by permitting existing flights to operate at their capacity and upgrading a few of the smaller aircraft, JWA can handle Orange County's needs into the future.

Smoke filled the cabin of a commercial flight leaving John Wayne Airport on Friday, causing it to return after takeoff, officials said. Paramedics treated three of the 108 passengers for smoke inhalation, an airport spokeswoman said. Southwest Flight 786 left for Oakland at 8 a.m. but returned 24 minutes later, she said. A minor mechanical problem caused the smoke and is under investigation, she said.

Travelers using John Wayne Airport will have another nonstop option starting in September. American Airlines is adding one direct flight a day between Orange County and Austin, Texas, the Fort Worth-based carrier announced Monday. Currently the airport offers nonstop flights to 23 destinations, spokeswoman Jenny Wedge said. The airport itself is also expanding, having begun construction in December on a parking garage and a third terminal to be completed by 2010. John Wayne handles about 9.

John Wayne Airport was at a standstill for several hours early Monday after a passenger retrieved a carry-on bag, which contained a suspicious device, before a screener could inspect it, officials said. The incident, which occurred shortly before 9 a.m., prompted the evacuation of passengers already aboard 10 planes and of hundreds more passengers in waiting areas. Police dogs searched the area and passengers were re-screened before the airport reopened about 10:30 a.m.

A Yorba Linda man charged in federal court with attempting to board a plane at John Wayne Airport with a loaded handgun, folding knife and 10 syringes in his carry-on bag has pleaded guilty to one of three counts in a plea deal. Ali Reza Khatami, 65, was scheduled to go on trial next week on a three-count indictment of attempting to carry a concealed weapon onto an aircraft. He pleaded guilty to carrying the loaded handgun Tuesday in exchange for the promise of a lenient sentence.

New security checkpoints have opened at John Wayne Airport, shortening the passenger wait by half, officials said. Justin McCusker, an airport spokesman, said 3,400 feet of floor space was added in the main terminal to make room for eight additional screening lines, four at each of the north and south ends of the terminal. McCusker said airport officials had wanted the checkpoints to be completed by the July 4 weekend, when the summer travel season booms. County supervisors approved the $4.

SANTA ANA A pilot escaped injury Friday when he missed the runway at John Wayne Airport and landed in a field, officials said. No one on the ground was injured and no flights were affected after the 2:30 p.m. incident, an airport spokesman said. The pilot, who was not identified, was landing the Extra 300, an acrobatic aircraft, but skidded off the runway and ended up in a grassy area, said Justin McCusker, an airport spokesman. Damage to the aircraft was minimal, he said.

Bolstered by heavy travel over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, John Wayne Airport reached a record 8.5 million passengers in 2003, officials said Friday. On Dec. 1 alone, the airport handled 31,518 passengers, most of them returning from their Thanksgiving holidays. It was the busiest day in the history of the airport, John Wayne officials say. "Business is definitely good," airport director Alan Murphy said.

Travelers using John Wayne Airport will have another nonstop option starting in September. American Airlines is adding one direct flight a day between Orange County and Austin, Texas, the Fort Worth-based carrier announced Monday. Currently the airport offers nonstop flights to 23 destinations, spokeswoman Jenny Wedge said. The airport itself is also expanding, having begun construction in December on a parking garage and a third terminal to be completed by 2010. John Wayne handles about 9.

SANTA ANA A pilot escaped injury Friday when he missed the runway at John Wayne Airport and landed in a field, officials said. No one on the ground was injured and no flights were affected after the 2:30 p.m. incident, an airport spokesman said. The pilot, who was not identified, was landing the Extra 300, an acrobatic aircraft, but skidded off the runway and ended up in a grassy area, said Justin McCusker, an airport spokesman. Damage to the aircraft was minimal, he said.

Aloha Airlines has applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for two daily nonstop flights from John Wayne Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. If approved, the route would provide the only nonstop service between Washington, D.C., and Orange County, airline officials said. The new flights would begin July 1.

Construction is underway on two temporary gates at John Wayne Airport that will serve passengers until the main terminal can add six permanent gates to accommodate projected growth. The $1.1-million temporary facilities will be housed in two modular structures at the terminal's north and south ends. Each can handle 250 passengers at a time. Workers are preparing the north side for the first modular building, which will be formed by joining six 12-foot-by-50-foot prefabricated trailers.