LOS ANGELES AREA AIRPORTS

[saiholmes]

Encounter at LAX closed by falling arches
By Jennifer Oldham, Times Staff Writer
March 9, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-03/28305651.jpg

Officials shuttered the Encounter Restaurant in the iconic Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday after workers discovered that space-age arches above the eatery are unstable.

Inspectors uncovered the problem after a 1,000-pound piece of white stucco fell off the underside of one of the upper arches last month, smashed into the facility's roof and broke into dozens of pieces. No one was injured. Officials said it took days to diagnose the problem because they had to find a "cherry picker" crane that would reach 90 feet above the ground.

Although part of the lower portions of the four arches were retrofitted in 1999, the upper portions above the restaurant haven't been modified since the arches were erected in the late 1950s, officials said. The steel-and-stucco parabolas don't provide structural support for the glass-encased restaurant — which offers panoramic views of the airport below.

Officials said retrofitting the upper arches is expected to take months. The restaurant's closing and the need to surround the landmark Theme Building with scaffolding are a blow to city officials, who are eagerly awaiting worldwide media attention for the arrival March 19 of the massive Airbus A380 on its first U.S. test flight. The Theme Building — along with the Hollywood sign — has long been considered one of the city's signature sites.

The restaurant, which struggled to recover from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, will be closed for at least three months.

City leaders Thursday found parallels between the crumbling icon and aging LAX — which officials have spent $150 million and more than a decade trying to modernize.

"It certainly is a symbol," said Alan Rothenberg, president of the city's Airport Commission. "Unfortunately, we have an old facility…. There's lots of deferred maintenance."

Late Wednesday, engineers suspended high above the restaurant discovered several apparently loose panels in the arches — leading officials to shut down the restaurant. After the panel fell last month, workers built a covered walkway near the building for restaurant patrons and employees to use to reach a commissary, deli and offices under the eatery.

"Over the years — this structure was completed in 1961 — water has gotten into the stucco" and caused it to corrode, said Dave Shuter, a deputy executive director at the city's airport agency.

Engineers said they must remove the stucco from the upper arches and inspect the steel beneath it for damage. If the beams need to be replaced, the new ones would have to be fabricated. Airport officials also say asbestos and lead paint may have been used in the arches, and getting rid of those materials could slow the retrofit.

According to the 2005 book "A Symbol of Los Angeles: The History of the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport", the structure was erected as part of a modernization plan for the airport in the late 1950s to "incorporate a dramatic iconic focus at the center of the new jet-age terminal that would be long remembered as a symbol of Los Angeles."

The $2.2-million futuristic building was designated a historic-cultural monument by the City Council and the Cultural Heritage Commission in 1992. Any reconstruction work must be approved by the commission.

The restaurant, created to resemble a flying saucer, is supported by a concrete shaft, which officials said is structurally sound. An observation deck atop the eatery has been closed for security reasons since 9/11.

[godblessbotox]

im glad there not gona rip it down. but damn, a 1,ooo lb chunck of stucco. what is that, like half the arch?

[Fern~Fern*]

Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper just to knock it down and make a replica. Since the Airport will be modernized to perfection in the coming months. They should also have a Green Line stop inside the new structure, how cool would that be?

[Joey313]

knock it DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what?? why would you wnat it to be knocked down? it would take longer to rebuild. and they said it would only be closed for six months

[Fern~Fern*]

I understand but the damn thing is crumbling as we speak. So the best next thing is to rebuild for 50 more years.

[The Baz]

It looks pretty haggard. But so does all of LAX (less the glowing lolipops).

Hopefully there will be some major plans to spruce it up.

[Buildingfrenzy]

Hey fellas. Have you guys heard any news of the tunnel from La Canada to Palmdale? It could potentially link Palmdale regional airport and relieve some traffic at LAX. It would only be 20 min (22 miles)from Pasadena instead of the 1 hour 55 mile drive it is now. Not to mention that that airport is owned by Los Angeles World Airports and has plenty of room to expand. It's surrounded by desert!! The land is also cheap there and would open up another huge valley of real-state/land/development just 20 min. from Pasadena!!

This tunnel would follow some of the existing Angeles forest highway and have some tunnel parts. I drive that road everyday from Palmdale to Pasadena to work. It would also take allot of drivers off the fwy, especially the 5 Fwy and the 405.

By the way there are some amazing views from up there as you come down into the L.A basin. It's amazing. Especially at night. You can see D.t.L.A in the distance, and on clear days the ocean.

Tunnel Cost:
3-6 billion dollars!! Toll $8-10 one way. Hell I'D PAY IT.:banana:

[Fern~Fern*]

^ Never heard of any proposed Tunnel to Palmdale/Lancaster. As far as the tunnel, I don't think is possible since it's a pretty long distance from La Canada To P/L. Who's going to pay the bill for such a massive underground dig w/ Light Rail. Not in this century but I can be wrong...

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

it will never happen. the cost is too much, the traffic impacts are severe, the enviormental damage, and the possibility of more sprawl in the desert is enough reason not to do it. we dont want to promote distant exurbs and sprawl.

[godblessbotox]

build a tunnel under BH to the valley!!!!

[Fern~Fern*]

What they really need to focus is to make an extension of the green line into LAX. Then possibly extend to the West Valley running parallel to the 405. That's makes a whole lot more sense as well it would service LA city residents from point a-b.

[redspork02]

The sky's no longer the limit at LAX



To make the airport work, planners have to focus on smaller, effective projects.
By Steven P. Erie and Scott A. MacKenzie, STEVEN P. ERIE is a professor of political science at UC San Diego. SCOTT A. MACKENZIE is a doctoral candidate at the university. They are completing "Troubled Paradise: Fiscal Crisis and Political Tu
March 11, 2007

LOS ANGELES, the city that huge public works projects built, has developed a bad case of airport envy. Having in the early 1960s led the nation into the Jet Age with state-of-the-art facilities, Los Angeles International Airport now looks shabby compared with the gleaming new terminals at San Francisco and Seattle-Tacoma airports. Adding insult to injury, the restaurant in the iconic Theme Building closed last week because of structural weaknesses in the arches. With the number of available international seats going through LAX dropping 12% since 9/11, its status as a major global hub appears threatened. Recently, alarmed L.A. officials hastily revived plans to build 11 new gates at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Compared with its gleaming West Coast rivals, however, LAX's international passenger losses are small. Despite the large drop in available international seats and the airport's "cramped and old" facilities, there was only a modest 3% decline in international passengers from 2000 to 2006. In contrast, the number of international passengers going through San Francisco airport, which opened its new $1-billion international passenger terminal in 2000, was up only 2%, while at Seattle-Tacoma, which also recently renovated its terminals, the number grew a measly 3%. One big reason for these lackluster figures is the difficulty of obtaining U.S. tourist visas since 9/11.
Nevertheless, the praise heaped on larger, newer airports has many Angelenos wondering whether the city needs a comparable facility to retain its competitive edge. The sectors that power Southern California's economy — international trade, tourism, technology, entertainment and professional services — depend on airports to connect the region with the rest of the nation and the global economy. A new generation of longer-range aircraft that makes it possible to fly nonstop from Asian airports to such U.S. cities as Phoenix and Las Vegas adds urgency to the question. If San Francisco can upgrade its airport in dramatic fashion and attract new business, why can't L.A.?
The problem is that L.A. remains addicted to the "culture of Mulhollandism" — grandiose, expensive public works projects that require the sort of over-planning that inevitably inflames opposition and results in stalemate. In San Francisco, by contrast, community and environmental representatives were closely involved from the get-go in planning for the airport's upgrade, and the steps taken were relatively modest.
In the early 20th century, public entrepreneurs, such as William Mulholland, could marshal the civic will and resources to build the Los Angeles and Colorado River aqueducts, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the L.A. Municipal Airport, which became LAX. These huge public works became the foundation for the region's subsequent growth and economic prosperity.

In the final decade of the century, however, Mulhollandism persisted even as the political terrain shifted dramatically. In densely populated Southern California, new mega-projects became much more difficult to build because of community opposition, environmental challenges and funding constraints.Years of unrealistic, overly ambitious LAX master planning have contributed to the region's current airport-capacity problems. Among these grand projects was the 98 million air passenger "runway in the bay" — to be built on a berm in Santa Monica Bay — proposed in the mid-1990s. Then there was the more recent "Alternative D," a hastily assembled $12-billion proposal to promote "safety and security" at LAX after 9/11. It called for the creation of an off-airport passenger check-in facility at Manchester Square, the demolition of terminals and LAX's central parking structure and the extension of runways toward Westchester.

Efforts to plan for new airports in the rest of Southern California, where the shortfall is greatest, have been similarly affected by Mulhollandism. In 1996, Orange County officials christened plans for a new airport at El Toro, claiming that it would rival LAX in size. El Toro was subsequently scaled down to a "community-friendly" facility less than half its original size. By then, the proposal had galvanized opponents, and the site was ultimately lost to proponents of a Great Park, a landscape of artificial lakes, streams and a rugged canyon. This was the last great opportunity in the region for a major new international airport to supplement LAX.

More recently, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority completed a site study for a new airport to replace severely overtaxed Lindbergh Field. Rather than evaluate modest alternatives that would supplement existing facilities, officials focused on winning voter approval for a major two-runway international airport. The results were predictable. With no suitable civilian sites available, San Diego airport officials selected Marine Corps Air Station Miramar as the site of the new airport and put the idea on the November 2006 ballot. The proposal, which angered both the military and communities nearby, was soundly defeated by San Diego voters.

For better or worse, it is unlikely that a major new airport will be built in Southern California again. As a result, regional management of our airports has to improve, and that can be more easily accomplished if we overcome our addiction to Mulhollandism. For example, airports such as L.A./Ontario International should be protected from incompatible housing development that might produce NIMBYs who complain about noise. Enlarging and adding road access to that airport is another example of a modest enhancement that would yield immediate dividends. At LAX, the addition of the 11 gates at the Bradley Terminal is a prime example of a sensible upgrade, as is the new system of flyaway buses that allows remote ticketing and baggage check-in.
Abandoning Mulhollandism will mean that politicians will probably have fewer ribbons to cut. But the reward will be a more efficient regional airport system in which our scarce resources are directed to improvements that benefit those who live, work in and travel to Southern California.

[godblessbotox]

good grab. but lime green text, good reading it does not make... mmmmm...

[PotatoGuy]

uhh.. the green text ticked me too.. but i loved the article, good find

[Fern~Fern*]

On the contrary I enjoyed the Lime Green Lettering and of course great article!!!

[phattonez]

I hated the constant reference to Mullholandism, but everything else about the article was great. Let's get a plan and do what we can now and prepare for what we can do in the future.

[saiholmes]

An L.A. Airport Attempts to Take Off
By SCOTT MCCARTNEY
March 13, 2007; Page D6

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/images/PJ-AJ820_pjMIDS_20070312154031.jpg

In the late 1960s, Los Angeles bought up 17,000 acres of land about 50 miles northeast of the city to build a huge new international airport. Come June, after rabbits get chased out of an old terminal, a couple of daily flights will actually take off.

UAL Corp.'s United Airlines will begin flying 50-seat regional jets between San Francisco and LA/Palmdale Regional Airport (the "LA" was recently added to the airport's name). Los Angeles is spending heavily to open up Palmdale and entice United by covering losses, handling advertising and marketing and shining up the dusty outpost. The city's airport agency, Los Angeles World Airports, likely will spend an astounding $300 or more for every passenger who uses the airport in the next year. The airport may pay more than the passenger.

"If you believe this is an investment in our future for air travel for Southern California, it can't be avoided," says Paul Haney, LAWA's deputy executive director.

Palmdale, which today is home to top-secret Air Force projects and acres of pistachio trees, shows how far big cities have to go to try to relieve airport congestion and find room for growth. The commercial airport consists of a 1970s era terminal, which is currently being refurbished for the new United flights. Those flights are scheduled to begin June 7.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey last month agreed to pay $78.5 million to buy the lease on Stewart Airport in Newburgh, N.Y., about 55 miles north of Manhattan, hoping to further expand the former Air Force base into a viable fourth major airport for New York City. The city of Chicago has been financially supporting the Gary, Ind., airport, which has been renamed Gary/Chicago International Airport, in hopes of developing passenger service and eventually becoming a third big airport for Chicago 25 miles from the Chicago Loop.

Getting airlines to serve satellite airports far from downtown can be a tough sell. LAWA offered to cover $2 million of airline losses, partly funded by a $900,000 federal grant, plus provide $1.2 million of free rent, marketing and other goodies. Only United and Delta Air Lines Inc. bid, and LAWA selected United largely because it has more frequent fliers in the area.

The Palmdale land, mostly desert dotted with Joshua trees, is five times as large as LAX. It was bought with the idea of building a vast new airport as Denver, Dallas and Kansas City, Mo., did.

Today, Palmdale is an eclectic California mix of Hollywood, stealth aircraft and agriculture. With two long, super-strong runways owned by the Air Force, the airport is home to Air Force Plant 42, where defense contractors develop highly classified aircraft projects. The space shuttle was built here, and Palmdale has Lockheed Martin's "Skunk Works" and Boeing Co.'s "Phantom Works," the companies' aircraft research and development facilities.

A giant hangar where the B-1 bomber was built has been turned into a Hollywood sound stage where "The Terminal" and some of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series have been filmed. LAWA is also the landlord for a nine-hole golf course, a grass sod farm and a pistachio farm on irrigated acreage. Onions and carrots are grown on airport land, too.

While several earlier attempts at commuter airline flights from Palmdale to Los Angeles, Palm Springs and Phoenix failed in the 1990s, LAWA and local officials hope that the fast-growing area is big enough to support an airport with regional jets feeding hubs of several carriers. If it works, then Palmdale could become a sixth commercial airport in the Los Angeles basin. "This can provide relief to other congested facilities like LAX," says Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford.

Having commercial flights at the airport won't be a security problem because top-secret projects already have to be kept under wraps from public view, according to Air Force Lt. Col. Ronald Hirtle, the commander of Plant 42. "We always have a security issue," he says. Some test flights are done at night; some projects are trucked to Edwards Air Force base nearby for more-secure testing.

LAWA plans an aggressive marketing campaign aimed at the 7,000 workers at Plant 42, including Palmdale Airport ads on stripes in employee parking lots. The pitch is that Palmdale will be a no-hassle airport with free parking and a walk of only about 100 yards to airplanes. For military officials and contractors heading east to Washington or other destinations, a one-hour commuter flight from Palmdale to United's San Francisco hub will be quicker than a two-hour drive to Los Angeles.

If Palmdale flights get filled and service expands, LAWA may one day build a new terminal and if the airport really takes off, build its own runways to keep from crowding Air Force traffic. If the service doesn't work, the airport organization may decide to sell the land and give up. "This is the last chance to make this go," says Mr. Haney.

Los Angeles long ago gave up the idea of replacing LAX, but the city does have a long-term airport capacity problem. Community groups don't want to see LAX expand beyond 78 million passengers a year, and the number of gates has been capped as part of agreements with neighborhoods. Voters in Burbank approved a moratorium on any construction at that airport. Orange County's airport has a cap on passengers; Long Beach has a limit on the number of commercial flights.

Only Ontario, about 50 miles east of LAX, and Palmdale have unfettered growth potential. With air travel forecast to double by 2025 in Southern California, "the whole region is really dependent on those two airports," said Mr. Haney.

The Southern California Association of Governments estimates 12 million passengers will use Palmdale Airport by 2020. That would be remarkable considering Ontario today handles about seven million passengers a year. But with capacity capped at most other airports, growth in air travel may not have many other places to go.

[redspork02]

Now that I know the majority of readers hate the lime green color, it will be banned from my list. ( Sorry Ferney.)

L.A./Ontario Int. has great potential, lots of room to expand and build. The city of L.A., I believe, will focus on this regional airport more than Palmdale.

[godblessbotox]

expand it into the ocean!!! im actually a little surprised how little land reclamation happens here. aside from the port of la/lb

[phattonez]

expand it into the ocean!!! im actually a little surprised how little land reclamation happens here. aside from the port of la/lb

What taxpayer would support it when it is cheaper to expand Ontario (and hopefully the HSR project persuades everyone against airport expansion).

[godblessbotox]

i was just sayin, mr soap box.

[saiholmes]

LAX expects A380's arrival to be huge
With the jet due to land Monday, officials are bracing for crowds not seen since the Concorde's debut.
By Jennifer Oldham, Times Staff Writer
March 18, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-03/28475427.jpg

As it lumbers in for a landing at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday morning, the world's largest passenger jet will make its West Coast debut in what could be the biggest spectacle at the facility in more than three decades.

Officials expect thousands of onlookers to line airport fences to see the Airbus A380, an eight-story-high behemoth with a double-decked cabin and a wingspan nearly the length of a football field.

"We're planning for the largest turnout since the Concorde came in 1974," said Paul Haney, deputy executive director of airports and security for Los Angeles World Airports. "This could be huge, and we're doing everything possible to be ready."

Southern California already is experiencing an uplift from the massive jet: More than 100 area suppliers contributed to the aircraft's construction, pumping $1.5 billion into the region's economy since 2003.

Los Angeles fought to host this pivotal moment in U.S. aviation history. Despite having promised to bring the A380 to LAX first if improvements were made at the airport, Airbus announced earlier this year plans to land the jumbo jet in New York instead. LAX officials sent a strongly worded letter to company executives in Toulouse, France, and Airbus relented just three weeks ago.

So at 9:30 a.m., one of two inaugural U.S. test flights is scheduled to touch down at LAX from Toulouse, about the same time a second aircraft will land at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport from Frankfurt, Germany.

About 550 of Lufthansa's frequent fliers, along with reporters and news crews, will be aboard the New York flight. Several dozen technicians will arrive on the LAX test jet, which will carry primarily instrumentation and water-filled tanks designed to adjust the aircraft's center of gravity.

But beyond the short-term buzz generated by the A380's arrival is the question of what mark the jet ultimately will make on aviation history.

Airlines say that when they start to fly the 555-seat jet commercially in the next few years, it will allow them to carry more passengers per trip, lowering costs. The super jumbo jet also could help space-constrained airports, including LAX, by allowing carriers to combine several flights into one.

Even so, the A380 is not expected to transform the industry the way its predecessor, Boeing Co.'s venerable 747, did when it arrived in 1970 and finally helped make flying affordable for the masses. Not enough A380s have been sold so far to fuel this kind of change, analysts say.

"It's not going to be a revolution; it's going to be an evolution," said Bob van der Linden, chairman of the aeronautics division at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. "You and I, and everybody else who flies, will determine whether this airplane is a hit or a flop."

To be sure, the A380, which is about 30% larger than Boeing's 747, is considered by many to be an engineering marvel. But it doesn't represent change on the scale its older cousin did. When the 747 came into service in the early 1970s, it was 2 1/2 times larger than the airplane it replaced.

There are some similarities between the flying giants. Skeptics contended that there wasn't a market for the 747 either, and the plane didn't sell well in the beginning. Airports said they wouldn't be able to wedge its signature hump into their facilities. To date, Boeing has sold 1,500 747s. Airbus has orders for 156 A380s.

But the 21st century air travel market is different from that of the early 1970s. More people are flying than ever, and they want frequent, nonstop routes between many cities. Boeing — Airbus' main rival — is betting that because of this, airlines will favor smaller, more efficient jets that can bypass larger hubs. Airbus, on the other hand, believes there is a strong market for new super jumbo jets that will patronize these hub airports.

The A380 flights to the U.S. are a way for Airbus to burnish its image after wiring problems caused a two-year delay in deliveries and led to the resignation of top executives and layoffs of 10,000 workers. In the U.S., Airbus' woes helped Boeing sell more planes, including an updated version of the 747 that Airbus had hoped would fade away when it introduced the A380. Boeing sold a record number of airplanes last year and surpassed Airbus in orders for the first time since 2000.

The ongoing dogfight between the U.S. and European plane makers aside, Airbus officials say the A380 will benefit Los Angeles economically because seven carriers at LAX have ordered the massive jet. The airport is expected to serve more A380s than any other U.S. facility because of its status as the country's largest gateway to the Pacific Rim.

"It's almost like the A380 was specifically designed for Los Angeles," said Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America. "Los Angeles is an airport that is constrained by its boundaries — in a community that is very environmentally sensitive to both emissions and noise — and there's a need to be more efficient with respect to aircraft movements."

The A380 makes half the noise of a 747, produces fewer emissions and is more fuel efficient, Airbus says. The aircraft will offer airlines a 20% savings per seat over a 747-400, McArtor added. What's less clear is how full the flights will need to be to generate those savings, and whether airlines will pass them on to consumers.

Passengers could see discounted fares or little or no increase in current ticket prices, said Wally Mariani, a senior executive vice president at Qantas Airways, which plans to fly the A380 commercially to LAX next year.

Qantas also will help the aircraft maker and airport officials test the jet's compatibility with airfield layout, terminal gate docking and ground handling services.

Using passengers on the New York flight, Lufthansa will test boarding and unloading procedures as well as catering and baggage handling.

Los Angeles' airport agency ultimately plans to spend $121 million to prepare for the A380. It already has written checks for half that amount to improve runway and taxiway intersections, and for a $9-million double-bridge gate at the Tom Bradley International Terminal, where the plane will park for Monday's tests.

Officials liken the A380's visit to the last aircraft debut at LAX, by the supersonic Concorde, which landed in October 1974 after flying from Anchorage in 2 hours, 35 minutes.

The visit attracted tens of thousands of spectators. Motorists on Imperial Highway and Century Boulevard stopped in the middle of the street and crooked their necks to gawk.

Over the last three weeks, airport officials have worked overtime to prepare for the A380's arrival, devoting hours to meetings about where pedestrians should stand, what streets to shut down and how to provide security and traffic control. They suggest spectators arrive as early as 5 a.m. Monday to get a spot to watch the jet, which is scheduled to arrive on LAX' s northernmost runway.

Several locations near the intersection of Sepulveda and Lincoln boulevards are considered prime viewing areas. Officials plan to shut down only Northside Parkway, but crowds and traffic could necessitate closing Lincoln and Westchester Parkway for safety reasons.

After landing, the plane will taxi to the Imperial Terminal on the airport's south side, where it will be parked for welcoming ceremonies. The public should be able to glimpse the plane at the Imperial Terminal from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday from high points in El Segundo along the airport's boundary.

The jet is scheduled to leave LAX around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, using a south runway. Spectators may see it overhead by parking at Dockweiler State Beach.

"The sheer size of it is something that you remember," said Qantas' Mariani. "This will give us all these opportunities to show the A380 off."

(INFOBOX BELOW)

A touchdown for LAX

The world's largest passenger plane is scheduled to arrive Monday morning. The public cannot approach the plane but can watch its arrival and departure. Officials suggest that spectators arrive as early as 5 a.m. Here are some prime viewing areas and public parking lots. Tune to LAX radio, 530 AM, for live parking and traffic updates.

Airbus 380 landing schedule

1. 9:30 a.m. Monday A380 lands and moves to airport's southern edge.
2. 10:15 a.m. Pilot descends stairs for 10:30 a.m. arrival ceremony.
3. 2 p.m. The plane moves to a specially modified gate.
4. 7:15 to 7:45 p.m. Tuesday A380 departs.

--

Jumbo jet comparison

Airbus A380
Passengers*: 555
Length: 239 ft., 3 in.
Height: 79 ft., 7 in.
Wingspan: 261 ft., 8 in.
Maximum takeoff wt.: 1,235,000 lbs.
Range: 8,000 nautical miles

--

Fuselage cross section
23 ft., 5 in.

--

Boeing 747-400ER
Passengers*: 416
Length: 231 ft., 10 in.
Height: 63 ft., 8 in.
Wingspan: 211 ft., 5 in.
Maximum takeoff wt.: 910,000 lbs.
Range: 7,670 nautical miles

--

Fuselage cross section
21 ft., 4 in.

--

*Three-class configurations.

http://www.latimes.com/media/graphic/2007-03/28461661.gif

[godblessbotox]

^^notice how theres no mention of fuel efficiency!

[phattonez]

^^notice how theres no mention of fuel efficiency!

Haha, who needs an environment when we have superhuge planes?

[Fern~Fern*]

^^notice how theres no mention of fuel efficiency!


^ Shut up Dude it's an Airbus..... let me savor the moment!

[Fern~Fern*]

Just for the record this plane makes a 777 787 toy planes. :lol:

[ArchiTennis]

*Three-class configurations.

http://www.latimes.com/media/graphic/2007-03/28461661.gif

I just realised that there isn't much difference with # of people...555 vs. 416...hardly a huge difference

[Westsidelife]

Uh, that IS quite a difference.

[The Baz]

The plane looks like a monstrosity and I wonder if it'll be considerably louder than other plans flying around?

[Elsongs]

I just realised that there isn't much difference with # of people...555 vs. 416...hardly a huge difference

The A380 *can* carry up to 800 passengers (if the plane were to be all economy class), but with large first- and business- class sections the actual number is lower.

[Elsongs]

It's gonna be nuts in LAX on Monday. I'm considering going via Green Line and bike.

[godblessbotox]

just watched the ktla news landing... that thing is like a blimp indeed!
did not even seem like it was moving.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

ya, that plane is HUGE HUGE HUGE! they had a little shakey landing, i thought he was going to drift into the grass, what a mess that would have been.

[The Baz]

Haha, newswires on Yahoo are calling it a "Titanic" plane. Uh' not a really smart comparison!

[Fern~Fern*]

^ No it's not at all.... only a dummy could of come up with such comparison! :ohno:

[bruin787]

anyone else go out today? a took a little summin, summin to make Ferney cream his pants :lol:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f269/janus020/PICT1453.jpg

[Fern~Fern*]

^ Is that why it feels moist & sticky down there???

Anyhow, that is officially the queen of the air... Woohoo!!! I need a reason to jump on a plane anyhow.

Great pix Aldo?

[bruin787]

^now. now. its big, but its still fugly!

[Fern~Fern*]

^ Whatever Dude.... you keep thinking that with your 787-8 not in service plane!:lol:

[bruin787]

uhh, the a380 is in service? :lol: its TWO years late!

[godblessbotox]

anyone know if cathay pacific is planing on getting one of these?

[Fern~Fern*]

^^ Nothing in the order form... Sorry!

www.airbusa380.com

[Fern~Fern*]

uhh, the a380 is in service? :lol: its TWO years late!


OMG Dude why are you hating... Perfection takes time!!!

[bruin787]

anyone know if cathay pacific is planing on getting one of these?

word on the inside is that not until they see it enter service for a bit.

OMG Dude why are you hating... Perfection takes time!!!

LOL. here...

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f269/janus020/PICT1439.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f269/janus020/PICT1435.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f269/janus020/PICT1474.jpg

i took a ton more, but i gotta clean them up a bit.

[Fern~Fern*]

Share the pix....

Now that's what you called a 21th century plane...

[Elsongs]

word on the inside is that not until they see it enter service for a bit.



LOL. here...

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f269/janus020/PICT1439.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f269/janus020/PICT1435.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f269/janus020/PICT1474.jpg

i took a ton more, but i gotta clean them up a bit.

Cool. I was debating whether to go since it was overcast this morning. I ended up continuing my sleep, LOL. Maybe I'll watch the takeoff tomorrow, if it doesn't rain.

[godblessbotox]

that pic with the cop standing... man that is one big mofo plane!

[saiholmes]

Welcome to Los Angeles, Airbus A380
By Jennifer Oldham and Ashley Surdin, Times Staff Writers
11:38 AM PDT, March 19, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-03/28502440.jpg

The Airbus A380, the largest passenger plane in history, lumbered out of the fog this morning, landing at LAX on a maiden voyage to the United States.

The eight-story-tall Airbus touched down at 9:30 a.m. and taxied toward the specially designed gate built to accommodate the 1.2-million-pound jet. The airplane, which can carry 555 passengers and has a 261-foot wingspan, was making its inaugural test flight from the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France.

An identical A380 landed in New York within minutes of the Los Angeles touchdown. The New York flight was the luxury version, with a plane filled with company executives, guests and the news media. The Airbus that landed in Los Angeles was virtually empty of people, with 22 crew members, but full of added instrumentation for the test flight.

Los Angeles had fought to host the pivotal moment in U.S. aviation history. LAX was promised the first flight if $49 million in improvements were made at the airport. Airbus then announced this year that it planned to land the jumbo jet in New York instead. LAX officials sent a strongly worded letter to company executives in Toulouse and Airbus relented three weeks ago.

Airplane buffs gathered near LAX in the predawn hours to claim prime viewing spots for the A380's arrival -- a plane Airbus is banking on as the future of aviation with its huge passenger capacity and 9,300-mile range. Several hundred spectators gathered atop an airport parking structure near Terminal 1 for the occasion.

"Oh, that is gorgeous," said Gregg Atherton, 38, of Santa Monica, as the plane dropped out of the sky and landed at the airport's northernmost runway.

Another spectator was Gerald Peebler, 88, of La Mirada, who flew a B-17 bomber in World War II.

"This is a step up," he said as the giant passenger jet descended. "That's a big boy."

When the plane touched the runway, there appeared to be a slight shimmy in the front landing gear. But an Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said there were no glitches in the landing.

"Here it is. Here it is. This is it," said Mark Gagne, 19, of Ventura, listening to air traffic with his scanner.

Long moments went by without sight or sound of the aircraft and an incoming Boeing 747 teased the crowd into thinking the A380 was on final approach.

"The anticipation is killing me. My heart can't take it," said Gagne, putting his hands on his mother's shoulders. "Look, my knees are shaking."

Then, as the words "Welcome to Los Angeles" were broadcast over the scanner radios, two faint lights emerged from the fog. Then the massive wings and engines came into view.

"How is that thing flying?" asked Gagne.

Behind him, someone added, "It's a sperm whale with wings."

The Airbus glided over the crowd, which turned as the plane did and touched down, its engines rumbling. The landing was the end of a long wait for many who had arrived before first light to see the A380.

Among those settled in under the dark cloud of the early morning fog were Chris Lucak, 49, of Cypress, and Dave Glaubach, 58, of Santa Monica, who camped out in their cars near an In 'N' Out near the airport's northern boundary.

The two friends, with close ties to Airbus' main rival, Boeing, brought digital cameras and wide-angle lenses to mark the moment.

"We want to see what this big pile of aluminum looks like," said Glaubach, a retired Boeing employee, his arms crossed over his blue sweatshirt to ward off the chill. "I hope the sun comes out."

Lucak, who took the day off from his job as a Boeing assembly mechanic, was prepared for the more than four-hour wait. He said he took a 30-minute "power nap" in the back seat of his brown Oldsmobile, in which he carried a portable foldout chair, sandwiches, granola and a thermos of hot coffee.

"I was here 30 years ago, when the [supersonic jet] Concorde made its visit," he said, thumbing through an album of 50 airplane photos he had snapped over the years. "I want to be here when the largest plane in the world flies in."

While the two Boeing veterans mulled over whether to try to find a better viewing location, a mother and son from Whittier arrived to claim a spot.

Marina Gomez, 38, and Justin Esparza, 10, stood atop an airport parking garage off Sepulveda Boulevard. The coveted structure filled steadily, with people on the ground calling up to those on the rooftop to ask how many parking spaces were left.

Justin and his mom secured an unobstructed view -- a perfect end to their long buildup of Airbus anticipation.

"We've been watching it on National Geographic [cable television channel] for a year," Gomez said.

The mother and son, who planned to go to work and school late today, woke up at 3 a.m., fed the family dog, fish and turtle, bundled up in jackets, sweatshirts and beanies, and, by 5:50, were on the garage rooftop.

Justin, an aspiring pilot and model airplane collector, brought his camera phone to record the plane's arrival-video footage he planned to share with his classmates.

"It's a brand new plane, and it's gonna be bigger than a 747," he said.

Airport officials had been bracing for extra traffic in and around LAX, but the airport appeared to be no busier than usual for a Monday morning.

With only three short weeks to prepare for one of two inaugural U.S. test flights by the A380 -- a second aircraft was at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport around the same time -- the city's airport agency braced for heavy crowds and traffic. The last major aviation event at LAX occurred in 1974, when thousands welcomed the supersonic Concorde.

Once it touched down, the aircraft taxied to the Imperial Terminal on the airport's south side for a welcoming ceremony that included Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Airbus and Qantas executives. Spectators were not allowed to approach the plane but can catch a glimpse of it at the terminal until about 2 p.m. by going to an airport-parallel road in El Segundo.

The city's airport agency has spent about half of the $121 million it has budgeted to improve LAX to handle the A380 by enlarging taxiway and runway intersections and building a double-deck gate at the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The agency, along with Airbus and Qantas Airways employees, were to test docking the plane at this gate, as well as ground equipment handling procedures and how the airplane copes with the airfield configuration at LAX.

The super jumbo jet that landed in New York had about 550 passengers aboard and tested boarding and unloading, baggage handling and catering procedures.

Qantas plans to begin A380 flights to LAX next year.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-03/28504685.jpg

[Fern~Fern*]

^^ Hey Tony can you say "Cheese" without a smile...

[Fern~Fern*]

anyone know if cathay pacific is planing on getting one of these?


^^ Ooooooops my bad Jeremy..... here you go!!!!

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e124/fnee1901/Just4Botox.jpg

[godblessbotox]

kinda small there... sure its not a 747?

cant see those give-a-way side pilot windows

[Fern~Fern*]

A 747 has a hump on the front top.... This is a double decker aka A380 dude. So on your next trip to Asia make sure you ride one of these monster planes!

[Fern~Fern*]

kinda small there... sure its not a 747?

cant see those give-a-way side pilot windows

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e124/fnee1901/4botox.jpg


^ This is a 747-400

[Fern~Fern*]

Botox, here's a Cathay Pacific A380 with it's new livery*
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e124/fnee1901/Botoxagain.jpg

[phattonez]

^^ Hey Tony can you say "Cheese" without a smile...

Would you have a grin like that if you were in the cockpit of that plane?

[Fern~Fern*]

I would of wet my self to be honest...

[godblessbotox]

Botox, here's a Cathay Pacific A380 with it's new livery*
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e124/fnee1901/Botoxagain.jpg

fantastic! now i can run up and down stairs amidst a 15 hour flight with out someone telling me the stairs are for first class members only

[CarsonCaliBrotha]

OMG sucks! I was on a flight to LAX that landed at 9:11, if only I stayed for about 15 more minutes I would've witnessed this!

[The Baz]

I saw the landing on TV and that plane was all over the landing strip! Yikes!! :eek2:

[Fern~Fern*]

^ What do you expect with some newbie pilots trying to control this beast. Is not that it's a Doeing...Doeing...Doeing of plane!!!

[PotatoGuy]

OMG sucks! I was on a flight to LAX that landed at 9:11, if only I stayed for about 15 more minutes I would've witnessed this!

OMG you shoud be punished for your actions :ohno:

[saiholmes]

As one LAX project ends, another begins
The southernmost runway reopens as more-risky construction starts on a taxiway between two airstrips.
By Jennifer Oldham, Times Staff Writer
April 2, 2007

Even as they reopen the southernmost runway at Los Angeles International Airport today, officials are looking ahead to a more dangerous project: building a parallel taxiway between two runways while jets traveling more than 100 mph take off and land just yards away on each side.

Dozens of excavators, oversized dump trucks and other machines will toil 20 hours a day to build a 1.8-mile-long concrete taxiway on the airport's south side, even as controllers work to wedge in hundreds of flights around them.

"This is, without a doubt, a greater safety concern," said Jake Adams, runway project manager for the city's airport agency. "We're taking the appropriate measures to make sure the contractor does what he's supposed to do."

Airport officials said they were satisfied with Tutor-Saliba Corp. and its subcontractors' safety record during reconstruction of the southernmost runway, 55 feet farther away from its twin. The project is coming in 7% under budget and only about a week late despite some unexpected obstacles.

"We put in $170 million worth of runway work in seven months and blew everyone's mind," said Ronald N. Tutor, president of Tutor-Saliba. "It was uneventful."

Even so, building inspectors cited the firm and its subcontractors several times since work began in July for not complying with stringent safety requirements, a Times review of inspection reports found.

The requirements included erecting orange plastic fencing around various job sites, installing beacons and large orange-and-white checkered flags on construction vehicles, not overloading trucks and providing flagmen to ensure that trucks yield to aircraft.

The citations were meant in large part to reinforce safety rules so the contractor and workers understood the importance of adhering to them when construction on the center taxiway begins this month, Adams said. Officials expect to complete the project in June 2008.

The city's airport agency spent years trying to convince residents and the City Council that it needed to rework the south airfield at LAX to prevent close calls between aircraft on the ground.

About 80% of such incidents occurred on the south side when pilots landed on the outer runway, turned onto a series of taxiways and stopped too close to the inner runway, where aircraft take off. LAX historically has had among the nation's highest rates of so-called runway incursions.

By moving the southernmost runway and installing a center taxiway, officials hope to cut down on incursions. When the project is finished, pilots will be directed by controllers after they land to turn onto the taxiway, where they will await clearance to cross the inner runway.

A settlement agreement forged between airport-area communities and the agency in late 2005 allowed some projects in Mayor James K. Hahn's $11-billion LAX modernization plan to proceed — including the $330-million south airfield reconstruction.

Moving the southernmost runway was a massive undertaking that required months of planning to reorchestrate the airport's 1,800 flights a day.

Airlines and air traffic controllers were concerned that shutting down one of the airport's four runways for the project would cause delays, not just at LAX, but also at other regional airports.

But things went relatively smoothly. Less than 1% of all flights from July through March experienced reportable delays — or those 15 minutes or longer — as a result of the runway closure, according to air traffic control data.

Officials said months of planning by the FAA and the airport agency, fewer operations at LAX and good weather helped keep delays at bay.

"I'll bet if you spoke with the average passenger flying through here, they wouldn't have known anything was different," said Marv Shappi, operations manager at the LAX tower.

Project managers also managed to avoid concrete shortages common in today's busy construction environment by calling on several pre-approved suppliers.

There were several problems, however. Early on, workers discovered a 1,200-foot runway buried near the Sepulveda Tunnel. The 1940s-era runway wasn't on construction documents and required the contractor to stop the entire project to remove the concrete. The excavation cost $1.3 million and delayed reconstruction efforts for 23 days.

There also were several incidents involving damage to "critical cables" that supplied power and information to sensitive equipment that pilots use to navigate the airfield, according to a letter from the Federal Aviation Administration to the city's airport agency obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Correspondence between George Aiken, the FAA's manager for safety and standards, and Lydia Kennard, then the agency's executive director, points to four instances from Aug. 7 to Dec. 8 when workers severed or damaged cables. Flights were delayed in a Nov. 7 incident after a contractor sliced through a cable, cutting power to lights that pilots relied on to orient aircraft for takeoff and landing on the inner runway on the airport's south side.

In additional correspondence, Kennard attributed the problems to the contractor, who, she wrote, failed to mark the conduits properly or didn't "exercise proper care" when working around them. Tutor-Saliba referred questions on the matter to the airport agency.

The agency promised to increase inspections of construction activities, according to a follow-up letter March 28 from Aiken to Samson Mengistu, the agency's acting executive director. In it, the FAA reminded airport officials that they must "strictly enforce airfield safety" to ensure construction doesn't interfere with navigation aids.

As for the center taxiway, it will be built in multiple phases to allow officials to rebuild a series of taxiways that connect the southern runways while continuing to operate an active airfield. The inner runway will have to be closed periodically to allow workers to stitch on these taxiways. The closures may come from 1 to 7 a.m. and could affect heavy jets headed to Asia that typically depart in the early morning.

Since the inner runway on the airport's south side is its longest, carriers must plan ahead for its closure to ensure that their aircraft aren't too heavy to take off on one of LAX's three other runways.

"Were talking about less than a half dozen airlines," said Frank Clark, executive director of the nonprofit organization that represents carriers operating at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

He said the airport agency is "good about giving them advance notice … so they can plan accordingly if they have to hold off cargo and work it through other cities."

Air traffic controllers said center taxiway construction will not require them to reroute flights as extensively as they did when the southernmost runway was closed.

When the runway reopens, however, controllers will need some time to adjust to directing planes onto fewer taxiways between the two runways on the south side, said Shappi, the operations manager at the LAX tower.

Residents also will be in for an adjustment period when flights resume on the southernmost runway. Airport officials are bracing for noise complaints from neighboring communities.

"We're really concerned about the perception of the runway being 55 feet closer," said Adams, the airport agency's runway project manager. "For the last eight months, they've had a wonderful silence. The reality is the runway is not significantly louder now."

[jessemh431]

What taxpayer would support it when it is cheaper to expand Ontario (and hopefully the HSR project persuades everyone against airport expansion).


i think thats a good idea. i live near the airport so i know that no land is being used in b/w the aiport and the ocean

[The Baz]

I'm sure it just isn't feasible to "expand" to the beach. Like there isn't enough room just to throw down another runway and a few terminals in a patch of grass where butterfies roam.

[saiholmes]

Long Beach Airport terminal to be expanded
By Valerie Reitman, Times Staff Writer
April 26, 2007

Long Beach Airport's cramped 1940s-era terminal would be modernized and expanded by about 60% under a plan approved by the City Council.

The overhaul, which would include adding three gates and two aircraft parking positions, would help the airport accommodate about 4.2 million passengers annually after its anticipated completion in 2011, officials said, up from the 3 million it handles now.

JetBlue Airways, the dominant carrier at Long Beach Airport, has long wanted more comfortable and efficient facilities for its hub. But it is commuter airlines that are expected to increase their flights the most.

Many residents, however, opposed or sought to limit the expansion, fearing that it would exacerbate noise, pollution and health problems, including the high rates of asthma in the city.

The 5-3 vote Tuesday is somewhat of a compromise. It increases the terminal from the current 56,320 square feet to 89,995 square feet. But that is substantially less than the 133,000 square feet first contemplated, and cuts by about 10,000 square feet the 97,545 approved last year. About half of the new space will go toward expanding the passenger "holding rooms," the waiting areas which now are little more than trailers. Passenger security screening areas, restrooms, concession areas and administrative offices also will be expanded.

Aircraft gates will be increased by 3 to 11, with room for 12 planes on the ground, compared with 10 now. Many steps still need to be taken before construction begins, including completion of architectural designs and space allocation, final cost estimates and a financing plan. Much of the funding probably will come from increasing the $3 airport facilities fee now paid by passengers, city officials said.

JetBlue, which accounts for about 75% of the airport's commercial traffic, has 500 crew members based in Long Beach and operates 28 flights a day there, said in a statement that although it "regrets it has taken the city this long to make a decision as to the size of the terminal project, we are grateful to the City Council for making the decision on Tuesday to move forward with expansion plans.

"We view [Long Beach] as a charming and unique airport in Southern California and a wonderful alternative" to Los Angeles International, the statement said Commercial flights at the airport are now close to the 41 a day maximum allowed under a city noise ordinance. There are only a few commuter flights now, although up to 25 a day are permitted.

Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster said in a telephone interview that he feared making the airport too big, eroding its small-town character and convenience.

"If you oversize this airport," he said, "the question is this: Do you invite Congress or the FAA or a combination of the two to invalidate our noise ordinance and then have no way of limiting the growth?"

The city ordinance is grandfathered by federal statute, Foster said, but could be undone by an act of Congress.

[saiholmes]

Major revamp of LAX is stuck at the gate
The cramped facility needs a lot of work to compete with more modern airfields. Lack of consensus and other problems are cited.
By Jennifer Oldham, Times Staff Writer
9:10 PM PDT, June 9, 2007

Except for periodic face lifts in several of its nine terminals, Los Angeles International Airport hasn't changed much since shoulder pads, leggings and feathered hair were all the rage.

Today, the airport that ushered the country into the jet age in the 1960s and set the standard for international service in the 1980s is ill-prepared for the new planes that are expected to revolutionize air travel.

Fed up with its cramped ticket lobbies and waiting rooms, gridlocked access roads and outdated airfield, passengers and airlines are increasingly taking their business elsewhere.

"It is the Rip Van Winkle of American airports," said Steve Erie, a UC San Diego political science professor who has written extensively about Southern California's infrastructure.

Officials are reaping what they sowed on a former bean field near Santa Monica Bay that became the world's fifth-busiest airport.

Lack of cohesive political leadership, a history of mistrust between the city's airport agency and nearby communities, grandiose visions for expanding the facility and an incredibly complex planning process have combined to leave officials without a blueprint to modernize LAX. And time is running out.

"We need to strike a deal," said Kelly McDowell, mayor of El Segundo, a town on the airport's southern boundary. "As I've said for months and months: We've got the right people, in the right place, at the right time."

An effort to devise a modernization plan — which has spanned 15 years and cost Los Angeles about $150 million — is on hold while the new executive director of the city's airport agency, Gina Marie Lindsey, becomes acquainted with boxes and boxes of documents.

Waiting anxiously in the wings are airline representatives and residents who want to win over Lindsey to their sometimes-conflicting views on how the airport can best be fixed.

Lindsey says Antonio Villaraigosa, the fourth mayor in 20 years to attempt to renovate the airport, has made it clear that "he wants to get modernization at LAX well underway sooner rather than later." The mayor also has called repeatedly for spreading air traffic among the region's airports to ease crowding at the seaside facility.

"What we need to be sure we're taking care of here at LAX is international traffic and the requisite domestic traffic that will feed it," added Lindsey, who started her job Monday and who is credited with implementing a controversial $4.1-billion plan to renovate Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

"Ontario and Palmdale are ready and able to step into providing facilities for some of the shorter-haul traffic," she said.

The director said she plans to meet with Villaraigosa this summer to present her vision of what should be done at LAX.

When he took office in 2005, Villaraigosa ordered his then-airport director, Lydia Kennard, to work with LAX's neighbors to settle lawsuits challenging his predecessor's modernization plan. Several months later, they reached a compromise that allowed the agency to build agreed-on projects and put more-controversial ones on hold.

Today, construction is taking place at LAX for the first time since the upper-level roadway and the Tom Bradley International Terminal were built in time for the 1984 Olympics.

Contractors have moved the southernmost runway 55 feet and are building a center taxiway between it and a parallel runway as part of a $330-million plan to make the south part of the airport safer. Officials also began a $723.5-million upgrade of the Bradley terminal.

But that is far from enough to ensure that LAX retains its status as the gateway to the Pacific Rim. Carriers, who since 2000 have taken 12% of their seats on lucrative weekly international departures to other airports with gleaming new facilities, say they will not bring new large aircraft — including the Airbus A380 — to LAX if there are not enough places for them to park.

In addition, officials deferred terminal upgrades and maintenance projects while lawmakers fought over modernization plans, prompting passengers to rank LAX facilities below average in a recent survey of the nation's busiest airports.

Unlike other major airports around the country, LAX faces a unique set of challenges that have stymied its ability to keep pace with the ever-changing aviation industry. Over the last decade, as Boeing and Airbus designed and built new aircraft with wider wing spans, requiring more room to maneuver on the ground, three Los Angeles mayors proposed wildly differing modernization plans.

They discussed, variously, expanding LAX to accommodate 103 million passengers annually (it currently handles about 61 million a year), building two runways in Santa Monica Bay, using nearby Hawthorne Municipal Airport for commuter traffic and adding a large terminal on the airport's western end that would have required a new access road.

Each proposal was met with distrust and anger by surrounding communities, including Westchester, which lost one-third of the land it occupied when the city razed 4,500 homes and displaced 14,000 residents in the 1970s. Visitors to Dockweiler Beach can see remnants of these neighborhoods today in asphalt streets lining the dunes on the airport's western edge.

"We ran roughshod over the neighboring communities from late 1960s through the 1970s," said Erie, the UC San Diego professor. "Now it's payback time. They're like border vigilantes who want to light up the airport."

Deep-seated animosity between officials and residents resurfaced this month when the airport agency said it planned to study moving LAX's northernmost runway 340 feet to improve safety and efficiency. That could expand the airport's northern boundary and endanger homes and businesses in adjacent Westchester and Playa del Rey.

After Villaraigosa took office, "the community had a brief moment of relief," said David Coffin, a board member on the Westchester/Playa del Rey Neighborhood Council.

"But 13 or 14 months later they were floored by the 'new' proposals," he added. "There didn't appear to be any effort to develop the plans with the community as an active partner."

An attempt by airport officials and residents to hash out new modernization projects — including an updated road system to alleviate traffic, a terminal with new parking spots for aircraft and a plan to rework the northern part of the airport — has stalled.

Exacerbating the situation is LAX' s cramped 3,500-acre layout. Newer airports elsewhere have the luxury of space, and more runways. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, for example, sits on 18,000 acres, and Denver International has 34,000 acres — 53 square miles.

Officials agree that to get a modernization effort off the ground, planners may have to settle for a slate of individual projects instead of a comprehensive plan that costs a lot and needs a broad consensus.

"We spent a lot of time analyzing a lot of options; we were looking at least at coming up with a plan to resolve the demands on that airport for six lifetimes," said Jack Driscoll, a consultant who ran the city's airport agency from 1992 to 1999.

"In today's environment," he added, "I think the best you can do in a lot of cases is an incremental move every so often."

[saiholmes]

Carpool lanes for airplanes?
Aviation experts say a $40-billion GPS system is needed to handle the huge volume of traffic in the skies by 2025.
By Jennifer Oldham, Times Staff Writer
June 11, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-06/30428052.jpg

Concealed under a thick blanket of fog, Louisville International Airport emitted an eerie orange glow as Capt. James Haney lined up his heavy cargo jet for landing after a long nighttime flight from Los Angeles.

As he descended, the United Parcel Service captain had an advantage other pilots don't have: a monitor in the dashboard that displayed a clear picture of aircraft plying the soupy skies around him, guiding him safely around a stream of other planes arriving from the West Coast.

After the Boeing 767 touched down, with a Times reporter observing in the cockpit, the satellite-based surveillance system helped Haney avoid nearby aircraft hidden behind the unusually heavy white mist.

UPS Airlines is pioneering the system in Louisville in hopes of using its breakthrough technology to safely land more airplanes per hour and prevent delays. More significant, the system, which relies on a network of global positioning satellites commonly used by hikers and drivers, also is the backbone of an ambitious plan by federal officials to overhaul the nation's aging air traffic control system.

The 1950s-era network is in dire need of a technological overhaul as passenger traffic is expected to jump 78% to nearly 1.3 billion annually by 2025. But modernizing highways in the sky with a precise satellite-based system carries a staggering $40-billion price tag, and the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to persuade Congress and the airlines to help pay for it.

Advocates say the proposed modernization — which includes satellite technology along with a system that would allow public agencies and private airlines to share information and new navigation procedures — is expected to improve efficiency and increase safety.

Federal officials plan to use signals from satellites to create something akin to carpool lanes in the skies for airlines that equip their aircraft with the new technology.

Last year was the worst in history for flight delays, with planes stranded on the ground for hours in well publicized incidents in Texas, Colorado and New York. Although inclement weather played a major role, carriers complain that the patchwork of technologies that make up the existing air traffic network contributes to severe delays.

On Friday, airlines grappled with thousands of delays along the East Coast when a computer system that processes pilots' flight plans went down. A backup system also failed. The malfunctions, exacerbated by bad weather, required controllers to enter information manually and caused some passengers to wait up to four hours for their flights.

FAA officials attributed the glitch to 1960s-era technology that "reflects the need for the modernization of the air traffic control system."

But much about a plan to revolutionize the nation's aviation system is up in the air. A coalition of federal agencies that is designing the system is attempting to persuade Congress to authorize funding for the overhaul and cash-strapped airlines to equip their fleets with new technologies. And not everyone is convinced the new system will live up to expectations.

"Right now, I have to prove this is going to work," said Vinnie Capezzuto, manager of the FAA's surveillance and broadcast services program. "We can't afford not to do it."

Aviation experts say it may be tough to convince Congress — and the flying public — that the upgrade is necessary, given that many passengers assume today's system — which serves half of the world's air traffic — is adequate.

"The good news is that accident rates are very low now," said John Hansman, director of the International Center for Air Transportation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "but we've run into an era where it's hard to have a sweeping demand for change."

Hansman noted that, historically, it has taken a catastrophic accident to provide the impetus for major change.

A midair collision between two airliners over the Grand Canyon in 1956, in which 128 people perished, convinced Congress it must fund an air traffic system that would allow more precise tracking of aircraft by radar. Until the accident, pilots and controllers relied on rudimentary radio communications and a "see and be seen" philosophy to guide aircraft through most of the nation's air space.

The FAA says the proposal for the nation's "next generation air transportation system" will transform air travel, as the "Internet changed computing," in part by replacing antiquated ground-based radar systems with more accurate and reliable satellite technology. The agency hopes Congress will make a funding decision this fall.

The existing system requires pilots to fly a network of rigid routes, often not the most direct paths, over navigational aids on the ground. The system relies on radar, which uses radio beams to scan the sky for objects to determine an aircraft's location.

Because it takes as long as 12 seconds to update information on radar scopes, air traffic controllers must separate aircraft by several miles to make up for the imprecision. The system also doesn't allow pilots to see the location of other planes. Nor does it cover oceans or high mountain ranges.

Global positioning satellite technology, however, updates information to controllers every second, allowing pilots to fly more direct routes. Known as automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, or ADS-B, the technology also would allow pilots to see what planes are around them, how fast they are flying, their flight numbers and their headings. Officials say the ground infrastructure required to operate the technology would be cheaper than radar to install and maintain.

Pilots say ADS-B also would include airfield maps, allowing them to see aircraft, as well as vehicles, operating around them on the ground, helping to reduce near misses. Pilots now must rely on controllers to warn them when other planes are approaching them on the ground.

"You can have a brand new Boeing 777 and yet still have to rely on a piece of paper and a compass" to find your way around on the airfield, said UPS' Haney. "This system is going to save lives. There's very little question right now that the most dangerous place to be in an airplane with the motor on is on the ground."

Among the challenges in replacing radar with ADS-B is how to equip aircraft with technology that can receive signals from global positioning satellites. Airlines say they are reluctant to pay millions to retrofit planes.

"What we see is a cost on the airlines' side and most benefits on the FAA side," said Basil Barimo, vice president of operations and safety at the Air Transport Assn. of America, a national airlines trade group.

"If the FAA came out today and put a mandate forward and said, ' You have to go equip your fleet, ' … the airlines would push back," he said.

The FAA this fall will propose requiring carriers to install ADS-B in their fleets by 2020 if they want to access what the agency calls high-occupancy vehicle lanes — or more direct routes — in the sky. It will make a final decision by 2010. The agency also plans to award a contract in August to install ground stations that will hand off signals from satellites to aircraft.

Carriers and the FAA agree that the full benefits of the system will not be realized unless most aircraft are equipped with it.

"In order for it to work really well, we need to have everybody, or almost everybody, equipped," said MIT's Hansman. "If half the people do and half the people don't, it becomes very hard to increase the performance of the system."

Some aviation industry experts question whether the agency has done sufficient planning to ensure the satellite system and other technologies proposed by the FAA will succeed. The agency has tried unsuccessfully in the past to overhaul the complex air traffic control network.

"It's like a play that's come back to town," said Ken Mead, a lawyer in Washington, D.C., and former inspector general of the Department of Transportation. "I'm anxious to see the efficiency case for ADS-B. I don't think the case has been made that it really will speed up air traffic control."

The FAA also must rewrite procedures controllers use to guide aircraft and redesign the airspace to establish the high-occupancy lanes. Experts also worry what would happen if a sunspot or other anomaly took down the satellite network. The FAA says it will keep some radar systems in place as a backup.

Pilots and controllers who participated in ADS-B tests, particularly in Alaska, also point to a steep learning curve for controllers who will use the system. But they add that the system's safety benefits alone are worth it.

In Alaska, where the geography prevents wide use of radar, the FAA equipped 200 general aviation aircraft with ADS-B technology and installed receivers on the ground to intercept the signals. The new system halved the accident rate in five years. Because it gives each aircraft its own identifier, ADS-B also helped rescuers find planes that crashed in remote locations.

ADS-B also prevented accidents in Florida, officials say. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach equipped 65 propeller planes with the system after student pilots repeatedly got too close to one another during training, averaging 10 close calls in the air a month.

"ADS-B provides a high level of comfort because a pilot has a picture of what's around their airplane," said Frank Ayers, chairman of the university's flight training department.

"After we got ADS-B on board, the midair collision reports went down to almost zero," he said.

As part of a test program, helicopter operators and the FAA plan to install the system on helicopters and oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. They hope it will help helicopters ferry workers to oil rigs safely during inclement weather.

Pilots and controllers now rely in large part on spotty radio communications. Officials plan to award a contract to build the ADS-B system, which also will serve high-altitude commercial flights, this year.

"We want to establish what will be like an HOV lane for anybody that is equipped," said Robert Novia, an FAA manager in Houston who is working on the gulf project. "They wouldn't have to be with the rest of the airplanes and incur the kinds of delays and altitude restrictions that everyone else does."

Aircraft at cruise altitudes over the gulf now must be separated by scores of miles because there is no radar coverage to tell controllers where they are.

UPS, the carrier that is trying out the technology in Louisville, is pressing the FAA and legislators to move more quickly to deploy ADS-B nationwide.

"In Kentucky we have a saying 'I'm sitting on the front porch and fixing to do something.' At some point you have to stop fixing and go to the mall," said Capt. Karen Lee, director of flight operations at UPS Airlines.

"Implementation is only a political problem," she added. "The technology is ready to go; we have to get past the resistance to change."

[Fern~Fern*]

^ :omg: look at all those Airbus down there...:drool:

[Westsidelife]

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-09/32769284.jpg
MAINTENANCE: A technician at San Bernardino International Airport works on a jet. "For
scheduled airlines, this is the low-cost facility close to the fastest-growing part of the
state," said Scot Spencer, manager of SBD Aircraft Services at the airport.
(Irfan Khan / LAT)

San Bernardino airport may see flights next year

The facility at the former Norton Air Force Base has languished since the base closed in '94. But it's being upgraded, and the city says air service is coming soon.

By David Kelly, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 24, 2007

For years, San Bernardino International Airport has seemed more fiction than fact, a vast sheet of concrete with a grand title where the chirp of crickets is often louder than the roar of jet engines.

The very things that make an airport an airport -- passengers, terminals, scheduled flights -- are missing here. The control tower is impressive but empty.

But years of quiet building, ambitious starts and frequent failures might finally be paying off.

Officials at the airport, the former Norton Air Force Base, now say they are negotiating with four airlines for regular passenger service to begin next year.

They won't reveal the firms they are talking with, but so far they have spent $34 million to refurbish the runway, $38 million for a new passenger terminal and $8 million to widen roads leading to the airport in eastern San Bernardino.

It's a big gamble. Experts say airlines may be reluctant to begin service to a place with an unproven track record and little name recognition.

But Scot Spencer, manager of SBD Aircraft Services, believes the economics of flying into San Bernardino will prove irresistible to cash-strapped carriers.

"For scheduled airlines, this is the low-cost facility close to the fastest-growing part of the state," Spencer said. "If you were an airline operating six flights a day into San Bernardino and compared fees to other California airports, you would save an average $3 million a year to operate here. You would save on every fee."

For passengers, the airport hopes to offer cheap flights, less congestion and international destinations.

They want to tap the vast base of Inland Empire customers, many of whom drive through San Bernardino on their way to LA/Ontario International Airport. They also believe people will drive even farther for low fares and less hassle.

"I have seen the data on how far people will travel for a cheap airfare," Spencer said. "People drive from Fresno to Long Beach for a $99 fare to Florida."

Spencer's company leases the airport's main aircraft hangar, which it sublets to other businesses. He is also leasing the passenger terminal now under construction.

But his role in the creation of the airport raises questions. Spencer spent 51 months in prison for bankruptcy fraud and conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud in connection with his presidency of the failed Braniff III airline. He was released in 2001.

He has been involved in other controversial aviation deals leaving behind lawsuits and angry investors. The U.S. Department of Transportation banned him from the aviation business, an order he is appealing.

"We are in the real estate business, not the aviation business," said Spencer, 42.

"The incident with Braniff was 16 years ago. We have proven ourselves here. We make our lease payments, we have brought in tenants and we have created over 600 jobs."

Donald Rogers, interim director of the San Bernardino International Airport Authority, said Spencer had "paid his debt to society." He said the aviation ban applied only to scheduled airline service, not other businesses.

There are other issues facing San Bernardino too, such as the busy airport in nearby Ontario.

"Why would anyone come to San Bernardino when 20 miles away there is a world-class airport?" asked Rogers, an accountant. "We think it is economics. We think that economics will drive them here. Airlines are already operating on a very slim profit margin."

He also noted that San Bernardino's improved runways can handle jumbo jets like the Boeing 747.

Harold Johnson, spokesman for LA/Ontario International Airport, seemed untroubled by a potential rival.

"We fully support the regionalization of air service," he said. "There is enough room to grow for everyone."

In the last few months, the San Bernardino airport has dramatically increased operations.

It bought a Million Air franchise, an upscale aviation service, to ferry executives from Southern California around the world. The planes and flight crews will be based at the airport.

It also plans to expand into the international charter business and is building a customs and immigration center. Airport officials recently returned from Hong Kong, where they marketed the facility to potential East Asian clients.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-09/32769289.jpg
SAVING: At the mouth of one of the former Air Force base's giant hangars, San
Bernardino International Airport's Penny Chua talks to Greg Albert, whose So Cal
Precision Aircraft does repair and salvage work at the facility. "We looked at moving to
LAX, but we save $50,000 to $60,000 a month in lease payments here," Albert said.
(Irfan Khan / LAT)

The airport has attracted tenants like So Cal Precision Aircraft, which moved its heavy aircraft maintenance operations from Mojave more than a year ago.

"We looked at moving to LAX, but we save $50,000 to $60,000 a month in lease payments here," said company owner Greg Albert.

Local leaders see a busy commercial airport as a potential boon to the economy. They hope highly skilled, well-paid aviation workers will move into depressed San Bernardino and improve the quality of life.

"An airport would be a magnificent addition to our city, and we are on the fast track," said San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris. "I fully expect to have scheduled flights here by next summer."

The former Norton Air Force Base was built during World War II as a supply and transit point for troops heading for the Pacific.

It closed in 1994. More than 10,000 jobs were lost. People left town, and the city fell on hard times from which it has never recovered.

Rather than try to sell the worn-out base, the military handed it over to the Inland Valley Development Agency virtually free of charge."We inherited a World War II facility with all the problems of aging infrastructure and a compromised environmental situation," Morris said. "We have had to mitigate those issues step by step. We are in the last phase of that."

Rogers, the airport director, estimates that $700 million has been spent so far, most of it from state and federal grants.

A number of businesses have relocated to the base. Stater Bros. markets moved its corporate headquarters there from Colton this month. Next year it will open a 2.1-million-square-foot distribution center, the largest in the country, creating 2,100 jobs. Kohl's, Mattel and Pep Boys also have distribution centers on the property. The base is now self-sufficient, even profitable.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-09/32769290.jpg
NEW CONSTRUCTION: An aerial view shows warehouses and the facility's long runways in
the background. Roads leading to the airport have been widened at a cost of $8 million.
(Irfan Khan / LAT)

Still, giant warehouses can't match the cachet of a bustling airport, and that remains, for many, the ultimate goal.

Yet history doesn't offer much in the way of optimism.

An earlier attempt to turn the airport into a cargo hub failed when DHL, the client targeted, opted to fly out of March Air Reserve Base near Riverside instead.

In the late 1990s, Santa Barbara Aerospace and American Air Carriers Support tried to operate out of the airport, and both went bankrupt.

Aviation analysts question whether there is enough demand for more commercial flights to make the airport viable.

"Passengers don't need to go far to find what they want," said Bob Mann, an airline analyst. "Trying to subdivide that market and create a new one is very tough."

Mann said that to succeed, San Bernardino would need to offer rock-bottom prices to a new airline not serving the market today.

"Established airlines would not be willing to take a risk on an unproven market," he said.

But another expert said the facility could fit into the trend of smaller feeder airports outside major metropolitan areas.

"One can look around the country and find a list of underused airports that have gained momentum as commercial airports," said Alan Bender, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. "These airports are very hungry and offer fantastic deals to airlines."

Bender said the Manchester, N.H., airport attracts many Boston flights, while the Bellingham, Wash., airport gets Seattle-bound passengers.

Ryanair, the largest low-fare operator in Europe, almost always lands at remote airports to cut costs.

"They find airports that will charge them basically nothing, and some even give them revenue guarantees," Bender said. "In the airline business, any way you can chop a few pennies off your costs counts."

At the San Bernardino airport today, the new four-gate passenger terminal is taking shape, and a few jumbo jets are being repaired in the hangar. It's still too quiet for an airport, despite the occasional prop plane slipping into the air toward the San Bernardino Mountains.

Rogers doesn't expect the calm to last much longer. He knows the task ahead is huge and the stakes are high.

"Our chief hurdle is getting all this done in time," he said. "This airport will be the crown jewel of the base."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sbairport24sep24,0,5299498,full.story?coll=la-home-local)

[Calvin W]

I'm amazed at the sheer number of airports serving the Greater LA area. Yet each seems to offer something different.

[WonderlandPark]

^ :omg: look at all those Airbus down there...:drool:

Huh?

I see an Air France 777, then the Virgin A340 then the Air New Zealand 747. Then there are a bunch of SW 737's beyond. Only 1 airbus product in the shot.

[Fern~Fern*]

Huh?

I see an Air France 777, then the Virgin A340 then the Air New Zealand 747. Then there are a bunch of SW 737's beyond. Only 1 airbus product in the shot.

^ Dude your killing the moment! wether it's 1 or 10 there still Airbus it's great eye candy.:banana:

Oh Yeah some Doeings as well....

[Westsidelife]

A 2nd pass at LAX for A380

Airbus will return to ensure the airport can handle the super-jumbo jet.

By Art Marroquin
Staff Writer
October 29, 2007

The Airbus A380 is scheduled to make a second test landing at Los Angeles International Airport next month to make sure the facility is ready to handle the world's largest airliner.

No passengers will be aboard the super-jumbo jet, but the plane's double-decked cabin is expected to be equipped with seats in first, business and coach classes this time around.

A hollowed-out shell of the Airbus A380 - looking more like a cargo plane than a commercial jetliner - debuted at LAX on March 19, about 15 minutes after a fully equipped version of the plane landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

The A380 is scheduled to take off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, landing at LAX's newly renovated southern airfield at 2 p.m. Nov. 28, according to sources familiar with the trip.

The next day, about 150 dignitaries, guests and journalists will board the plane for a demonstration flight over Los Angeles.

The aircraft will then depart LAX at 8 a.m. Nov. 30 for Sydney, Australia.

"I think it's great, and I look forward to seeing it again," said Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th District includes LAX.

Airport officials declined to comment on the landing because final details were still being worked out.

The A380's landing at LAX will be less complicated this time around because the plane will take off and land on the south airfield, which is now capable of handling the mega-jetliner, thanks to a $330 million renovation project.

Entire sections of LAX had to be shut down in March, when the A380 landed on one of the northern runways and maneuvered its way to the south airfield.

The plane is returning to LAX as a joint venture with Australian airline Qantas, which will be the first to offer A380 service out of LAX beginning in October 2008.

"Qantas has always been at the forefront of aviation innovation and we are pleased to be able to continue that tradition by being the first airline to operate the A380 from Los Angeles International on our flights to Australia later next year," said Wally Mariani, senior executive vice president of Qantas Airways' operations in the Americas and the Pacific.

The Airbus A380 boasts a wingspan that stretches nearly the length of a football field, a fuel capacity of about 82,000 gallons and the ability to hold more than 800 passengers, all while landing and taking off more quietly than smaller jetliners.

Listing price for the Airbus A380 is about $300 million.

"This multibillion-dollar investment in the A380 will allow us to offer our customers a revolutionary new approach to in-flight services and passenger comfort, so we can take customer experience to the next level," Mariani said.

To better prepare for the arrival of mega-jetliners at LAX, the Los Angeles City Council signed off on a $1.2 billion plan in August to build the Midfield Concourse adjacent to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The project calls for building up to 10 new gates large enough to handle the A380 and the Boeing 787 by 2012.

"We're getting ready for an entire fleet of the Airbus A380s to land at LAX," Rosendahl said. "We're excited about this trip, and what it's going to do for the future of the city and the airport."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/10859026.html?showAll=y&c=y)

[jessemh431]

whew. thank god they're not landing on the north side. thats the side i live on.

[Westsidelife]

LAX losing ground to Asian airports

Decline in cargo traffic could be offset by promoting service in Ontario, a consultant says.

By Art Marroquin
Staff Writer
November 20, 2007

Los Angeles International Airport should expect to see a steady decline in cargo shipments over the next 20 years as Asian airports gain continuing economic strength in the global market, a consultant told the airport commission on Monday.

Last year LAX handled more than 1.9million tons of cargo, the fourth-highest amount nationally after airports in Memphis, Tenn., Anchorage, Alaska, and Louisville, Ky., according to airport cargo consultant Michael Webber.

Although LAX's position as a "primary international gateway" to Asia has helped, the airport's ranking as a major cargo hub has significantly slipped on the international stage, from second place in 1997 to 11th place last year, Webber said.

During the same period, airports in Hong Kong; Seoul, South Korea; Tokyo; Shanghai and Singapore have surged in cargo handling and will continue to strengthen over the next two decades, according to Webber.

"As you all know, mature industries grow a lot slower than an infant industry and, in many cases, the air cargo industry in Asia is still an infant industry," Webber said. "The growth is going to be in Asia."

Another reason for the rise in Asia's prominence in the cargo industry is because manufacturing jobs are leaving the United States for cheaper labor and materials in Asian countries, Webber said. Coupled with rising fuel costs, companies are looking for the least expensive way to ship across the globe.

"We do as well as we do because Southern California is the distribution center for goods coming in from Asia that are destined for all parts of the United States," said airport commission President Alan Rothenberg.

To make up for the anticipated loss, Los Angeles World Airports - the city agency that operates LAX and other regional airports - should aggressively promote cargo handling operations at LA/Ontario International Airport, Webber said.

Nationally, Ontario airport was the 14th-busiest cargo handler, with nearly 494,000 tons of goods passing through last year, an 18 percent increase from 1997, according to Webber.

That number is expected to continue to grow because Ontario is one of three airports that serve as a major hub for United Parcel Service, Webber said.

Shipments from UPS and Federal Express account for about 90 percent of the cargo that passes through LAX and Ontario airport, he said.

"You need to recognize that Ontario is not LAX," Webber told the Board of Airport Commissioners. "You need to be just as competitive and just as hungry in promoting that airport as your competitors are in taking cargo away from you."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/11635266.html?showAll=y&c=y)

[Westsidelife]

$2-billion face-lift for LAX set to begin

Improvements are necessary but passengers should know that they won't always be happy with the experience during construction, airport chief says.

By Jennifer Oldham, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 7, 2007

The wait is over for some hard-fought improvements at aging Los Angeles International Airport, the facility's executive director said Thursday, adding that passengers should brace for additional construction almost immediately.

Work will begin early next year on up to $2 billion in projects that will provide a face-lift for outdated terminals at the 79-year-old facility. Run-down escalators will be replaced and bathrooms refurbished at Terminals 1, 3 and parts of 6. The airport hopes to finish a massive project to reconfigure its south runway complex next fall.

"There will be parts of your experience at LAX that you won't be totally happy with when we get into the height of the program," said Gina Marie Lindsey, who marked her six-month anniversary at L.A. World Airports, the city agency that runs LAX and three other airports. "But we will be doing it in as passenger-friendly a way as possible."

Addressing a Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum luncheon, Lindsey also said officials hoped to finally build a new terminal in the next decade.

City leaders have spent 20 years, four mayoral administrations and $150 million trying to come up with a politically palatable plan to modernize a facility whose 1960s-era airfield is ill-prepared to handle new planes and whose cramped terminals are often the butt of jokes. Other major construction projects are underway, the first since the upper-level roadway and the Tom Bradley International Terminal were completed just before the 1984 Olympics.

Several projects included in a controversial modernization plan approved by the Federal Aviation Administration are expected to be built.

But more controversial elements, such as a new terminal in a Westchester neighborhood near the 405 Freeway, will not move forward.

Instead of devising a new master plan to redo LAX, Lindsey said airport officials would draw up a capital improvements program and work through projects on the list.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lindsey7dec07,1,6691624.story?coll=la-headlines-california)

[Westsidelife]

^ That sounds good. While I'm disappointed in the fact that the new terminal near the 405 won't move forward, I'm happy to hear the modernization plan will take shape. IMO, upgrading our outdated terminals is more important than an actual expansion of the airport itself, though I'm excited to hear of plans for a new terminal sometime within the next decade.

[klamedia]

I've heard that the Green Line extension to LAX is not off the table yet. Is this part of the multi-billion dollar upgrade?

[Westsidelife]

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2007_12_lax3.jpg
[Images of LAX Lounge provided by Gensler Architects (http://www.gensler.com/)]

Loungin' at LAX: Bradley Terminal Get a Makeover

By Marissa Gluck
December 7, 2007

Everyone knows LAX is sort of a dump (although sometimes a charming one (http://www.encounterlax.com/)), for a major airport in a global city. So it's good to know the powers-that-be are investing a little in aesthetics for the Tom Bradley Terminal. Via our inbox comes news that weary (first and business class) travelers are now be treated to lots of walnut wood partitions and mid-century-ish leather chairs:

"The 10 travelers lounges in the [Tom Bradley International] terminal have been consolidated into four new lounges. Gensler (http://www.gensler.com/) designed the oneworld lounge for oneworld Alliance, which includes Qantas, Cathay Pacific and British Airways. Other oneworld members can use the lounge, but they didn't contribute to its design and construction, so they have to pay for each traveler who enters. The lounge cost around $4 million.

Allegedly, the old lounges were pretty tiny and pretty rundown. The consolidation and renovation is part of an overall makeover - planned and designed by Leo Daly (http://www.leoadaly.com/), I believe - to help LAX deal with the fact that many international carriers were skipping LA in favor of SFO because Tom Bradley, which was crappy when it opened and has only had modest and ineffective upgrades over the years."

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2007_12_lax1.jpg

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2007_12_lax2.jpg

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2007_12_lax4.jpg

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2007_12_lax5.jpg

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2007_12_lax6.jpg

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2007_12_lax7.jpg

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Curbed LA (http://la.curbed.com/archives/2007/12/loungin_at_lax.php)

[jessemh431]

where would this new terminal be? there's no more room anywhere except out? why not get rid of all those hotels and move them to that downtown El Segundo area and have a nice urban environment down there?

[LAsam]

where would this new terminal be? there's no more room anywhere except out? why not get rid of all those hotels and move them to that downtown El Segundo area and have a nice urban environment down there?

The new terminal is planned to be in the current area of LAX. I believe it would be to the West of Tom Bradley, and you would take a people mover to get there.

There is NO WAY El Segundo would ever allow there downtown to be destroyed and converted to hotels. They enjoy the small town atmosphere. This would effectively destroy that.

[Westsidelife]

Delta, Air France partnership to offer LAX-Heathrow route

By Atlanta Business Chronicle
Los Angeles Business from bizjournals
December 11, 2007

Delta Air Lines Inc. in spring will offer a new nonstop route connecting Los Angeles with London.

Beginning March 2008, the Atlanta-based carrier will link Los Angeles International Airport and London's Heathrow Airport through a joint venture with Air France. The flight, which will be operated by Air France, will begin March 30 from Los Angeles and from London on March 31.

With the new West Coast flight, Delta will offer four daily Heathrow flights -- twice daily from New York-JFK, once daily from Atlanta and once daily from Los Angeles. All Heathrow service from Atlanta and New York-JFK will be operated by Delta while service between Los Angeles and Heathrow will be operated by Air France.

"Access to London's Heathrow Airport has long been in the top of Delta's list of priorities and we are pleased to offer our customers access to the world's largest trans-Atlantic market from three of our U.S. gateways beginning in 2008," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta executive vice president of network planning and revenue management.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Los Angeles Business from bizjournals (http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/stories/2007/12/10/daily11.html?surround=lfn)

[Westsidelife]

^ Hearing news like that is always great. It's moves like these that make LA more globally connected with the world's top powerhouses (in this case, it's London) and set the foundation for what will hopefully be a city of big business/international commerce.

[Westsidelife]

Virgin America to link L.A., Seattle

By Eric Young, San Francisco Business Times
Los Angeles Business from bizjournals
December 12, 2007

Virgin America Inc. will expand its service along the west coast with flights to Seattle starting next year.

The airline, based in Burlingame, said it will start a route between Seattle and San Francisco beginning March 2008. Then it will link Seattle and Los Angeles in April 2008.

Owned in part by British billionaire Richard Branson, Virgin America serves Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. The airline will add San Diego in February 2008.

The privately held airline plans to hire about 1,000 employees and serve 10 cities by August 2008.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Los Angeles Business from bizjournals (http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/stories/2007/12/10/daily26.html?surround=lfn)

[milquetoast]

^ Hearing news like that is always great. It's moves like these that make LA more globally connected with the world's top powerhouses (in this case, it's London) and set the foundation for what will hopefully be a city of big business/international commerce.

British areas of Santa Monica are finally gonna get their supertalls!!:cheers:

[Westsidelife]

LAX runway review is urged

A push to improve safety on the north side of the airport takes on greater urgency after a report on close calls.

By Jennifer Oldham, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 17, 2007

Alarmed by a recent report about the high number of close calls between planes on the ground at LAX, some airport commissioners are urging officials to speed up a controversial review of how to make the facility's north runways safer.

Commissioners said the federal report provides the latest evidence that the runway safety issue must be addressed as soon as possible. They plan to bring up the matter at today's Board of Airport Commissioners meeting.

"Enough is enough," commission President Alan Rothenberg said in an interview late last week. "We're going to really push hard with staff and our lawyers to find some way to make things move faster."

But that "some way" could mean not waiting for a safety study recently commissioned to NASA that has been bottled up in Washington. The study had been agreed upon by airport officials and community activists in Westchester, which hugs LAX's northern boundary.

The report that heightened commissioners' concerns, issued Dec. 5 by the Government Accountability Office, found that since 2001, Los Angeles International Airport tallied the most on-ground close calls of any major U.S. airport. It also found that LAX led the nation in the most serious types of such incidents.

Several of the airport's most dramatic incidents in the last 18 months occurred on the north side. One hair-raising example -- in which two jets carrying 296 people came within 37 feet of each other -- was highlighted in the cover letter that accompanied the report.

Rothenberg said he now believes the north airfield safety study that commissioners recently ordered from NASA's Ames Research Center is unnecessary, and he will urge officials to proceed without it.

The stance angered residents who requested the NASA study, contending that five previous reports that found that the northernmost runway must be moved closer to their homes were conducted by groups that stood to benefit from the project.

"I'm frustrated with their game-playing, which is 'If it's expansionary, we'll do it; if it's not, we're going to hold off,' " said Denny Schneider, a Westchester resident who leads the LAX watchdog group Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion.

The Federal Aviation Administration and Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX, have argued for years that putting more space between the north airfield's two parallel runways is necessary to keep aircraft farther apart.

Close calls most often occur after airplanes that land on the outer runway get too close to the inner runway, where airplanes take off, as they make their way to the terminals on a series of taxiways. Officials hope to eliminate that problem on LAX's south side when a $333-million project to further separate its two parallel runways and install a center taxiway is completed late next year.

Airport agency officials concurred with Rothenberg, saying they're going to advise the commission to order a north airfield environmental review as early as Jan. 14, without waiting for the NASA study.

"I don't think we have time to waste," the airport agency's executive director, Gina Marie Lindsey, said in an interview Friday. "Every piece of information we get indicates there's a problem there that needs to be fixed."

The environmental review, required under state and federal law, will consider ways to improve north airfield safety and the likely effects of each method. Such a study is expected to take about two years, making commissioners reluctant to wait until the NASA study delay can be resolved.

Lindsey said she would ask planners to study moving the northernmost runway 340 feet, separating the runways by 100 feet, moving the inner runway closer to the terminals and building a taxiway around the end of the runways.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents the area around LAX, agreed that the environmental review should move forward but added that he believed an independent safety study by NASA still was necessary.

Airport commissioners ordered the NASA study last summer, but the agency has yet to begin its work. Lindsey said NASA officials promised to call her today to let her know whether they can proceed. The report was held up by a policy shift at NASA to focus its resources on space-related issues, she said.

Hoping to find other ways of addressing safety concerns, Rosendahl said, he has also asked LAX air traffic controllers to testify about staffing before the council's Trade, Commerce and Tourism Committee on Wednesday. The controllers union has said low staffing, not runway configuration, is the main safety problem.

The federal report found that short staffing in control towers contributed to an increase in close calls at airports. LAX controllers say they are overworked and recently completed an analysis that they say shows that close calls increased in years when the tower had lower staffing.

Adding controllers in the tower at LAX, if necessary, would be an easy way to improve safety on the north airfield, Rosendahl said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-runway17dec17,1,662280.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=1&cset=true)

[Westsidelife]

LAX officials to present safety report in January

By Jennifer Oldham, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 18, 2007

Los Angeles airport officials agreed Monday to report to the city's Board of Airport Commissioners in January about whether they can expedite an environmental study on how to reconfigure the north airfield at LAX to reduce close calls between planes on the ground.

Referring to a federal report released this month that found that Los Angeles International Airport led the nation in such incidents this decade, commissioners voiced frustration at the delay in determining how to improve the two parallel runways on the airport's north side.

Pilots land on the outer runways and sometimes violate the safety zone around the inner runway, where planes take off, as they make their way to the terminals on taxiways. Some community activists have suggested having planes land on the inner runway and take off on the outer one, but airport officials presented findings Monday that such a change probably would not help improve safety but would increase noise and pollution in neighboring communities.

Commissioners also suggested that airport staff members determine whether they can conduct engineering work and other construction-preparation activities while the environmental study is underway. They also suggested working with the FAA to speed the hiring of more air traffic controllers and the installation of lights on runways to alert pilots when runways are occupied.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lax18dec18,1,5166857.story?coll=la-headlines-california)

[Westsidelife]

Airport shelves baggage proposal

By Art Marroquin and Rick Orlov, Staff Writers
December 17, 2007

Despite five years of study and $25 million in design costs, airport commissioners on Monday scrapped most of the plans for a massive LAX baggage-handling system as projected construction costs have soared.

Commissioners said the baggage-screening system planned for five terminals had become too technologically complicated and was part of an overall project budget that mushroomed from $341 million four years ago to more than $900 million.

"It's an unhappy situation I think that we have gotten as far as we have," said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, which oversees the airport.

"Would we do it this way again? No."

Instead, members of the airport commission decided to turn the project over to airlines to pursue after construction bids came in higher than expected.
Lindsey said the terminals that would be affected on the south side of the facility are all airline-operated and the board felt the airlines could absorb the costs.

"They agreed, not happily, to do so," Lindsey said.

The baggage system is part of a massive LAX modernization program and was developed with federal officials as part of overall security measures at the airport.

But part of the problem is Transportation Security Administration funding.

In 2003, the TSA agreed to pay three-quarters - or $256 million - of the cost to install new baggage-screening systems at Los Angeles International Airport's nine terminals and two terminals at L.A./Ontario International Airport.

Since then, however, costs have skyrocketed and the TSA has declined to offer further funding for the project.

As a backup, LAX officials had hoped to dip into passenger facility fees to pay for the baggage-screening system.

But the Federal Aviation Administration has said such funds cannot be used for work on Terminals 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 because they operate on exclusive leases with individual airlines.

It was unclear Monday whether the airlines would choose to develop their own design for the baggage-screening system or if they would follow the airport's $25 million concept, which was funded by LAWA's budget and the TSA.

But Commissioner Fernando Torres-Gil said he was concerned about reversing the decision so late in the process.

"We were concerned about the lack of bids on previous projects and here we have two and are rejecting them," Torres-Gil said.

"I'm concerned about us maintaining credibility with the business community."

Airport commission President Alan Rothenberg suggested that the project's designs and a $312 million bid submitted by Austin Commercial be forwarded to the airlines for consideration.

"The reason we are changing direction here is because the airlines have agreed, though not necessarily happily, but they have agreed to shoulder their responsibility to do their own baggage system," Lindsey said.

In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the TSA required that all passenger baggage be screened by the end of 2002.

To meet the deadline, LAX temporarily installed baggage-screening equipment and explosives-detection devices in the ticketing lobby areas of the terminals.

But the truck-size bag-screening machines that clutter the lobbies often create crowds that could be vulnerable to attack.

The plan for a new baggage system calls for moving the huge screening systems out of the terminals and into quarters where passengers would not see them.

Along with a new screening system, plans call for building inspection rooms, modifying computer systems, and installing an explosives-detection system and closed-circuit televisions.

Commissioner Sylvia Patsaouras also voiced concern over the amount already spent on the project.

"After spending so much, I'm concerned we are going to say we will start all over again," Patsaouras said.

"I would hope the airlines are able to use part of the work we have done."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Los Angeles Daily News (http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7747111)

[Westsidelife]

LAX controllers to seek city panel's help

Council members will be told that recent close calls involving planes on the ground are due to staff shortage.

By Jennifer Oldham, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 19, 2007

For years, LAX air traffic controllers and the federal agency that manages them have argued about how many controllers are necessary to safely choreograph the 2,000 flights that ply the world's fifth-busiest airfield each day.

The Los Angeles City Council's Trade, Commerce & Tourism Committee will enter the debate today, when controllers testify that they believe that a staffing shortage in the LAX tower has contributed to a record number of close calls between planes on the ground since 2001.

The council has no jurisdiction in the matter -- controllers are hired and regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration. Even so, Councilman Bill Rosendahl requested the presentation after a federal study found overworked controllers contributed to a nationwide jump in the rate of incidents in which planes violate safety zones around runways.

"I hope to create a federal outcry in Washington," Rosendahl said. "Why do we have less personnel working longer hours as we increase the number of airplanes?"

The Dec. 5 study by the Government Accountability Office concluded that Los Angeles International Airport led the nation in close calls over the last eight years, including those that were considered most serious. It also prompted federal legislators who represent communities around LAX to demand that the FAA take action.

"The FAA must also increase the number of certified controllers in the LAX tower in order to improve individual controller readiness," wrote Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) to Acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell earlier this month.

The accountability office's findings reawakened the long-standing staffing debate at LAX and prompted the city's Board of Airport Commissioners to call on officials to expedite plans to rework the two parallel runways on the north side, where several of the more serious safety incidents in the last 18 months occurred.

Airport officials and the FAA contend that they must move the northern runways farther apart. Residents of Westchester, which hugs the airport's northern boundary, fear that such a move would increase noise and pollution. They argue that other measures, such as installing lights that warn a pilot if a runway is occupied and hiring more controllers, are cheaper and easier safety fixes.

Close calls generally have occurred at LAX when planes that land on the outer runways come too close to the inner runways, used for takeoffs, as they make their way to the terminals on a series of taxiways. Officials are completing a reworking of the two runways and taxiways on the airport's south side, but have been unable to forge consensus on a solution for improving safety on the north side.

The controllers union found in a recent study of LAX that short staffing contributed to an increase in close calls on the ground. In 2000, 2001 and 2007, when fewer controllers were in the tower, the number of runway safety violations increased, on average, by nine per year, the report concluded.
"The staffing crisis is the No. 1 issue impacting safety on the airport today," said Mike Foote, a controller in the LAX tower and a spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn.

Thirty-three controllers work in the tower today, compared to about 46 in the years when fewer close calls occurred, Foote said. Controllers must work an average of 2.3 overtime shifts a month to compensate, he said.

The FAA disagreed that the LAX tower is understaffed. The union's study "offers not a shred of evidence that any runway incursion at LAX was due to controller staffing," said Ian Gregor, an agency spokesman.

FAA statistics show the rate of close calls fell in the years there were fewer controllers, he said. In 2003, there were 2.6 such incidents per 100,000 operations with 50 controllers in the tower; in 2006, the rate dropped to 1.7 with 40 controllers, he said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-controllers19dec19,1,4987850.story?coll=la-headlines-california)

[redspork02]

Los Angeles International still nation's fourth busiest airport01/03/08 09:15:





Los Angeles International Airport remains the nation's fourth-busiest with 680,954 takeoffs and landings last year.

Figures released Wednesday by the Federal Aviation Administration show a 3.5 percent rise in the number of LAX flights compared with 2006.

LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles says new routes by existing carriers such as Southwest as well as the arrival of new airlines, including Virgin America, led to the increase. Passenger totals will be released later this month.

LAX's position as the nation's fourth-busiest airport in the nation is unchanged from 2006. The nation's busiest is Atlanta's Hartfield-Jackson International Airport followed by Chicago O'Hare and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Information from: Daily Breeze, http://www.dailybreeze.com

[Fern~Fern*]

^^ and still no major renovations to the aging terminals.

[Westsidelife]

LAX is the nation's third busiest airport.

[redspork02]

LAX is the nation's third busiest airport.

Find the proof, cuz according to the article above, its the 4th.
If You can post it, that would be great, it would put more preasure on the CITY to re-model. seeing that its in the News. :cool:

[Westsidelife]

Oh, I know what's up. Those figures are based purely on traffic movements. Based on passenger traffic, LAX is still the nation's third busiest airport.

[Westsidelife]

^^ and still no major renovations to the aging terminals.

You obviously haven't been following the news regarding LAX lately.

This is coming from a resident of Westchester -- make that ex-resident. Oh how soon you forget.

[redspork02]

Oh, I know what's up. Those figures are based purely on traffic movements. Based on passenger traffic, LAX is still the nation's third busiest airport.

Your Right, Good Eye!

[Westsidelife]

Okay, this is now really starting to get fucking ridiculous. It's time we move that northern runway further up and away from the other runway. It's so sad to see those selfish fucktard NIMBYs in Westchester care more about their backyards than other people's lives. What a crock of shit. And yes, God forbid it take a tragic collision of two airplanes for the city to finally go ahead with this long overdue project. It'll be too little, too late by then. :ohno:

Council Voices LAX Runway Concern

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
January 9, 2008

The Los Angeles City Council called on the federal government Wednesday to hire more certified air traffic controllers at LAX, where 55 runway incursions have been reported since 2001.

The city has no say in hiring air traffic controllers, but officials aired their concerns following a congressional report last month that found a "high risk" of close calls among aircraft maneuvering on the ground at the nation's airports, including Los Angeles International.

"God forbid there's a crash at LAX based on the fact that there are too few controllers in the tower," said Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th District includes the airport.

Officials with the air traffic controllers union say 33 certified controllers work at LAX Tower. The Federal Aviation Administration says there are 34 certified controllers, along with one trainee and 11 so-called developmentals who are performing air traffic control duties for the first time.

Just a few years ago, the FAA authorized 47 controllers for LAX, but that number has dropped to a range of 38 to 46 controllers. The change came after a contract with the union expired, allowing the FAA to more closely examine the needs of the nation's airports, according to Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman.

Air traffic controllers typically work five to 10 years at airports in Burbank or Orange County before coming to work at LAX, but the airport is seeing fewer experienced controllers, said Michael Foote, local president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

"Now we're getting controllers coming off of the street who never worked at an airport before coming to work at LAX," Foote told the City Council.

Foote also said fewer certified controllers at LAX has led to an overworked staff, heightening the possibility of serious mistakes that could go unnoticed. Additionally, controllers often work two overtime shifts every month, he said.

The FAA's Gregor said, however, that adding more controllers will not reduce runway incursions. More than 80 percent of incursions reported at LAX this decade were attributed to pilot error, while 17 percent were found to be caused by air traffic controller errors, he said. Three percent of the incursions were blamed on runway-vehicle drivers.

"There is no correlation between runway incursions and controller staffing at LAX, contrary to what the controllers union claims," Gregor said. "In fact, there were several years this decade when there were a high number of runway incidents despite a high number of controllers in the tower."

Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-El Segundo, called for a reduction in flights coming into and out of LAX until more controllers can be hired.

"You're dealing with an issue of life and death," said Lieu, whose 53rd District includes the airport.

"LAX is a ticking time bomb," he said. "It's not a matter of if a runway collision will occur; it's a matter of when."

However, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn opposed Lieu's plan, saying that it would have a domino effect on the local economy.

"I would respectfully disagree that we reduce flights at LAX," Hahn said. "LAX is still a major hub and we don't want to risk these airlines going elsewhere. I think, right now, capping flights is not the right thing to do."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_7928307)

[jessemh431]

^^Westside, I take offense to that. I may not be a nimby nor a fucktard, but I live in PDR and dont want the north runway extended. They will be way too close to my house and several homes will have to be taken away. Why don't they extend the south? There's more room there. Or make it easier to fly into Long Beach or Burbank to ease traffic coming here.

[Westsidelife]

^ Extending the runway further south would worsen the situation, not alleviate it.

I sort of understand where you're coming from, but these are people's LIVES we're talking about!

[jessemh431]

More than 80 percent of incursions reported at LAX this decade were attributed to pilot error, while 17 percent were found to be caused by air traffic controller errors, he said. Three percent of the incursions were blamed on runway-vehicle drivers.

If this is the case, I don't see how making the runway bigger would help. We just need better pilots, and, in LAX's case, more seasoned traffic controllers, not some first year noob. Put those guys at SNA, LBC, or Burbank (BBK, BRK?), and take their best traffic controllers and hire them at LAX.

[Westsidelife]

^ Jess, the runways are too close to each other for comfort. Read some of the older articles to see what I'm talking about.

[bruin787]

on a lighter note, for the airliner nerds among us...

http://taxiwayalpha.blogspot.com/2008/01/flight-path.html

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f269/janus020/0ce10efd.jpg

[klamedia]

Yes the runways are too close and the airport is too small for how busy it is, every past article that has been placed in this thread has said that. This is a growing worldwide problem in areas that had airports first and then a neighborhood or in LA's case an entire city grew around it. The selfishness of these people who live around LAX is criminal. And if a crash happens I would hope that the very persons who put in a lawsuit and an injunction to halt the airports expansion are tried for mass murder.

[flying_olympic]

^^ well said!

[milquetoast]

Lincoln Blvd. will be a problem to remove, but let's hope one plane doesn't knock another into 91st, or else there'll be hell to pay! :)

[milquetoast]

Environmental study OKd for LAX

Airport panel's action comes after a federal report last month raised concerns about runway safety.
By Tami Abdollah, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
January 15, 2008
Citing safety concerns that they said overrode outrage from neighboring communities, members of the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners on Monday approved a contract for an environmental study that will include a possible reconfiguring of the northern runways at LAX.

The unanimous approval of the $8.7-million contract, with Camp Dresser & McKee Inc., came after a standing-room-only crowd of Los Angeles International Airport neighbors urged commissioners to consider other options and to wait for a safety study.

Last month, the federal Government Accountability Office released a report that found that, since 2001, LAX has had the most on-ground close calls of any major U.S. airport, as well as the highest number of incidents classified as severe.

These incidents included relatively minor mishaps, such as a pilot on a taxiway stopping too close to an active runway, and serious incidents, such as when two jets carrying 296 people came within 37 feet of each other on the airport's north side in August.

The report's release put pressure on the commissioners to speed up their runway safety efforts, which probably will include widening the distance between the two runways on the airfield's north side.

One possible option -- moving the northernmost runway -- has drawn sharp opposition from residents and businesses in neighboring Westchester, which over the years has borne the brunt of noise, traffic and other fallout of LAX's growth into the world's fifth-busiest airport. Many in Westchester wanted airport commissioners to wait for an additional safety study, agreed upon previously, before proceeding with an environmental report.

But that study, ordered last summer from NASA's Ames Research Center, has been delayed in the face of a policy shift in Washington regarding NASA's mission and priorities.

On Monday, Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of the city's airports agency, told the commission that NASA had informed her it would be able to do only a "small portion" of the work, and it has suggested airport officials find another organization to perform a full study.

Even without waiting for a new safety study, it will be at least three years before work can begin on a project to reconfigure the north airfield, officials said.

"I don't think anyone would disagree here that we've got a serious situation," said Commissioner Fernando Torres-Gil. "Waiting what may be four years for a resolution . . . is there any other way to shorten that time frame?"

Many Westchester residents, fearful that their businesses and neighborhoods would suffer if a reconfiguration brings the airport even closer to their community, attended the meeting.

Terry Marcellus, 57, an attorney who said he has lived in Westchester his entire life and is a member of the Neighborhood Council of Westchester-Playa del Rey, urged commissioners to walk into his community and imagine themselves living there, watching a jet fly over his elementary school playground, as he had growing up.

"It would be nice if we felt the deck wasn't stacked against us," Marcellus said. "Don't ask for the construction process when we haven't decided what the construction is going to be."

Danna Cope, another Westchester resident and chairwoman of the LAX Area Advisory Committee, urged commissioners to "wait for [the safety study] to proceed."

"It's foolish to start down this road when we find out, uh-oh, we have to go down that road later," Cope said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that operates LAX, have said for years that increasing the space between the north airfield's two parallel runways to keep aircraft farther apart is critical.

In a statement to the commission, Assemblyman Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) asked members to petition the FAA and the secretary of Transportation to increase the spacing between flights and the numbers of air traffic controllers.

"We cannot wait multiple years," he wrote. "With every passing week, millions of passengers are put at risk."

A $333-million project is underway to further separate the airport's south runways and install a center taxiway. The project, which was supported by the nearby community of El Segundo after a NASA study, is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

tami.abdollah@latimes.com

[redspork02]

Here is what The economist.com says about our Airports!

Airport information


Los Angeles International Airport
Tel: +1 (888) 544-9444


Known as “LAX”, this is the world’s fifth-busiest airport, which can sometimes lead to nerve-fraying waits at immigration (especially for jet-lagged foreign visitors who are greeted by suspicious immigration officials). Yet the airport is improving: even post-September 11th security measures have been streamlined so that long waits are rare.

The real problems involve getting to and from the airport once you're in Los Angeles. Terminals are far apart, so always confirm which one your airline uses to avoid the headache of a mistake. Car parks are badly labelled, so try drawing a small map of landmarks or, for long-term parking, use one of the chain-hotel lots on West Century Boulevard, all of which have shuttle service (though the service to LAX's own long-term car park “C” is appalling). Thanks to aggressive policing, picking up an arriving passenger can be a nightmare; it is best for guests to take a cab, if possible. It is also difficult to get to the airport in the first place. The obvious routes are the freeways, but the easiest routes are often La Cienega from central LA or Lincoln and Sepulveda from the north.


Burbank Airport
Tel: +1 (818) 840-8840

Fortunately, LAX is rarely your only option. Burbank airport is an easy drive from Hollywood and the film studios, and the closest airport to downtown Los Angeles. It is never crowded, has easy parking and offers plenty of flights to San Francisco, Sacramento and other west-coast destinations.


Long Beach Airport
Tel: +1 (562) 570–2619

If you can face a drive south from LA on the horrendous I-405, Long Beach Airport boasts cheap parking and no crowds. Moreover, it is the LA base for JetBlue Airways, many travellers’ favourite for budget flights to New York.


Santa Monica Airport
Tel: +1 (310) 458-8591

Those with their own corporate jets land here (despite the locals complaining of the noise). There are also plenty of other services, such as aircraft cleaning and a flight school, on the premises.

[losangelino]

Los Angeles International still nation's fourth busiest airport01/03/08 09:15:





Los Angeles International Airport remains the nation's fourth-busiest with 680,954 takeoffs and landings last year.

Figures released Wednesday by the Federal Aviation Administration show a 3.5 percent rise in the number of LAX flights compared with 2006.

LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles says new routes by existing carriers such as Southwest as well as the arrival of new airlines, including Virgin America, led to the increase. Passenger totals will be released later this month.

LAX's position as the nation's fourth-busiest airport in the nation is unchanged from 2006. The nation's busiest is Atlanta's Hartfield-Jackson International Airport followed by Chicago O'Hare and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Information from: Daily Breeze, http://www.dailybreeze.com
This battle constantly rages. There are two ways to look at "busiest":

1. Number of take offs and landings, ie number of planes
2. Number of passengers who fly through the airport, ie large jumbo jets

Chicago clearly has the biggest planes so moves the most people while Atlanta moves the most planes, many of which are those tiny planes that wouldn't even be allowed in airports like Chicago O'Hare or LAX.

I think the same holds true for LAX and Dallas. I've never taken a "crop duster" type plane out of LAX where I've done it many many times out of Dallas. Busy to me means moving the most people, not aircraft.

[milquetoast]

If it were take offs and landings, I think Van Nuys is the world's busiest :)

[Westsidelife]

Eh, I'm over it. We have the busy airport AND seaport. That's something neither of the other three cities will ever have. :cheers:

[Epicentre]

If it were take offs and landings, I think Van Nuys is the world's busiest :)

Busiest non-commercial by far, I think 20th if you include it in with commercial.

[bruin787]

whats remarkable about us being #4 is that we're not a major hub for anyone.

Atlanta = Fortress hub for Delta
Chicago = Fortress hub for United, major hub for American
Dallas/Ft Worth = Fortress hub for American
LAX = whats a hub?

take away those airlines, and the accompanying airports sink into oblivion.

[Fern~Fern*]

whats remarkable about us being #4 is that we're not a major hub for anyone.

Atlanta = Fortress hub for Delta
Chicago = Fortress hub for United, major hub for American
Dallas/Ft Worth = Fortress hub for American
LAX = whats a hub?

take away those airlines, and the accompanying airports sink into oblivion.


Jetblue should make LAX it's westcoast hub. Long Beach & Burbank airport can keep Southwest....

[Westsidelife]

Air Travel Is Up at LAX As Dollar Slips

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
January 30, 2008

Despite rising ticket prices and a slowing economy, Los Angeles International Airport and other regional airfields saw an increase in passenger traffic in 2007, according to figures released Tuesday.

In all, 61,896,075 passengers came through LAX in 2007, a 1.4 percent increase from the previous year, according to Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates the airport.

More than 17.1 million of those were international passengers, a 1.49 percent increase from 2006.

"A lot of people would expect air travel to be soft because of fears of an economic slowdown, rising airfares and ongoing stories about rotten airline service, but people seem to still be traveling in the face of a recession," said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

"International activity at LAX reflects the declining value of the dollar," Kyser said. "For most other countries, the United States is a bargain right now."

LAX processed 2,077,527 tons of air cargo, down 1.21 percent, according to airport officials.

In terms of number of flights handled, Los Angeles International was ranked the nation's fourth-busiest airport in 2007, according to preliminary statistics released earlier this month by the Federal Aviation Administration.

LAX logged 680,954 landings and takeoffs in 2007, a 2 percent increase over 2006, according to the FAA.

The trend at LAX was mirrored at other Southern California airports.

LA/Ontario International Airport saw 7,207,150 passengers last year, a 2.23 percent increase from 2006, according to LAWA.

The addition of two daily flights to San Francisco by United Airlines bolstered figures for LA/Palmdale Regional Airport, which handled 12,022 passengers in 2007, up from only 59 passengers in 2006, according to LAWA.

In Long Beach, Daugherty Field served 2,906,556 passengers last year, a 5.4 percent increase from 2006, according to city officials. The airport served an all-time high of 3,034,032 passengers in 2005.

John Wayne Airport in Orange County handled 9,979,699 passengers in 2007, a 3.8 percent increase from the previous year, according to airport officials. Under the terms of a settlement, the airport has a cap of 10.3 million passengers.

Bob Hope Airport in Burbank served 5,921,226 passengers last year, a 4.08 percent increase from 2006, according to airport officials

"I think we will continue to see growth at the region's airports in 2008, as long as international flights continue to hold up," Kyser said. "It's a mixed outlook right now but hopefully the trend will continue."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8115112?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[losangelino]

One has to wonder who has the last say in all of this and how people crunch thier numbers;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_busiest_airports_by_passenger_traffic

This puts LAX in 3rd place.

[Westsidelife]

^ Third place in terms of what?

[losangelino]

^busiest in the USA

[Westsidelife]

Plan at LAX Has Backing on NTSB

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
February 6, 2008

A plan to move the northernmost runway at Los Angeles International Airport about 340 feet closer to the communities of Westchester and Playa del Rey was supported Tuesday by one of President Bush's appointees to the National Transportation Safety Board.

A wider separation between the airport's northern runways and the addition of a centerline taxiway would significantly heighten safety at LAX, according to NTSB board member Steven Chealander.

"I see that as a good idea from a safety standpoint," said Chealander, who was appointed to the NTSB last year. "I see that as the answer because of that center taxiway, which you could put in there with that separation."

Chealander initially said that he could not advocate one runway design over another but changed course during the last two minutes of his hourlong speech to the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

"This could really enhance our safety here at LAX, which quite frankly, needs to be enhanced," Chealander said. "You have 2,700 acres, big airplanes and a lot of traffic. You really have to pay attention to it."

Westchester and Playa del Rey residents have long opposed efforts to move the northernmost runway 340 feet farther north, partially because part of the community's business district would be demolished to make way for the runway. About 4,400 homes in Westchester were demolished by the airport during a major expansion in the 1960s.

"Everyone's in favor of a safe and secure LAX, but anyone who supports moving the runways north into Westchester and Playa del Rey should visit the communities to see what the impact would be on our communities," said Robert Acherman, vice president of the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion.

"Moving the runway north is not the only solution," Acherman said. "That's a plan we will fight."

Currently, airplanes maneuvering on the ground at LAX use paths that crisscross the middle of the parallel northern runways, which heightens the risk of so-called runway incursions.

During a question-and-answer period, Chealander failed to cite any accidents that were attributed to a lack of space between runways.

"The federal government still refuses to show us real evidence why they think we have a safety problem at the north airfield," said Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th District includes LAX. "The NTSB representative admitted that he could not think of a single instance of when insufficient runway separation was the cause of a runway incident."

Last month, the airport commission signed off on an $8.7 million study examining how the northern runways should be reconfigured. A first draft of the report is expected by August 2009, but construction of any new runways and other aspects of the airport's modernization effort might not start until 2012.

Chealander also supported other measures aimed at improving runway safety at LAX, including the installation of runway status lights, which alert pilots when it's safe to take off or cross a runway. Officials with LAX and the Federal Aviation Administration are hammering out a schedule to install the $3.5 million experimental system.

However, Chealander toed a cautious middle ground on whether more air traffic controllers should be hired at LAX, where there are 34 certified controllers, one trainee and 11 developmentals who are performing airport duties for the first time. The FAA has authorized 38 to 46 controllers for LAX.

"They are maxed out, and so fatigue is an issue," Chealander said. "The FAA has an interest in doing it right and doing it safe, and they think they are. The union, on the other hand, will tell you that there are not enough controllers. There is some substance to what they say but there are two sides to the story."

Officials with the air traffic controllers' union have said that LAX controllers work an average of two overtime shifts per month. Officials with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association have asked the FAA to hire more staff.

"Obviously our workload is maxed out, but the FAA refuses to fix the problem they created," said Michael Foote, president of NATCA's membership at LAX Tower. "We have a long way to go before this issue is ever solved."

Most of the overtime shifts are covered by controllers who volunteer for extra duty, according to Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman. In the meantime, the FAA is quickly training new controllers at the airport, he said.

"The FAA is committed to maintaining proper staffing at all of our air traffic control facilities, including LAX," Gregor said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8180855?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[Westsidelife]

System Lets LAX Planes Glide In

By Art Marroquin Staff Writer
February 6, 2008

A new landing system that allows jetliners to glide into Los Angeles International Airport is expected to reduce noise and pollution levels by more than 30 percent, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday.

About 250 planes arriving daily at LAX are using the so-called continuous descent approach, which allows pilots to switch to minimal power about 100 miles east of the airport, said Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman.

Although the number represents only 27percent of the flights coming into LAX, the method was put into place two months ago as a way to improve air quality in neighborhoods surrounding the airport.

"The new continuous descent approach into LAX highlights the Federal Aviation Administration's commitment to creating a greener and more efficient national airspace system," Gregor said.

The new landing system cuts nitrogen-oxide levels by 34 percent, Gregor said. Additionally, airlines using the new approach will save about 250 to 465 pounds of fuel per flight.

Similar approaches are already used at airports in Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Louisville, Ky., where a 30 percent reduction in airliner noise was reported.

"Continuous descent approach at LAX will mean less noise and less pollution in the skies over my constituents in Westchester and Playa del Rey," said Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th District includes LAX.

"This is a good example of how we can make operations more efficient at our airport without further impacting the surrounding residents," he said. "I hope that this line of thinking permeates into other areas as we modernize LAX."

The continuous descent approach is a vast difference from the choppy, step-like landings that typically require aircraft to make a series of steep descents, followed by brief periods of level flight.

The traditional landing procedure burns more fuel and creates more noise because it requires pilots to regularly power-up engines and deploy air brakes.

Gregor said the new landing system is based on technology that has been available for only the past couple of years. And it takes time "to test, build and implement a new air route," he said.

"I'm pleased that they have done this because it will significantly reduce the amount of noise communities will have to endure," said Westchester resident Denny Schneider, president of the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion.

Airplanes approaching LAX from the north, south and west cannot use the new landing system, Gregor said.

"Those flights don't turn far enough east to make use of that approach," he said. "The whole idea is to glide into LAX, not for planes having to make a downward turn into the airport."

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8191835?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[portyhead]

whats remarkable about us being #4 is that we're not a major hub for anyone.

Atlanta = Fortress hub for Delta
Chicago = Fortress hub for United, major hub for American
Dallas/Ft Worth = Fortress hub for American
LAX = whats a hub?

take away those airlines, and the accompanying airports sink into oblivion.


It's so funny to me when people try to make themselves feel better with these sort of baseless arguments. So LAX doesn't have a hub and the other 3 do point being? and not having them would make them less busy so.....?Should Atlanta, Chicago or Dallas fell like they're a superior city because their airport has more traffic however you want to quantify that? Should LA feel like less of a city because it's not #1 in this area? Should we dilude ourselves with weak arguments to make us fell superior as compared to other cities? No one city is number 1 in everything and not every city will dominate in all aspects of what makes a city great whatever that may be. Let's stop with the inane discussions. :bash: LA is a great city as are the other 3 listed. They all have great things to offer. But of course just my opinion so take it as you will.

[Taylorhoge]

My experiences at LAX were overall fine I mean the wait for bags are long but its the same at JFK and other airports. But maybe I will try Burbank or Long Beach since it easier with Jet Blue but I wouldnt mind using Virgin America either but its a little pricey

[bruin787]

someone read too much into my post, so lets start again.

take the hub airlines away from those airports and the amount of traffic at those airports falls by the wayside. thats a fact. period. thats not an opinion on the quality of the airport, the citizens of that city, or the city itself. not sure where you got that from, but i'll play along anyway and say for fun they all SERIOUSLY suck bananas.:banana:

one thing that does make us "superior" to those airports is the very fact that those airports are hubs. again sherlock, i'm taking airports, NOT cities. part of the problem of dealing with a hub airport is that you have to deal with "hub pricing". there is very limited LLC competition from those airports, and therefore a lack of need to keep fares "honest". you do have some relief in Chicago and Dallas with Southwest at Midway and Love Airport, and in Atlanta with Air Tran (no thanks to the legacy carriers themselves, or especially the management that runs DFW, the morons), but that's nowhere near as competitive as LAX.

with today's announcement that jetBlue will being starting flights from LAX in a few weeks, we'll now be the only major airport in the US, with all Legacy carriers AND all LCC's operating from the same spot. the amount of choice from LAX and the NECESSITY for the airlines to keep fares competitive here is now without a doubt the best in the US! :cheers:

[Westsidelife]

JetBlue Expanding LAX Service

Nonstop flights to be offered in May to NYC, Boston airports

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
February 12, 2008

Low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways will launch service between Los Angeles International Airport and two East Coast cities beginning in May, while also beefing up flights offered at airports in Burbank, Long Beach and San Diego, according to several sources close to the deal.

JetBlue will offer three daily nonstop flights from LAX to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, and one daily nonstop flight to Logan International Airport in Boston.

The move could ultimately lead to lower passenger fares at LAX as JetBlue attempts to siphon passengers from competing discount carriers Southwest, Virgin America and AirTran.

"This isn't necessarily good news for the competitors, but it's outstanding news for pretty much everyone else because it means more connections to more places," said Gregory Freeman, an economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

"The fact that they are expanding simultaneously in Long Beach and Burbank shows that this is positive news for the regional economy because it means more jobs and cheaper flights," Freeman said. "But no doubt, JetBlue will have their work cut out for them."

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, airport officials and JetBlue executives are scheduled to announce the new service during a news conference scheduled for today at LAX.

"The addition of JetBlue's new air service at LAX will create more local jobs and foster the opportunity for economic growth in the city of Los Angeles and throughout the region," said Darryl Ryan, a spokesman for Villaraigosa.

Officials at LAX declined to comment, while officials at Long Beach Airport and Burbank's Bob Hope Airport denied knowledge of the announcement.

"Earlier this year, we announced plans to expand operations nationwide by 5 (percent) to 8 percent by adding five new destination airports in 2008," JetBlue spokesman Bryan Baldwin said, declining to comment further.

New York-based JetBlue took to the skies in 1999, offering passengers low-cost fares on airplanes equipped with such luxuries as leather seats and free in-flight television programs. Unlike many domestic carriers, the airline still offers free snacks.

To stay competitive and profitable, JetBlue will need to offer a different set of routes at LAX, Long Beach and Burbank, according to aviation consultant Jack Keady of Playa del Rey.

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_8235487?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com)

[Westsidelife]

AirTran Adds Daily Flight Between Baltimore and L.A.

Los Angeles Business from bizjournals
February 14, 2008

AirTran Airways said Thursday it is expanding its flight offerings between the west coast and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

AirTran is adding a nonstop daily flight to Los Angeles International Airport. The flight will depart at 9 a.m. and arrive at LAX at 12:03 p.m. A daily flight will also depart from Los Angeles to BWI.

AirTran will also add a daily nonstop flight from BWI to Seattle, and two daily nonstops to Dallas/Fort Worth. All new flights will be available beginning May 6.

AirTran is estimating introductory one-way fares to L.A. will cost $99, while one-way flights to Seattle and Dallas will run for $89.

Orlando, Fla.-based AirTran is a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings Inc. (NYSE: AAI).

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Source: Los Angeles Business from bizjournals (http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/mobile/stories/2008/02/11/daily37.html)

[Skyblade]

Great news to hear B6 FINALLY join the fray in LAX! Now if I can get myself off the captivity of frequent flyer mile programs, I'd be set. ;)

Some news from up here in Palmdale:

Heads put together to lure air travelers (http://www.avpress.com/n/14/0214_s2.hts)
By JAMES RUFUS KOREN
Valley Press Staff Writer

PALMDALE - As United Airlines and Los Angeles World Airports struggle to lure passengers to the L.A./Palmdale Regional Airport, leaders on Wednesday discussed two new strategies to help bring in more travelers and make ends meet.

The first, brainstormed by 5th District County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich's office, is a free bus that will run between the Van Nuys Flyway terminal and the Palmdale airport. The second is to make flying out of Palmdale easier for military personnel and federal employees.

Martin Kammerman, a United Airlines market analyst, said both strategies could help the airport's anemic passenger numbers but are far from sure things.

"So there were 11 people on today's flight," Kammerman said in the airport terminal Wednesday as he made a presentation to the Wheels Up Palmdale Coalition. "That didn't meet our fuel costs."

Palmdale had the lowest passenger-to-airline seat ratio of any California airport served by United, he said. In November and December, Kammerman said, the average cost for fuel on flights between Palmdale and San Francisco was $1,163, but the average revenue per flight was $1,118. Since United's service from Palmdale to San Francisco International Airport started in June, the airline has changed its prices several times and just lowered them about three weeks ago.

Kammerman said United is "definitely in it for the long term," but also cautioned that current fares eventually will have to rise.

"The fares are really low right now, and that may be unsustainable in the future," he said.

Mark Thorpe, Los Angeles World Airports' director of air services development, said higher prices later on will be less of an issue if more people see how convenient the airport is now.

"In the short term, we have extremely attractive fares," he said. "Then we combine that with the convenience."

Starting April 2, a bus service - called the Palmdale Flyer - will shuttle passengers from the Van Nuys Flyaway bus terminal to L.A./Palmdale Regional Airport with a stop in Santa Clarita at the Via Princessa Metrolink station.

The bus service, paid for by Antonovich's office, will use four coach-style commuter buses from the Antelope Valley Transit Authority. It will be free for all passengers with an airline boarding pass for that day. A price has not yet been set for ticketless passengers, but officials said it probably will be around $5.

Thorpe said the buses will clear two hurdles for the airport - first by increasing the convenience for riders outside the Antelope Valley to use Palmdale flights and, second, by letting passengers know where the airport is without having to look at a map.

"A lot of people don't know where the airport is," Thorpe said. "But the bus removes that obstacle."

Kammerman agreed the bus service would be an attractive alternative to the congestion of Southern California freeways, but said he could not speak to how effective the plan would be in bringing more passengers to Palmdale.

The airport's other strategy is to get the General Services Administration, which negotiates travel contracts for federal agencies, to approve air travel from Palmdale.

Airlines bid on travel between different cities, and the administration selects carriers, such as United, to serve those markets. Federal travelers, including military personnel, then can book those fares.

Air Force Lt. Col. Ron Hirtle, commander of Plant 42 in Palmdale, said he always would prefer to fly out of Palmdale but sometimes has to fly out of Los Angeles International Airport because the fare is cheaper.

He said military personnel search for airfares on the Defense Travel System, and administration-approved fares always are the first to pop up. They can make other arrangements, but they have to get their commanding officers to approve them if they are not administration fares.

"What people have to do is take extra steps to fly out of Palmdale," Thorpe said.

Thorpe said United will get administration-approved fares between Palmdale and other cities - including Dayton, Ohio, the location of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, headquarters for the parent unit of Edwards Air Force Base and of Plant 42. Those fares won't kick in until the new federal fiscal year starts in October.

"We need to figure out a way to tap into that market between now and Oct. 1," said Paul Haney, deputy executive director of Los Angeles World Airports.

Thorpe said he would work with NASA, Edwards Air Force Base and other federal entities in the Antelope Valley to encourage them to fly through Palmdale "when it makes sense to do so."

Kammerman said getting administration-approved fares can help an airport, but, "It's not a make or break." He said when United got administration-approved fares between Albuquerque and Washington, they created about a 10% bump in revenue. "It may help fill in during slow times," he said. "But we'll take whatever we can get."

jkoren@avpress.com

______

Encouraging military and government employees sounds reasonable but a shuttle from Van Nuys? Who would take this? Prices out of PMD aren't as cheap as, say, LAX or nearby BUR which, for the most part, diminishes attracting leisure travelers from the San Fernando Valley. As for the business traveler? You can get a bunch of better options in terms of schedules (versus PMD's two daily flights) at the said airports and you don't have to bother about taking a shuttle which already eats up time (especially for the time-conscious). Besides if you're conscious of what you're flying in, who'd want to spend an hour and a half on the road to get couped up in a CRJ with no Economy Plus cabin when you can hop onboard a 737 or A320? ;)

Though I'm going to sound hypocritical on my stance of supporting service from PMD, I, myself, don't fly out of here. This is in part due to the said lower fares out of LAX and my elite frequent flyer status with Northwest (though I've pondered on a status match for United's Premier Executive which might happen if Delta and Northwest merge). Even then, I still hope to try it out sometime.

Still, $5 for nonticketed passengers to/from Van Nuys sounds like a deal: a single ride on AVTA's commuter service is $10. Of course, the schedules might be different so meh. :P I think I found a new and cheap way to get to LAX though: AVTA's shuttle to Van Nuys and then connect to the FlyAway for a total of $9 which is $4 cheaper than taking the Metrolink and Union Station FlyAway. :D

I give them brownie points for trying, but it takes more than a free bus ride to encourage travelers to come out from "Down Below" (as what we AVers seem to call the Basin ;)).

[hoosier]

LA should have two major airports, but it doesn't.

Long Beach and Ontario have the potential and ability to be the second airport in the SoCal region but they are not currently.

Does LA suffer from not having that proverbial second major airport?

[milquetoast]

L. A. suffers from its innability to meet demand :)

[The Baz]

LAWA is only interested in creating a more bloated LAX. It is not like traffic and pollution are bad enough around the area. Be damned with Bob Hope or Ontario.

[Westsidelife]

Alitalia Circling Back to LAX

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
February 21, 2008

After a six-year absence from the Southern California market, Alitalia will return to Los Angeles International Airport on June 1, when it launches nonstop, round-trip flights to Rome, officials announced Thursday.

Flights between LAX and Rome will be offered five days a week, making it the only nonstop service between California and Italy, according to Thierry Aucoc, Alitalia's senior vice president for North America.

"Alitalia is very pleased to return to Los Angeles, which is an important market in terms of visitors to Italy and as a destination for Italian travelers," Aucoc said in a statement. "The reopening of the Los Angeles gateway with service to Rome reflects Alitalia's return to its traditional mission as a carrier that serves Italy."

Alitalia was the only carrier offering direct flights from LAX to Italy from 1985 to 2002, but the service stopped when airlines saw fewer passengers in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to airport officials.

LAX has not fully recovered its market share since 9-11, but Alitalia's announcement Thursday showed that the airport is attempting to make a comeback, according to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Other new international flights at LAX this year include:

Air France will offer seven round-trip flights a week to London beginning March 30.

EVA Air will offer three additional round-trip flights a week to Taipei via Osaka beginning March 30.

British Airways will offer seven additional round-trip flights a week to London beginning in April.

Air China will offer seven additional round-trip flights to Beijing beginning in summer 2009.

International overseas flights at LAX generated more than $82 billion in total economic output in Southern California in 2006, according to a recent study by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

"The opening of the nonstop route between LAX and Rome will strengthen business, tourism and cultural ties with one of the most desirable cities in Europe, while providing improved connecting service to more southern European destinations," Villaraigosa said.

"Gaining new and increased international service at LAX is a top priority for my administration because of the substantial contribution these flights make to the economy of Southern California."

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8330594?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[milquetoast]

Runway system being tested could save lives
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/36043982.jpg

Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times
MAKING FLYING SAFER: A plane lands while another taxis at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field. A red-light warning system currently being tested at the airfield has reduced the number of close calls on runways and taxiways.
LAX officials would like to use technology under study to cut close calls.
By Jennifer Oldham, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 25, 2008
SAN DIEGO -- -- As an American Airlines jet readied for takeoff on the runway at this city's airport recently, red lights embedded in the pavement at intersecting taxiways down the field blinked on, warning other aircraft to stay clear.

Air traffic controllers watched from the tower as the slender silver MD-80 started rolling down the runway, gaining speed on its way to Dallas. Once it was safe, the red lights clicked off.

The warning system, currently being tested at San Diego and Dallas/Fort Worth international airports, dramatically reduced the number of close calls between aircraft on a runway and taxiways where lights are embedded at the latter facility, federal auditors found.

"The system is preventing potential accidents today," testified Henry Krakowski, chief operating officer of the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Traffic Organization, this month before a House aviation subcommittee.

But after almost two decades in development, the FAA has yet to decide whether to deploy the equipment at the nation's busiest airports, where close calls on the ground approached record levels last year. Officials at Los Angeles International Airport have been trying to get the system since 2006, even going so far as to offer to pay for it.

Federal officials recently demanded that the FAA, which operates the nation's air traffic system, speed development of new systems -- like the runway warning equipment and technology in the cockpit that displays a map of where a plane is on the airfield -- that directly warn pilots of a potential problem on the ground.

"There will be a catastrophic collision on the ground -- it's a matter of when -- if we don't put a new technology in," said Mark Rosenker, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "I don't want to have to appear before families and tell them that there are technologies there that could have prevented an accident."

Engineers who have worked on the runway-light system attribute the long development period to the fact that the programs that operate it are complicated and require a high level of precision. The system relies on three complex computerized technologies and must be practically error-free before it can be installed on crowded airfields -- where controllers choreograph hundreds of landing and takeoffs each day.

"At a big and busy airport that does complex operations, they often have split-second timing in crossing runways," said Jim Eggert, a staff member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory, who has worked on the project since 1989. "You need to make sure any indication you give pilots about the status of the runway is correct and timely."

It took engineers decades to fine-tune ground radar that the warning system relies on to properly pinpoint an airplane's location, Eggert said. Then engineers had to make sure that the lights wouldn't confuse pilots or controllers or add to their workload.

Currently, there is no automated technology in place to warn pilots directly of potential runway conflicts. Nationwide, pilots have been found to be responsible for about half of close calls at airports. At LAX, decisions by pilots have contributed to about 80% of these incidents since 2000, according to the FAA.

Aviation officials said they hoped to begin testing in the coming year the runway warning system at LAX, which had the highest number of close calls among the nation's busiest airports since 2000. They expect the system will cost up to $5 million.

Los Angeles' airport agency had to wait for the technology in part because the installation of its advanced ground radar was repeatedly delayed. This radar is scheduled to be ready late this year, although it may take several months to train controllers how to use it.

In an effort to curb close calls, the agency has spent millions over the last decade upgrading airfield markings, distributing posters to pilots showing hot spots and reworking the south runway complex.

Installing new technology at LAX is necessary, officials added, because pilots and controllers make mistakes that put more than one airplane on a runway at a time. In one harrowing incident last summer, two jets carrying 296 people came within 37 feet of each other.

LAX was also the site of a deadly runway collision in 1991, when a controller mistakenly placed a departing SkyWest commuter plane in front of an arriving US Airways jet. The accident killed 34 people.

Engineers say the runway layout at Dallas is similar to the two sets of parallel runways at LAX, giving them confidence the system will provide comparable benefits here.

The runway-stoplight system, known in aviation jargon as "runway status lights," relies on a series of computerized lights embedded along the runway and at taxiway intersections.

The equipment is tied into collision-alert systems that pinpoint where aircraft are by picking up signals sent by ground radar and sensors on the airfield and transponders in aircraft.

After the radar nails down an airplane's position, it communicates it to a computer. This computer predicts where conflicts might arise and determines which intersections -- or runway -- should have red lights. It then sends a command to a computer which turns on the lights.

The lights work two ways: For a pilot about to land or take off, red lights illuminate on the runway if another aircraft is crossing downfield. For planes waiting to cross a runway, red lights go on at taxiway intersections if another jet is about to take off or land.

"Imagine you're standing at a railroad crossing point and there's a train coming. Those bars come down and say there's a train coming," said Jaime Figueroa, field prototype and demonstration team leader for the FAA's light program.

"The red lights are the equivalent of a bar coming down and saying there's a train coming. Once the train clears that intersection, they go off."

The FAA expects to make a final decision this summer about how many systems it can afford to install around the nation. Initial proposals were to roll out the technology at 20 airfields, but much depends on how much money is available, the agency said.

Proponents say the system provides better information to pilots, who rely in many cases on controllers to warn them about potential problems before making split-second decisions that could affect dozens of lives.

"This is very effective and very intuitive to pilots, and it doesn't increase their workload," said Capt. Terry McVenes, executive air safety chairman of the Air Line Pilots Assn., a trade group.

Controllers who participated in the tests at the Dallas airport agree that the technology is safe and effective. Indeed, the system reduced close calls on a test runway there by 70%. But controllers cautioned that the system did have some glitches initially and required additional training for both pilots and controllers.

"Fairly early on, the lights actually caused a runway incursion," said Ric Loewen, a controller at Dallas/Fort Worth and facility representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn.

"An aircraft was instructed to hold short of a runway that had red lights on, and when the lights went off, he took it upon himself to go, and someone was departing on the runway."

There were also a few questions initially by pilots wondering whether they would get a green light telling them they could proceed, Loewen said. The lights are either red or off, and pilots still must await clearance from controllers to cross the runway once the red lights go off.

Controllers at Dallas and in San Diego also cataloged several cases in which the lights didn't switch off, forcing supervisors to reboot the system.

The FAA is testing a second runway safety system at Long Beach Airport that relies on sensors in the pavement, akin to those cities use on streets to control traffic signals, to warn pilots coming in for a landing that a plane is on the runway.

Known as Final Approach Runway Occupancy Signal, the system uses cables in the ground that detect metal objects moving over them and transmit a signal to a series of lights pilots use as they are approaching an airport to make sure they are following the right path. If a plane passes over cables and onto the test runway, the lamps flash to warn incoming pilots that the runway is occupied.

Officials say it's unclear how effective this system has been, adding that they plan to test it at a busier airport this year. If the system works at a bigger facility, it may be suitable for airports that aren't in line to get advanced ground radar systems.

Aviation experts emphasize that these systems are not the whole solution but are part of a layered approach to limit close calls at the nation's airports that includes training pilots and controllers and upgrading airfield markings. "Our research shows that runway status lights would address -- that doesn't mean fix, but would address -- two-thirds of runway incursions," said Lincoln Laboratory's Eggert.

jennifer.oldham@latimes.com

[Westsidelife]

Green Light for LAX Runway Safety Plan

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
February 26, 2008

A stoplight system that alerts pilots when it's safe to cross a runway will be installed at Los Angeles International Airport next year as part of a safety plan scheduled to be unveiled today by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The $6 million system will be switched on during the first quarter of 2009 and will be funded entirely by Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX, according to Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the FAA.

"You have to be very careful anytime you design, develop and install a new safety system," Gregor said. "You have to make sure it has the desired effect, and does not create any confusion on the airfield."

Robert Sturgell, acting administrator of the FAA, is scheduled to hold a news conference at LAX this afternoon to announce the new runway status lights system.

Plans call for installing the red lights on the inner runway and four taxiway intersections on the north airfield, where airline safety has been called into question.

"We still have a geometry problem on the north airfield," Gregor said. "Runway status lights are a valuable technology, but they are not a replacement for proper airfield geometry."

Last month, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners signed off on an $8.7 million study examining how the parallel north runways should be reconfigured. A final decision won't come for another two years, but a series of reports released last year found that the runways should be separated by 340 feet to make room for a centerline taxiway.

"I certainly think it makes sense to install those lights now because it's an interim safety measure, but it's not the ultimate solution for LAX's north side," Gregor said.

An additional set of runway status lights will be installed along three taxiways on the south airfield, which is undergoing a $333 million renovation, according to Gregor.

By the end of the year, airport officials hope to install advanced ground radar equipment that operates the high-tech light system.

The lighting system is expected to help decrease the number of close calls between aircraft maneuvering on the ground at LAX, which has reported the highest number of runway incursions among the nation's busiest airports since 2000.

"The airport, surrounding communities and I have called for runway status lights and other collision avoidance systems for several years, and it is very gratifying to see the FAA respond to our calls," said Rep. Jane Harman, D-El Segundo, whose district includes LAX.

"Runway status lights are a significant step toward preventing runway incursions," Harman said. "If tests around the country are any indication, they should substantially reduce the number of incursions at LAX."

Runway incursions have dropped 70 percent since the light system was installed on one of the seven runways at Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport in 2005, according to an FAA report released last month.

San Diego International Airport installed the system on its single oceanfront runway in December 2006 and has seen similar success, according to airport officials.

"It's about time they're coming to LAX," said Denny Schneider, president of the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion.

"I'm thrilled that they are finally coming around and doing something that the community has been screaming about for the last several years," Schneider said. "We kept getting told that the lights were experimental, and now they will finally become a reality."

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8364124?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com&IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[Westsidelife]

FAA Sets Safety Upgrades for LAX

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
February 27, 2008

A series of safety upgrades are coming to Los Angeles International Airport over the next year, including a $6 million runway-stoplight system and the addition of 10 air traffic controllers, the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday.

Robert A. Sturgell also said he supported the idea of separating the airport's parallel northern runways to make room for a centerline taxiway to allow aircraft more room to safely maneuver on the ground.

"These new runway lights will be one more layer of defense, but they will not be the first line of defense," Sturgell said during a news conference at LAX.

"The ultimate aim for LAX is to reconfigure the runways," he said. "They're just too close."

The runway status lights system is expected to start working by the beginning of next year on four taxiway intersections and the inner runway on the north airfield, while the southern airfield will have lights at three taxiways.

The red lights, embedded in pavement, will switch on any time it's unsafe for a pilot to cross a runway or take off from the airport, according to the FAA.

"Drivers have stoplights to guide them, so why not pilots?" Sturgell said. "Well, now they will."

The lighting system is expected to help decrease the number of close calls between aircraft maneuvering on the ground at LAX, which has reported the highest number of runway incursions among the nation's busiest airports since 2000.

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners will formally decide Monday whether to pay for the high-tech warning system.

"Runway status lights are fantastic and we've been waiting for them to come, but I'm concerned about what (Sturgell) said about the runways," said Airport Commissioner Valeria Velasco, who lives just north of LAX in Playa del Rey.

"I'm hoping he doesn't advocate moving the northern runways farther north," Velasco said. "If we move the runways, I want to move the inner runway toward the south and rip out terminals one through three."

The FAA approved such a plan three years ago, when it was presented as part of former Mayor James Hahn's failed $11 billion modernization effort. More recently, the airport commission ordered an $8.7 million study last month re-examining how the parallel north runways should be reconfigured.

The FAA also hopes to heighten safety at LAX by hiring 10 more air traffic controllers this year, only three of which will have worked at other airports. With up to six veteran controllers expected to retire this year from LAX Tower, the total net gain will be four new controllers at the airport.

Currently, LAX has 36 certified air traffic controllers and nine trainees. A congressional report released last year found that most air traffic controllers suffer from fatigue due to a lack of proper staffing at the nation's airports.

"We're way short on controllers right now," said Michael Foote, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association at LAX.

"Just because you hire a new trainee doesn't mean that they can come in and start working right away," Foote said. "A net gain of four controllers is not a good number."

The Los Angeles City Council has also called on the FAA to staff LAX with 47 certified controllers, arguing that the extra staff is needed as a safety measure.

"It's a step in the right direction, but it's not enough," said Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th District includes LAX.

"Granted, this is better than not responding to the issue at all," he said. "But 47 is what I consider to be a full staff in that control tower."

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8374568?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[milquetoast]

Virgin America provokes fare wars at LAX
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/36318626.jpg

Virgin America / Bob Riha, Jr./AP
Virgin Group chairman Sir Richard Branson celebrates Virgin America's first flight from San Francisco to San Diego. The airline envisions flying to 30 cities within three years.
By Peter Pae, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
March 3, 2008
For years, JetBlue Airways Corp. turned up its nose at flying out of Los Angeles International Airport, saying that LAX was too big, too crowded and, well, that it just preferred to operate out of smaller hubs.

Then out of the blue last month, the low-cost carrier stunned LAX officials by asking for gates there. Moreover, it wanted them in Terminal 6 next to Virgin America, the airline started by eccentric British billionaire Richard Branson.

It was no surprise to industry observers. Branson is once again shaking up the industry with an airline that is offering low fares and unusual onboard amenities.

The repercussions have been particularly visible at LAX where the airline has heated up the kind of competition the airport hasn't seen in recent memory.

LAX passengers flying to popular domestic destinations such as San Francisco and New York are enjoying some of the lowest fares in years despite record fuel prices.

"We've become a hotbed of competition," said Paul Haney, the airport's deputy executive director. "I don't know if we could say that without Virgin America."

Since Virgin America began flying out of LAX in August with fares as low as $44 one-way, competitors have been beefing up flights and lowering fares and even JetBlue has been prompted to enter the market.

Southwest, United and Alaska airlines, long LAX mainstays, added flights to routes served by Virgin America. And they either matched or lowered fares closer to that offered by the airline.

When Virgin America announced it would begin flying between LAX and Seattle, Alaska quickly responded by adding three more flights between the two cities.

The additional flights would begin in April, a month before Virgin America had planned to enter the Seattle market. Not to be outdone, Virgin America changed the start of the service, pushing it up to April and announced it would offer one-way $77 fares, or about half of the prevailing rate.

Forest Hills, N.Y.-based JetBlue, which has had its part in shaking up the industry with discount fares since it started flying in 2000, said last month that it would begin serving LAX passengers with four daily flights to New York and Boston beginning in May.

The sudden flurry of choices for flights to some of the more popular destinations has been a boon for LAX consumers, who are seeing fares as much as half of what they had been used to paying.

"It's been awesome," said Brandon Brown, a San Francisco State University student whose family lives in Westchester and was flying down from San Francisco on a Virgin America flight. "Sometimes it's now cheaper for me to fly than drive."

And analysts don't expect much of a letdown in competition as Virgin America looks to expand at LAX.

The airline said that over time its operations at LAX would be "relatively equal in size" to its main hub in San Francisco where it has its headquarters.

"We'd love to grow there," Virgin America Chief Executive David Cush said. "It's a huge travel market."

The airline said it was talking to LAX officials about expanding, including the possibility of moving from Terminal 6, where it has two gates to Terminal 3, where it would like to eventually have as many as six gates.

The airline currently operates 12 flights at LAX, flying to three cities: San Francisco, New York and Washington. That will grow to five cities by this summer. In all, the airline envisions flying to 30 cities within three years.

But some analysts questioned whether the airline could sustain the growth or even survive amid record fuel prices and a slowing economy that is expected to reduce air travel.

"It's a tough environment," said Ray Neidl, an aviation analyst with Calyon Securities.

Cush said that the airline didn't expect to be profitable for two more years, taking longer than planned because of high fuel prices. But Cush said the airline was well positioned financially to weather any downturn.

"If we had started two years ago when fuel was half the cost we would have been able to reach profitability a lot faster," Cush said, noting how regulators had twice killed plans to launch the airline because of concerns with foreign ownership.

The airline got approval to fly after Branson's Virgin Group lowered its stake in the airline by half to 25%.

Virgin America is hoping that passengers will be drawn to not only its low fares but also to its amenities at a time when most airlines are slashing service to cut costs.

Trying to project the image of a hip airline, it has mood-lighting in the cabin and personal video screens at every seat with which passengers can order meals, watch on-demand movies and engage in an "in-flight chat room."

But analysts have questioned whether such amenities can draw the more lucrative business traveler who typically flies major U.S. carriers such as United and American because of their frequent-flier programs.

Cush said the airline was looking at various marketing and other frequent-flier tie-ins with major airlines, a move that would appeal to business travelers like Scott Vigil, director of sales at Kensington Computer Products Group.

"I fly United and American because of all the frequent-flier miles I have with them," the Carlsbad, Calif., resident said. But he added that a Virgin America tie-in with a major airline "would be exceptionally compelling."

peter.pae@latimes.com

[Westsidelife]

$25 Million Contract Granted for LAX Plan

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
March 4, 2008

DMJM Aviation was awarded a $25 million, one-year project management contract Monday to oversee modernization efforts at Los Angeles International Airport.

The Board of Airport Commissioners agreed to work with DMJM to prioritize a series of major construction projects expected to cost up to $8 billion over the next decade.

"LAX, as you know, suffers from a combined affliction of physical decay and design antiquity," said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that operates LAX.

"The impact of these two realities is enormous on passengers, on airlines and on the economic vitality of the region," Lindsey said. "We are in serious need of comprehensive infrastructure repair and replacement."

The airport's one-year contract with DMJM allows for extensions over the next six years, according to an airport report. The company stands to earn much more down the line because the industry standard for management services typically runs 7 percent to 10 percent of the project's total cost.

"In the first year we have to build an organization and the tools to launch a facilitywide, multibillion-dollar redevelopment program," Lindsey said. "This means one year to get ready to build."

Airport modernization projects include fixing existing infrastructure, figuring out a new baggage screening system, renovating and expanding the Tom Bradley International Terminal and building 10 to 12 gates capable of handling megasize airliners at the new Midfield Concourse, which is scheduled for completion in 2012.

Airport officials also hope to eventually build a consolidated car rental facility and an automated people mover that would stop at each terminal.

"It's probably the largest airport program in the world right now," Loren Smith, president of DMJM Aviation, told the airport commission.

"In terms of complexity, it's got more moving parts and more procuring activities than any project I've worked on," Smith said. "We've got a lot of work to do, and not a lot of time to do it."

DMJM won a similar consulting contract four years ago for former Mayor James Hahn's failed $11 billion airport modernization effort. That plan was scrapped amid widespread protest and a lawsuit filed by the county, three neighboring cities and a community group.

From 2003 to 2007, DMJM was paid $15.7 million to complete various LAWA projects, airport officials said.

In four to six weeks, the airport commission will consider two more contracts for engineering and architectural work related to the modernization project.

"It is really just a start of remaking LAX, which is a huge, huge project for all of us," said Alan Rothenberg, president of the airport commission. "Our challenges really lie ahead."

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8445953?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[LAsam]

I was excited when I heard Gina Marie Lindsey was taking over LAWA, and she doesn't seem to be disappointing.

[milquetoast]

Just put your head down AND GET TO IT!

[ArchiTennis]

Survey reconfirms value of LAX
By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer

Travelers flying in and out of Los Angeles International Airport typically stay in town for 8.2 nights, spending an average of $929 during the trip, according to an airport report released Monday.

Additionally, LAX passengers tend to be men over the age of 25 earning $35,000 to $149,000 annually, according to the LAX Air Passenger Survey, which polled nearly 28,000 departing passengers traveling through the airport during the summer and fall of 2006.

The report provides a glimpse into where passengers are coming from, how they travel to LAX and their reasons for using the airport. The survey, completed by the Los Angeles-based Applied Management and Planning Group, has a margin of error of 0.6 percent.

"The LAX Air Passenger Survey is a valuable tool that we use as part of our ongoing efforts to modernize and improve passenger facilities, ground access and customer service," said Paula McHargue, a Los Angeles Worlds Airports planner who managed the survey.

More than a quarter of those surveyed said that they chose to fly out of LAX simply because it was the easiest option, compared with using other local airports. About 12 percent said LAX was close to home, while 9 percent said that the airport provided the least expensive options.

Additionally, just as many passengers are likely to use the airport to reach a vacation destination (37 percent) as they would for a business flight (36 percent), according to the survey. The rest cited the reason for their trip as being "personal." Passengers who simply use LAX to connect with another flight make up one-third of the airport's departures.
"I think the study reinforces that LAX is a huge economic engine for the region and that we need to do everything we can to renovate it, to make it safer and to improve the overall passenger experience so that people keep coming," (I agree) said Sam Garrison, vice president of public policy for the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

"Folks get concerned about the noise and the traffic around the airport," (screw those nimbys!!!) Garrison said. "But the reality is that we need to make this a shining gem so that the airlines don't move to another West Coast airport."

LAX passengers are also more likely to drive to the airport, according to the survey. About 55 percent of those surveyed either drove themselves to the airport or caught a ride from a friend. Eleven percent arrived in a rented car. On-call shuttles and hotel courtesy vans took 15 percent of the passengers to LAX, while taxis were used by another 9 percent.

About 3 percent of airport passengers used the FlyAway bus shuttle, which launched service in 2006 at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. Service has since been extended to Van Nuys and Westwood.

Only 1 percent took the bus or the Metro Green Line to get to the airport, according to the survey. :ohno:

For now, the Metro Green Line ends about two miles from LAX, forcing commuters to take a brief bus ride to the airport. The set-up is inconvenient for passengers looking for a quick trip to LAX, according to Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th District includes the airport.

"Extending the Green Line to the airport is a short-term traffic-mitigation concern that could easily be completed by 2012 or 2013," Rosendahl said. "People have reached their limit, but there is a lot of political will to push for that two-mile extension."

The report also presented some good news to those who support the idea of sharing the burden of LAX's air traffic with other local airports.

About 13 percent of the LAX passengers surveyed came from Orange County, a decrease from the 15.4 percent of those surveyed in 2001.

In contrast, 77.7 percent of the airport's passengers came from Los Angeles County, while 9.3 percent of those surveyed came from a combination of San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, San Diego and counties designated as "other."

The drop in the number of Orange County residents using LAX may reflect the fact that the annual passenger cap at John Wayne Airport in Orange County was boosted from 8.4 million annual passengers to 10.3 million back in 2003, according to Leonard Kranser, who successfully led the opposition to building an airport at the shuttered Marine Corps air station in El Toro.

"Since the passenger cap was lifted at John Wayne, a larger portion of the traveling public could use the airport," Kranser said. "Regionally, there hasn't been that much population growth in Orange County, so what this means is that people who want to fly are using John Wayne Airport rather than LAX."

Additionally, about one-quarter of the LAX passengers reported that they had considered using another airport for their flight. About the same number said they would have considered using LAX's smaller sister airport, LA/Ontario International, if the same flight were available.

"This is consistent with the trends we want to see for regionalization," said Denny Schneider, president of the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion, a community group that opposes efforts to expand LAX's operations.

"People are beginning to get frustrated with the difficulty of traveling out of LAX and are looking for other airports," Schneider said. "It also means that LAWA needs to get on the ball in expanding operations at Ontario so that it can be a viable option for the region."

The airport conducted a similar survey just before the

Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Back then, 75 percent of the airport's departing passengers checked at least one piece of luggage. By 2006, 87 percent of departing passengers checked their baggage, according to the survey.

"That's to be expected with the imposition of strict post-9-11 rules by the Transportation Security Administration," said Jack Keady, an aviation consultant in Playa del Rey.

"People don't want to take liquids or computers out of their bags now, so it's just easier to check everything while traveling," Keady said. "But that may change again as some airlines impose strict weight limits and begin charging passengers for checking bags. People might rather deal with TSA's impositions rather than pay more for checked bags."

[milquetoast]

L.A. to Dubai: 16 hours to enjoy lauded service
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/2006_02_11_fountain_dubai_428x321.jpg taheny.com

By Peter Pae, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
8:10 PM PDT, March 13, 2008
This fall, getting halfway around the world will be a lot easier, if you think 16 hours on a plane is easy.

Emirates Airlines will start nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Sept. 1, the carrier said Thursday. Emirates will use Boeing Co.'s new 777-200LR, which has the longest range of any jetliner.

"L.A. represents Emirates' commitment to the American market," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, the airline's chief executive and the uncle of the ruler of Dubai. (The ruling family has made courting Hollywood a key part of promoting tourism. Its local film festival has featured some top names in U.S. cinema.)

The flight to Dubai, about 8,000 miles from L.A., would be the first nonstop from the West Coast to the Persian Gulf. It will cross over the Arctic Circle.

Several international carriers have recently started or expanded service at LAX, helping the airport fend off competition from San Francisco.

"International is where the growth is going to be for the next two or three years," said Paul Haney, LAX's deputy executive director.

Emirates, the world's fastest-growing airline, often tops lists of fliers' favorites. On the LAX-Dubai route each coach seat will be equipped with an audiovisual system stocked with 1,700 hours of entertainment, including the biggest Beatles playlist in the air.

Bob Covington, a technology manager for photo agency Getty Images, said he once purposely flew to New York rather than take a direct flight to Germany just so he could get on an Emirates flight.

"They are at the top of the market," said Covington, a Mid-Wilshire district resident who flies often for his job. Last year's flight was "like stepping back in time when flying was elegant and fun. If they open up a gateway to Europe, it's all over for a lot" of other airlines.

peter.pae@latimes.com

[milquetoast]

Whataya know! They have their own film festival! Shhhhh.. don't let this get out, but the Dubai..uhhh..ans could be a real friend for development in this town. We have what attracts them, most foreign investment really. They really like Gehry, that's a given- they've supported his projects elsewhere before. We beat back San Francisco so they could align with, well..Hollywood. They've got more money than they could ever burn! If we just su..kiss, kiss their ass, we can have towers popping up all over the place!! We'll just play the Hollywood card- it's got to be good for something! Luxury hotels stretching into the sky for the Royal fams to stay in while George Clooney teaches them how to play H.O.R.S.E.! You think I'm kidding? Let the flights begin! :):)

[Westsidelife]

Los Angeles is one of the most globally connected cities in the world, yet we still can't position our city as a major global business and financial center. :ohno:

[Westsidelife]

Theme Building to Get a New Skin

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
March 4, 2008

More than a year after a half-ton chunk of plaster fell from the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport, officials on Monday put out a call for bids from developers interested in finally replacing the stucco exterior of the iconic structure.

For now, the modernistic building's metal skeleton is exposed and surrounded by scaffolding while construction crews shore up the corroding arches as part of a lengthy $11 million repair project.

The next phase of the Theme Building's reconstruction, set to begin in May, calls for replacing the white stucco skin on all four arches to restore its historic shape and texture, said Dave Shuter, deputy executive director of facilities for Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX.

The seven-month project put out to bid by the Board of Airport Commissioners also calls for installing a mechanical ventilation system to minimize corrosion inside the arches, rebuilding the structure's central core and installing seismic upgrades to strengthen the building in case of an earthquake.

The building's first-floor restrooms also will be upgraded to meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The first sign of trouble at the Theme Building was spotted Feb. 24, 2007, when a stucco slab fell from one of the upper arches and crashed into the structure's main platform, just a few feet from the roof of the space age-style Encounter Restaurant.

As airport engineers peeled back the stucco layers, they discovered rust had spread throughout the building's metal support system. The damage was likely caused by water that seeped past the plaster seams, according to airport officials.

As a precaution, the Theme Building and Encounter Restaurant were shut down March 8, 2007.

Since then, CSA Constructors Inc. has removed the stucco from the building under a $1.8 million contract. Gin Wong Associates was paid $1.5 million to oversee the emergency demolition and hazardous materials abatement of the Theme Building, and an additional $2.6 million to draw up plans to rebuild the structure's exterior coating.

Encounters Restaurant, at the top of the building, reopened in November as construction crews continued to work on the building.

The Theme Building, recognizable worldwide because of its exposure in movies and television shows, was built during the late 1950s at a cost of $2.2 million, finally opening in 1961. The Los Angeles City Council designated the structure as a cultural and historic monument in 1992, meaning it cannot be significantly altered.

The Theme Building was last renovated in 1999, when the platform's underside and the bottom of the restaurant were shored up at a cost of $3 million.

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8445156?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[Westsidelife]

Korean Air Links LAX, Sao Paulo

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
March 24, 2008

Korean Air will offer nonstop flights between Los Angeles International Airport and Sao Paulo, Brazil, beginning June 2, officials announced Monday.

With a population of more than 10 million people, Sao Paulo is the largest city in South America and widely considered to be Brazil's economic hub.

Korean Air carries more air cargo at LAX than any other passenger airline, according to company officials, who said they hope that the new connection with Sao Paulo will generate a "positive economic impact" for Asia, Brazil and Southern California.

"We're a global airline that will now provide the much-needed passenger and cargo service between Los Angeles and Sao Paulo that no other company has the scope to do," said Jong Eun Lee, Korean Air's regional vice president for the Americas.

Korean Air will fly between LAX and Sao Paulo using Boeing 777-200 aircraft, which have a capacity of 260 passengers. Flights are scheduled for Monday, Wednesday and Friday, departing LAX at 7:30 p.m., and arriving in Sao Paulo at 11 a.m. the next day. The return flight will leave Sao Paulo at 1:30 p.m. and arrive at LAX at 9:30 p.m.

Korean Air already offers 24 weekly round-trip flights from LAX to Seoul and Tokyo.

The new service stems from an agreement reached between Korean Air and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who traveled to South Korea, Japan and China during a trade mission in 2006.

"The establishment of new international service from Los Angeles is a high priority for my administration and a focus point of our promotional initiatives around the world as we work to revitalize LAX," Villaraigosa said.

"It is fitting that Los Angeles travelers have a nonstop option for service to Brazil's financial capital and it is my hope that Korean Air will increase its frequency to daily service."

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8686535?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com&IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[Westsidelife]

All of this is great news. Rome, Dubai, Sao Paulo; keep LA connected with the rest of the world! :cheers:

[milquetoast]

Foreign airlines flock to LAX
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/laxCoverPix2.jpg harborfm.com

International flights are being added as a weakening dollar fuels demand from travelers overseas.
By Peter Pae, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
March 31, 2008
Domestic travel might be in a slump, but overseas flights are surging at Los Angeles International Airport.

Foreign airlines are turning to LAX again despite crowded, aging terminals -- frequent-flier surveys often rank it among the nation's worst -- that have made it the bane of airlines and passengers.

While U.S. carriers are cutting back amid a slowing economy and high fuel costs, international airlines are flocking to LAX as more overseas travelers look to take advantage of the weak dollar.

Fares are likely to remain high as long as oil prices stay at their current levels, but the upswing in overseas flights could provide relief to some of the more-popular destinations in Europe, South America and Asia. And with the number of nonstop flights growing, people on international flights can look forward to reaching their destinations faster.

The boom is raising worries of overcrowding and long lines at U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoints, which some critics say are already understaffed. LAX is the nation's second busiest for international flights.

Paul Haney, the airport's deputy executive director, said he hadn't seen so many new international flights being added at LAX in at least a decade. "It seems the marketplace is being somewhat forgiving of our infrastructure shortcomings," he said.

Eight carriers have started or announced new international service to LAX since October, including the first nonstop flights to Rome on Alitalia Airlines beginning in June and Air France nonstop service to London starting today.

Emirates Airlines, the world's fastest growing, announced this month that it would launch LAX-Dubai nonstop service, targeting Southern California's sizable Middle Eastern community.

Brazilian carrier OceanAir filed an application this month with the U.S. Department of Transportation to start its first U.S. service with nonstop flights between Sao Paulo and LAX. The carrier's Brazilian rival, TAM Airlines, also is eyeing the route.

Korean Air announced last week that it too would start nonstop flights between LAX and Sao Paulo. The service by the South Korean carrier would target business travelers in the U.S. as well as provide connecting service for Asian passengers who currently don't have nonstop flights to Brazil.

Other foreign carriers have been expanding service to Los Angeles. Qantas Airways said March 13 that it would add three more flights per week to Sydney and Brisbane, and Air China plans to add a second daily nonstop flight to Beijing this summer.

A new airline in Australia, a brainchild of British billionaire Richard Branson, is expected to announce today that it will begin nonstop flights from Sydney and other Australian cities to LAX in a direct competition with Qantas. The announcement is expected at the same time U.S. and Australia sign an accord allowing unrestricted flights between the two countries.

An all-business-class airline also is considering nonstop service between LAX and London, heating up the competition for one of the busiest and most-lucrative routes.

The latest surge in international service at LAX comes as a weakening dollar has fueled demand for flights to the U.S. from travelers overseas. At the same time, many of the nationalistic restrictions are being relaxed, allowing more flights between the U.S. and other countries. And after a hiatus, airlines are starting to get their long-awaited planes needed for the long-distance routes.

The bustle at the Tom Bradley International Terminal is in stark contrast to domestic traffic, which is expected to stay flat or decline as the economic downturn and higher air fares propelled by record fuel costs damp travel.

The international boom is helping LAX fend off competition from San Francisco and resurrect passenger traffic that slid sharply after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Last year, several airlines began shifting some flights to San Francisco International Airport, where a spacious international terminal has been built.

But LAX officials forecast that the number of international passengers this year will be in the range of pre-9/11 levels. The number of international passengers was up more than 8% in January and nearly 11% in February.

It's the kind of uptick airport officials haven't seen since the Boeing 747-400 began entering service in 1989, giving international carriers an economical and profitable way to fly more people greater distances.

"It's going to be a very busy summer," said Frank Clark, executive director of LAXTEC Corp., the nonprofit group that represents airlines that fly out of the Bradley terminal.

Customs and Border Protection officials said they were "assessing the potential impact of the passenger traffic over the next few years" but didn't have plans to add staffing.

"We are going to do everything we can to manage it with what we have," said Michael Fleming, a spokesman for the agency's Los Angeles office.

The new flights are expected to have significant effect on Southern California's economy. A 2007 study by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. estimated that one daily transpacific or transatlantic flight on a wide-body jet pumps about $620 million annually to the local economy and sustains 3,120 jobs directly and indirectly.

In all, LAX is expected to add about a dozen new long-haul flights that could pump more than $7 billion into the local economy.

Emirates' decision to fly to LAX was considered a key win by airport officials. San Francisco has been aggressively vying to unseat LAX as the West Coast hub for international flights.

Since several carriers shifted international flights to San Francisco last year, LAX has undergone a resurgence of its own after launching an aggressive marketing campaign and beginning Bradley terminal renovations, including adding several lounges for business- and first-class passengers.

But for Emirates and other foreign carriers starting service at LAX, the airport was chosen for a simple reason: Although San Francisco has better and newer facilities, LAX has the larger potential passenger market.

"It was clearly the next move for us because of the sheer size of the market," said Nigel Page, Emirates' senior vice president for commercial operations, the Americas. "We saw that there was a lot more potential there." peter.pae@latimes.com

[VZN]

A new airline in Australia, a brainchild of British billionaire Richard Branson, is expected to announce today that it will begin nonstop flights from Sydney and other Australian cities to LAX in a direct competition with Qantas. The announcement is expected at the same time U.S. and Australia sign an accord allowing unrestricted flights between the two countries.

And to further piggyback off of that...

http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_8752754

V Australia, LAX service to debut

V Australia Airlines will make its American debut in December, when it launches 10 weekly round-trip flights between Sydney and Los Angeles International Airport, officials are expected to announce today.

The news comes just as restrictions are being lifted on airline carriers traveling between the United States and "the land down under," thanks to an "open skies" agreement expected to be signed today.

City officials and executives from V Australia - the international offshoot of Virgin Blue Airlines - will announce the service during a news conference this morning at LAX.

"V Australia is a brand-new, long-haul international airline for Australia, focused first on the USA through our chosen gateway of Los Angeles and bringing a brand-new style of service to the trans-Pacific route," Brett Godfrey, CEO and co-founder of Virgin Blue Airlines, said in a statement.

"It's tremendously exciting and opens a whole new range of possibilities for travelers and for tourism and trade development between our countries."

The open skies agreement lifts all restrictions on U.S. and Australian airlines and opens up the lucrative market to carriers other than United Airlines and Qantas Airways, which have dominated flights between the two countries for several years. The deal is scheduled to be signed this afternoon by U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

"The Australia-U.S. open skies agreement is a great achievement and a significant change after almost 20 years of restrictive bilaterals," Godfrey said. "The agreement underlines the commitment of both governments to extensively liberalize Australia-U.S. air services, a decision we strongly endorse, and one which will bring significant benefit to both countries."
Airport officials have tried for some time to lure V Australia to LAX when the carrier announced intentions to fly 10 Boeing 777 flights a week to the West Coast. Up until last week, there was much speculation over whether the Brisbane-based carrier would select LAX or rival San Francisco International Airport.

"The reason there was so much doubt is because a lot of people think that Los Angeles International Airport has lagged on so many levels," said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

"LAX is just now getting around to improving the old international terminal, while San Francisco already has a beautiful new international terminal, which makes it a very attractive alternative for airlines and passengers alike," Kyser said. "Because of that, airlines are trying to figure out whether the West Coast's international gateway should be San Francisco or Los Angeles."

Anticipating increased competition from other carriers, Qantas Airways announced earlier this month that it is adding two round-trip flights between Brisbane and LAX, and one round-trip flight per week between LAX and Sydney. In total, Qantas will offer 47 flights per week to the United States.

Flights between LAX and Australia have been especially lucrative for Qantas. The Australian airline was the busiest foreign carrier at LAX in 2007, when it carried 1.3 million international passengers. Qantas will begin flying the mega-size Airbus A380 into LAX next fall.

On Sunday, Air France-KLM launched one daily round-trip flight between LAX and London's Heathrow Airport, thanks to an open skies agreement brokered between the United States and the European Union. In total, five airlines offer 70 weekly departures from LAX to London, up from 63 last year, according to airport officials.

The European-U.S. open skies agreement will open up routes for all carriers based in the United States and the 27 countries that comprise the European Union. The deal, struck late last year, is expected to result in significantly reduced airfares for travelers on both sides of "the pond, " Kyser said.

Wonderful. Our ties with the Pacific can only get stronger.

[Westsidelife]

Sorry, I've been slacking off with this thread. Back to work...

Area Trade Group Returns from India with $70M in Projected Deals

March 28, 2008

Southern California's economy will soon get a $70 million economic boost thanks to a delegation of local business and government leaders who recently returned from a trip promoting trade and strengthening economic ties with India.

"The preliminary outcome of this mission was highly successful, with participating companies reporting more than $70 million in projected export sales," said Vance Baugham, president of the Los Angeles-Long Beach chapter of the World Trade Center Association.

"We anticipate an attraction of a direct airline flight to LAX in 2009," said Baugham. "We are also in discussions with a major Indian hotel brand to add a location in Los Angeles County that could bring up to $100 million in Indian investment to the region, with 500 to 600 new jobs," he added.

The WTCA supports development of international trade and business opportunities for local companies and promotes the L.A. region as a destination for foreign investment.

Baugham was among the 25-member delegation, which included representatives from the cities of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the Port of Long Beach, Los Angeles World Airports, as well as major corporations such as AECOM, Clean Energy, KPMG, Paramount Pictures, Seyfarth Shaw, KPC Group, Oasis, and Cal State Long Beach.

The delegation -- led by Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation Chairman Ray Holdsworth and CEO Bill Allen; WTCA President Vance Baugham and India-born Long Beach Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal -- met with Indian government and industry leaders on the country's infrastructure needs, such as air and sea ports in New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

The trip also included a series of business matchmaking meetings conducted throughout India. Officials introduced local and regional engineering, technology and transportation-related companies doing business with the Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles to their Indian counterparts.

India's economy, the world's 12th largest, is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decades to meet rising demand in Europe, Asia and the United States.

"That expertise exists in Los Angeles County, which is home to the Port of Long Beach and neighboring Port of Los Angeles, together making up the largest port complex in the Americas and fifth largest in the world," said LAEDC President and CEO Bill Allen.

The LAEDC is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1981. Its mission is to attract, retain, and grow business and jobs in Los Angeles County. Since 1996, the LAEDC has helped retain or attract more than 135,000 jobs, providing $5.6 billion in direct economic impact from salaries and $95 million in annual tax revenue to benefit to local governments and education in L.A. County.

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8728496?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[Westsidelife]

International Traffic at LAX on the Rise

AIRPORT: High fuel costs mean fewer domestic travelers, but worldwide passengers increased by 4 percent so far in 2008.

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
April 1, 2008

More travelers from around the world are descending on Los Angeles International Airport than ever before, even though domestic service remains challenged by record fuel costs and the declining value of the dollar, airport officials said Monday.

LAX served more than 2.6 million international passengers during the first two months of 2008, a 4 percent increase from the same period last year and an overall record for the airport, according to Paul Haney, deputy executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX.

As a result, airport officials and industry insiders are cautiously optimistic for a record-setting year for international travel.

"It's up by just a hair, but it shows that we have fully recovered from 9-11," Haney said. "Whether this sustains through the rest of the year remains to be seen, but we are off to a good start."

The news came the same day that V Australia announced plans to launch 10 weekly flights between LAX and Sydney beginning Dec. 15, with an introductory round-trip fare of $777. The Brisbane-based airline is the ninth new international carrier to announce or begin service at LAX over the last several months.

In total, the nine carriers will have added 63 weekly round-trip flights at LAX, resulting in an estimated economic impact of more than $5.6 billion for Southern California, according to figures cited by the Mayor's Office.

And even more new international routes are expected to be announced "in the coming months," airport officials said.

"New jobs and services help boost our local economy and help Los Angeles remain the premiere international gateway of the 21st century," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. "New choices means more services and lower fares, which is always good news for passengers."

On the downside, LAX saw 6.4 million domestic travelers during the first two months of the year, a 2 percent decline during the same period in 2007, Haney said.

"In the current fuel situation, with jet fuel being over $3.50 a gallon, airlines are looking to tighten up schedules wherever possible," Haney said. "That 2 percent is about the same amount of flights being trimmed as fuel prices remain at these historic highs."

Indeed, as jet fuel prices continue to climb, airlines have searched for ways to cut costs, including the installation of lighter seats, charging more for heavy or excess luggage and reducing the number of domestic flights. Fuel now makes up about one-third of operating costs for U.S. airlines, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

However, the decline in domestic travel does not upset Los Angeles Airport Commissioner Sylvia Reyes-Patsaouras, who said she hopes to see more international flights concentrated at LAX, while domestic carriers boost service at outlying airports, such as LA/Ontario International Airport.

"Our hope is to make LAX more of an international airport and show the domestic carriers that it is feasible and smart to send more flights to Ontario," Patsaouras said.

"Maybe we can do it with special incentives, but we just have to figure out how to get more of those flights out to Ontario."

A study released last fall by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. found that while most large airports had rebounded from the economic devastation following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, LAX had been slow to recover its international market.

"These numbers show that we're finally starting to see that recovery taking place, which is both welcoming and a challenge as we go through major renovations at the airports," said Frank Clark, head of LAXTEC Corp., the agency that represents carriers in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.

"It's hard to forecast how much more we will grow, but I think we're on a good road with the way international flights are being added here."

LAX had lost out on opportunities to expand service because city officials spent more than a decade debating how to modernize the airport, which hasn't been upgraded since the 1984 Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles, according to Clark.

In the meantime, other airports seized the opportunity by modernizing facilities while stealing away carriers from LAX.

Villaraigosa and city officials are hoping to change that over the next several years with a $5 billion to $7 billion overhaul of LAX, including improved infrastructure, a new car rental facility, an automated "people mover," an extended light rail line to the airport and a Midfield Concourse Terminal capable of servicing the mega-sized Airbus A380 jetliners.

"The sky isn't falling on LAX," said Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th District includes the airport.

"As the dollar's value has dramatically changed, people who have always wanted to come to America are going to come," he said. "They aren't going to San Francisco. They are going to come to the megalopolis that is Los Angeles."

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8765566?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[Westsidelife]

Wonderful. Our ties with the Pacific can only get stronger.

And what's great is that while these airlines may cut back on those flights once the economy bounces back, they won't eliminate those travel routes altogether.

Increased international air traffic at LAX will put more pressure on the City to perhaps build an entirely new terminal or expand the future Midfield Concourse. Thank God they're at least renovating the TBIT.

[CITYofDREAMS]

"... and help Los Angeles remain the premiere international gateway of the 21st century," :cheers:

[klamedia]

International Traffic at LAX on the Rise

Villaraigosa and city officials are hoping to change that over the next several years with a $5 billion to $7 billion overhaul of LAX, including improved infrastructure, a new car rental facility, an automated "people mover," an extended light rail line to the airport and a Midfield Concourse Terminal capable of servicing the mega-sized Airbus A380 jetliners.

."[/B][/I]

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_8765566?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

^^^^

[Westsidelife]

^ We all know those projects have been in the works for years. It's just a matter of when we'll see them at LAX. Hopefully, no later than 2015.

[milquetoast]

LAX will use body imaging scanning
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/37977816.jpg

Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times
A TSA officer, right, participates in a demonstration of the Whole Body Imaging Technology scanner at LAX's Terminal 5.
The sophisticated technology may prove to be a more effective way to check passengers for dangerous materials, officials say. But critics say it's extraordinarily invasive and amounts to a virtual strip search.
By Dan Weikel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
6:45 PM PDT, April 17, 2008
Some travelers at Los Angeles International Airport will be searched for weapons and explosives using a new scanner that peers through their clothes and creates an image of the person's body, federal officials announced Thursday.

The sophisticated technology, called millimeter wave imaging, may prove to be a more effective way to check travelers for guns, knives, bombs and other dangerous materials than pat-down searches. But it has raised questions by privacy and civil rights advocates, who say the screening process is extraordinarily invasive and amounts to a virtual strip search.

"I don't think people are really aware of just how accurate and detailed the images are of their naked body," said Peter Bibring, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union office in Los Angeles. "We need to make sure there are good safeguards. The temptation is great not to follow procedures when a celebrity or someone well-known is involved."

Millimeter wave pictures are white and dark gray. Though somewhat fuzzy, they are detailed enough to reveal such features as breasts and body anomalies.

Officials with the Transportation Security Administration said the agency plans to buy at least 30 more scanning devices this year for use at other airports.

The TSA unveiled its "whole body imaging" machine at the Delta Airlines terminal at LAX on Thursday afternoon. The device, which is part of a pilot program involving major airports, is being tested under actual conditions at a TSA checkpoint for passengers departing on Delta, housed in Terminal 5.

"This will allow us to enhance our security at LAX," said Nico Melendez, a TSA spokesman. "Imaging devices are not a brand-new security tool, but they are a brand new security tool for airports."

Travelers randomly selected for secondary screening will go through the scanning device, which uses electromagnetic waves to create an image from energy reflected from the human body. The device costs about $150,000.

If passengers don't want to go through the scanner, they will be subjected to other screening measures, including pat-down searches. Signs posted in the checkpoint area will advise them of this option.

During the process, a person walks into a large portal -- about 9 feet high and 6 feet wide -- and assumes two different positions for the scan. A three-dimensional image later appears on a computer screen that is checked by a security official in a separate location. The process takes a minute or two.

To protect a person's privacy, TSA officials said that security officers review the images in a booth about 65 feet away and are unable to see the passenger in question. The faces of those scanned are blurred, and the images cannot be stored, copied or printed, federal officials said.

According to the TSA, about 80% of travelers scanned during recent tests at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix opted for the imaging machine instead of a pat-down search. Melendez said there have been no complaints from passengers since testing began at Sky Harbor late last year.

Civil rights and privacy advocates say the resulting images are detailed depictions of the naked human body -- images that should be tightly controlled to prevent them from being posted on the Internet, sold to tabloid publications or misused in other ways.

"It's a high-tech strip search," Bibring said. "Blurred images of someone's face can be undone by computer. The most important issue is no image retention. That is absolutely crucial for such an invasive technology to satisfy privacy concerns. We need to make sure it is implemented in a foolproof manner."

Bibring also questioned whether the use of such an invasive measure was a good use of the TSA's resources, considering there is no indication that-pat down searches aren't effective.

The images in question are not as revealing or detailed as some critics have made them out to be, Melendez said. He said the complaints have been based on old images from a different technology used in Phoenix early last year that produced more detailed pictures.

"First and foremost, we have done a lot of work with industry and other groups to address the issues related to whole-body images," Melendez said. "We would not have put the technology in place if we could not protect the privacy of passengers."

TSA officials in Los Angeles said they will study the machine's effectiveness, as well as privacy considerations, training requirements, safety issues and public perceptions. They added that there is no end date for the pilot project.

In addition to LAX, another millimeter wave machine was rolled out Thursday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

The machines are already operating at airports in Britain, Spain, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Thailand and the Netherlands. They have also been installed at some courts and correctional facilities in Virginia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, California and Illinois.

dan.weikel@latimes.com

[LAsam]

I went through one of those things before... don't remember which airport it was. I didn't think it was a big deal. It shoots a couple of air jets at you, analyzes the air for chemicals, and then you walk out. It most definately is nothing remotely as invasive as a strip search. I'd rather got through this than a pat-down.

[AlexTheMartian]

how can analyzing the air tell if, say, you have a knife on you? :dunno:

this is Whole Body Imaging, it makes an image of your body. I have no idea the technology behind it, but I do not think it is used to analyze the air for chemicals

[LAsam]

how can analyzing the air tell if, say, you have a knife on you? :dunno:

this is Whole Body Imaging, it makes an image of your body. I have no idea the technology behind it, but I do not think it is used to analyze the air for chemicals

Must have been something different then... but I swear it looked the same! It sniffed for chemicals.

[Westsidelife]

New Gates Should Ease LAX Crunch

Easier access for bigger jets

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
April 20, 2008

The bad news is that the Midfield Satellite Concourse at Los Angeles International Airport will not be built by January 2012, breaking a promise made just eight months ago by airport executives.

The good news is that the airport will still be able to accommodate the Airbus A380 and other superjumbo jetliners by building more contact gates on the back side of the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

"I think the Midfield Concourse will be done in late 2012 or early 2013 now, but we'll have those new gates built at the Bradley Terminal by January 2012," said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who heads the council's Trade, Commerce and Tourism Committee.

"We're going to make sure the airport sticks with this deadline," Hahn said. "The airline industry needs to see that we're serious about getting this done and meeting this deadline."

City and airport officials are painting the rosy picture as the Board of Airport Commissioners is set to consider on Monday a pair of architecture and engineering contracts totaling more than $80 million to design the Midfield Concourse.

The airport commission will decide whether to approve a $41.5 million, three-year contract with Denver-based Fentress Architects for the project's architectural designs. The panel will also consider a separate $39.4 million, three-year contract with Millburn, N.J.-based Hatch Mott MacDonald to oversee the engineering aspect of the project.

"It's not a bad thing to not have the Midfield Concourse done on time," said Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th District includes LAX.

"It's OK that we're concentrating on expanding Bradley now," he said. "I believe these $80 million worth of contracts are a step in the right direction, just as long as we get those gates open on time."

The Los Angeles City Council agreed last August to build the $1.3 billion Midfield Concourse, which is expected to be equipped with eight to 10 new gates capable of handling super-sized airlines at LAX.

Problems arose when airport officials failed to consider the complexity of taking on such a massive construction project while meeting a relatively short deadline, according to LAX sources familiar with the project.

While airport officials grappled with the looming delays, demand grew for the new gates from international carriers expecting to use the Airbus A380 by mid-2010, said Frank Clark, head of LAXTEC Corp., the agency that represents airlines in the Bradley Terminal.

Passengers coming into LAX aboard international flights are sometimes forced to disembark at so-called "remote gates" that are far-removed from the airport's central terminal. Travelers must take a short bus ride to be processed and retrieve their luggage from the Bradley terminal.

"The way the system is set up now presents a horrible picture to international passengers visiting Los Angeles for the first time," Clark said. "The airlines have been emphatic that they will not bring the large, wide-body aircraft to LAX if the gates are not built to accommodate them."

The threat prompted airport officials to dust off an idea that was scrapped two years ago.

Building additional gates on the back of the Bradley terminal was part of the disputed airport modernization plan that was submitted by former Mayor James Hahn. It presented the only immediate resolution in meeting the airport's needs within a timely manner, according to Rosendahl.

"I'm just thrilled that they found a way to get those gates built," he said. "And yes, we will hold them to getting this project done on time."

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Source: Los Angeles Daily News (http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_8988290?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com)

[milquetoast]

:):)

[milquetoast]

Just remember that you should have done all of this YESTERDAY!

[Westsidelife]

LAX Concourse Decision Laid Over

BOARD: Officials shift their focus to expanding Tom Bradley terminal.

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
April 22, 2008

The Board of Airport Commissioners delayed a decision Monday on whether to approve more than $80 million worth of contracts to design LAX's new Midfield Satellite Concourse and several airline gates at the back of the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

However, the commission spent more than an hour discussing a broken promise to build the $1.3 billion concourse, which was expected to have eight to 10 new gates capable of handling super-sized jetliners by January 2012.

Airport officials on Monday publicly reneged on the deadline and shifted their focus to expanding the Bradley terminal.

"We did indicate to the City Council that we could deliver new, large aircraft at the Midfield Satellite, and the operable element of that was delivering new, large aircraft gates by January 2012 because that was when the market demand was going to increase," said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX.

"It became clear that we could actually, relatively straightforwardly, build some gates on the back side of the Tom Bradley terminal," she said. "We are relatively confident that if we press forward without significant delay, then we are able to get those contact gates."

The Los Angeles City Council agreed last August to build the Midfield Concourse, but problems arose when airport officials failed to consider the complexity of taking on such a massive construction project within a relatively short deadline, Lindsey said.

Airport officials, however, may also experience delays in expanding the Bradley terminal.

A taxiway connecting a pair of runway complexes will need to be relocated to allow for new gates to be built on the backside of Bradley. Airport officials want to move the taxiway onto land currently leased by American Airlines.

"This is going to be something that's going to serve everybody for a generation and it's way more important to get it right," said Alan Rothenberg, president of the airport commission. "Obviously time is of the essence but it's so crucial that we get it right."

The commission will decide next month whether to approve a $39.4 million, three-year contract with Millburn, N.J.-based Hatch Mott MacDonald to oversee the engineering aspect of the project.

The panel will also consider a separate $41.5 million, three-year contract with Denver-based Fentress Architects for the project's architectural designs. The firm previously crafted high-tech designs for similar airport projects in Seattle, Denver, and Incheon, South Korea.

Airport Commissioner Fernando Torres-Gil asked that the panel be consulted on the project's design as architects draw up the schematics.

"I don't think I want our Midfield terminal to look like Incheon, or to look like Denver or to look like a 21st century futuristic vision," Torres-Gil said. "It should be something that is really like Los Angeles, its history and its sense of place."

In the meantime, the airport commission is expected to hold a special meeting within the next two weeks to discuss more than $5 billion worth of airport upgrades, which Lindsey has called "the largest public works project in L.A.'s history."

"Given the size and magnitude and importance of these contracts, I want to have a little more time to make sure we really know what's going on here," Rothenberg said.

In a related move, the airport commission on Monday awarded a $3 million contract to ACMP-DWA to draw up conceptual designs for a consolidated car rental facility at LAX.

The firm will oversee a series of studies related to the new facility, which will house 11 car rental agencies just east of the airport.

Officials say the facility will eliminate the need for each car rental agency to operate its own fleet of shuttle buses. That will result in less curbside traffic at the airport, along with a reduction in exhaust fumes coming from the buses.

Airport officials say they hope to eventually build a people mover connecting the car rental facility to the central terminal area, which would eliminate the need for shuttle buses.

The new facility is listed among a series of so-called green light elements allowed under a settlement reached two years ago with the county, the cities of El Segundo and Inglewood, and a community group opposed to airport expansion.

To pay for the project, a $10 surcharge was tacked on to the cost of every car rented by agencies operating at LAX. The fee went into effect in July and is expected to last for about two years.

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_9009313?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com&IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[Westsidelife]

LAX Contract Change Draws Skeptical Appraisal

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
April 26, 2008

Allegations of cronyism have surfaced over the recent selection of Los Angeles-based DMJM as project manager to oversee more than $5 billion worth of upgrades over the next decade at Los Angeles International Airport.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn is expected to call on airport Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey next week to explain how the DMJM project management team was selected by a committee that initially chose to do business with Bechtel Corp., based in San Francisco.

Lindsey apparently was upset that Bechtel was initially chosen for the job and immediately ordered a second round of interviews with both firms, according to several high-level airport executives familiar with the selection process.

The DMJM project management team is headed by Loren Smith, who also oversaw $3 billion worth of improvements at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport while Lindsey was in charge there.

"I want to find out what is going on out there and whether there is a real problem," said Hahn, who chairs the council's Trade, Commerce and Tourism Committee, which oversees LAX.

"These are both reputable firms, but if there is anything suspicious going on, we need to bring it out in the open," she said. "These contracts and the modernization of LAX is too important to have any cloud over it. What we must make sure of is that we have transparency at LAX."

Lindsey did not return phone calls placed this week to her office.

DMJM and Bechtel scored fairly evenly in their written proposals for the project management job at LAX, according to scoring sheets obtained by the Daily Breeze under a California Public Records Act request.

After the points were calculated by the selection committee - composed of five airport executives - DMJM earned 199 points out of a possible 210 for its written proposal. Bechtel scored 194 points.

During a formal presentation before the committee on Jan. 8, Bechtel earned 259 points out of a possible 290, according to the scoring sheets. DMJM scored 233 points.

The scoring sheets show that four of the committee members had ranked Bechtel as their No. 1 choice. The panel was made up of airport executives Jim Ritchie, Roger Johnson, Steve Martin, Mike Douchette and Ellen Wright.

Ritchie announced Thursday that he is stepping down from his role as deputy executive director at LAX effective May 7. He did not return a phone call from a reporter asking why he is leaving LAX.

One panelist commended Bechtel for a "well-coordinated approach" and a commitment "to schedule and cost." Another panelist praised Bechtel's "strong project manager with relevant experience," referring to Mark Massman, the former executive director for project and facilities development at LAX.

DMJM received a mixed bag of comments. One praised Smith as a "very strong project manager," while another noted that the "contract administration team was not very strong."

That was when Lindsey ordered another set of interviews on Jan. 15 with DMJM and Bechtel, according to several airport executives.

This time, she sat in as an observer.

Bechtel scored 237 points out of a possible 290 points during the second interview.

DMJM earned 280 points, and was ranked as the No. 1 selection of all five committee members.

"It's rare to have a second round with scores that change so dramatically," one high-ranking airport executive said. "The panel was pressured to change the outcome because their boss was sitting right there. It shows that the system is ripe for abuse."

An e-mail letter making its way through LAX and City Hall this week accuses Lindsey of abusing her power and engaging in acts that could lead to legal trouble for the Board of Airport Commissioners. The panel unanimously approved a $25 million project management contract with DMJM last month.

"There are some concerns, but I did not see the scoring sheets," Airport Commissioner Sylvia Reyes-Patsaouras said, declining to comment further.

Other airport commissioners declined to comment or did not return phone calls.

The letter's author, along with two airport executives who asked for anonymity, said that Bechtel has not publicly complained about the selection process out of fear that it would keep the firm from working on future projects at LAX.

Francis Canavan, a Bechtel spokesman, dismissed that notion, then declined to comment further.

"They're putting a lot in our mouth," Canavan said. "But we don't discuss procurements."

Officials with DMJM did not return several phone calls placed since January.

Bechtel scored high at interview Councilman defends LAX chief

Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl defended Lindsey, saying that he had not heard about the DMJM selection process until the anonymous e-mail was circulated to him this week. He said the allegations are "a bunch of sour grapes" coming from "disgruntled employees."

"She's not necessarily using her clout to change things," said Rosendahl, whose 11th District includes LAX.

"Not one person has come to me to complain about her or her tactics," he said. "I have no sense of a backroom deal here."

Rosendahl - or any other City Council member - could have taken jurisdiction over the airport commission's approval of the DMJM contract, but that never happened. City contracts can be canceled at any time for a variety of reasons, according to city and airport officials.

"She sat in those interviews because she probably wanted to look these people in the eye," he said. "I personally had no issue with it and I didn't see anything suspicious or negative at all."

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_9061951?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[Westsidelife]

$80 Million in LAX Contracts OK'd

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
April 26, 2008

More than $80 million worth of design contracts for the new Midfield Satellite Concourse at LAX and several airline gates along the back of the Tom Bradley International Terminal were approved Friday by airport officials.

After more than two hours of discussion, the Board of Airport Commissioners voted 4-0 to approve a $41.5 million, three-year architectural contract with Denver-based Fentress Architects. Airport Commissioners Sylvia Reyes-Patsaouras and Valeria Velasco abstained from the vote. Commissioner Fernando Torres-Gil was absent.

Separately, the commission voted 5-0 to approve a $39.4 million, three-year engineering contract with Millburn, N.J.-based Hatch Mott MacDonald. Velasco abstained and Torres-Gil was absent.

The new concourse and expanded gates at the Bradley terminal are designed to accommodate the next generation of super-size jetliners at Los Angeles International Airport.

After firing several questions to airport staff regarding the selection of Fentress, Reyes-Patsaouras said that she did not feel comfortable casting a vote on Friday.

"I don't doubt the expertise of the firm that was selected," Patsaouras said.

"I just wanted to make an educated decision, and I don't feel that I had that opportunity."

Reyes-Patsaouras declined to say whether she thought LAX Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey had interfered in the selection process. Fentress designed the new central terminal at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport while Lindsey was in charge there.

During the meeting, Reyes-Patsaouras asked airport executives for copies of scoring sheets that kept a tally on how well Fentress fared compared with its competitors during interviews held two months ago.

Fentress and the design team of Santiago Calatrava/Gensler had tied with a score of 229 points in their written proposals to design the Midfield Satellite Concourse, according to scoring sheets obtained by the Daily Breeze under a California Public Records Act request.

During a formal presentation before the selection committee held on Feb. 5 and 6, the design team of Santiago Calatrava/Gensler earned 230 points out of a possible 290 points, according to the scoring sheets. Fentress received 221 points.

The scoring sheets show that four committee members had ranked Calatrava/Gensler as their No. 1 choice. The panel was made up of airport executives Jim Ritchie, Intissar Durham, Steve Martin, Michael Douchette and Ellen Wright.

Lindsey reportedly ordered another set of interviews held on Feb. 7 with Fentress and with Calatrava/Gensler. She also sat in as an observer.

Calatrava/Gensler scored 224 points out of a possible 290 points during the second interview.

Fentress earned 230 points, and was ranked as the No. 1 selection by three out of the five committee members.

"Tipping it for me, it seems Calatrava/Gensler, as a team, did not seem to have their act together," Martin said of switching his vote in favor of Fentress. "We don't have a very good timeline to experiment with their problems."

Douchette and Wright - both of whom are airport architects - stuck to their guns and still selected Calatrava/Gensler as their first choice because they were familiar with the firm's work.

"They didn't interview particularly well," Wright acknowledged. "But I know their ability to deliver."

Despite the flip in scores, most of the airport commissioners said they did not see any irregularities in the selection process.

"The numbers are not skewed, but the vote was close," Airport Commissioner Joseph Aredas said.

The design contracts were approved after a lengthy discussion in which airport executives also explained that the $1.3 billion Midfield Satellite Concourse is already one year behind schedule.

The new terminal, expected to have eight to 10 new gates, might see further delays, according to Roger Johnson, deputy executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX.

In the meantime, airport officials have shifted their focus on expanding the back of the Bradley terminal by building gates capable of handling the Airbus A-380 and other super-jumbo jetliners.

"We can build the Tom Bradley gates, and if that's as far as we go for a while then those gates will serve a very useful function," Johnson said.

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Source: Daily Breeze (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_9062030?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

you know, this is probably the most important development in Los Angeles other than Rail expansion, and i hope that they do it right. This is the face of LA when visitors get here and first impressions are a big thing. If our airport is crumbling and there is no rail link, it shows that we dont care and that you should drive. if there is rail to the airport, it gives immediate options, and if the airport is new and nice, it shows that we are investing in our city. thanks for these posts Westside.

[Westsidelife]

^ You're absolutely right, LASF. I just got back from my China trip a few weeks ago, and LAX is a joke compared to the airports in Beijing and Hong Kong. The terminals at both airports are unbelievably spacious and modern, while the TBIT at LAX is dated, dark, and cramped. I couldn't get over how beautiful the airport in Beijing was. And in Hong Kong, getting to and from the airport is so convenient. The Airport Express line takes you right into the heart of Hong Kong. And if you're going to the airport, you can check in your baggage and get your boarding passes at any one of the three stations of the Airport Express line and then take the line straight into your terminal. Going through customs was a breeze at both airports. I zoomed through customs in Beijing (no line) and only had to wait 15 minutes in Hong Kong. I had to wait 45 minutes to an hour when I got into LAX. And it took about 30 minutes just to deplane and get to the terminal (I had to take a shuttle because the terminal couldn't accommodate the 747 because of renovations).

Though the TBIT is currently undergoing renovations, it's purely cosmetic. It'll still be a cramped terminal with low ceilings. The Midfield Concourse is crucial to the future of LAX and its status as the premier gateway to the Pacific Rim. Obviously I don't like delays, but it's very important that we get this project right. I'm glad to hear that they hired Fentress Architects. They designed the airport in Seoul, which is regularly cited as one of the world's best airports. In a way, though, I'm kind of disappointed that they didn't select Calatrava instead. I feel that LAX's dowdy image could be, to an extent, mitigated through a starchitect-designed terminal.

[vivo]

^ You're absolutely right, LASF. I just got back from my China trip a few weeks ago, and LAX is a joke compared to the airports in Beijing and Hong Kong. The terminals at both airports are unbelievably spacious and modern, while the TBIT at LAX is dated, dark, and cramped. I couldn't get over how beautiful the airport in Beijing was. And in Hong Kong, getting to and from the airport is so convenient. The Airport Express line takes you right into the heart of Hong Kong. And if you're going to the airport, you can check in your baggage and get your boarding passes at any one of the three stations of the Airport Express line and then take the line straight into your terminal. Going through customs was a breeze at both airports. I zoomed through customs in Beijing (no line) and only had to wait 15 minutes in Hong Kong. I had to wait 45 minutes to an hour when I got into LAX. And it took about 30 minutes just to deplane and get to the terminal (I had to take a shuttle because the terminal couldn't accommodate the 747 because of renovations).


Though the TBIT is currently undergoing renovations, it's purely cosmetic. It'll still be a cramped terminal with low ceilings. The Midfield Concourse is crucial to the future of LAX and its status as the premier gateway to the Pacific Rim. Obviously I don't like delays, but it's very important that we get this project right. I'm glad to hear that they hired Fentress Architects. They designed the airport in Seoul, which is regularly cited as one of the world's best airports. In a way, though, I'm kind of disappointed that they didn't select Calatrava instead. I feel that LAX's dowdy image could be, to an extent, mitigated through a starchitect-designed terminal.


lol try Bombay (Mumbai) Airport. although I was last there in '98. nice gateway for what was the 2nd fastest growing economy in the world for '06-'07.

[Westsidelife]

Virgin Airlines to Boost LAX Flights to NYC, Washington (http://www.dailybreeze.com//ci_9096406?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

The Associated Press
April 29, 2008

For the summer travel season, Virgin America will increase the frequency of flights between LAX, New York City and Washington, D.C., the California-based airline announced today.

The added flights will be scheduled through Jan. 6.

"We are seeing an overwhelming response to our new airline from the traveling public, so we're adding service to meet demand in time for the busy summer travel season," said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush.

"We think guests will like our attractive fares, the unique and upscale in-flight experience, and now, more conveniently-timed schedule choices."

[Westsidelife]

LAX Gets Improved Screening Machines (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9147013?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
May 3, 2008

Federal authorities at Los Angeles International Airport are installing a new set of X-ray machines that will allow security screeners to get a better look at what's inside carry-on luggage.

The new Rapiscan 620 DV produces a clear, high-definition color X-ray image that will improve screeners' ability to detect weapons, bombs and other suspicious items stashed inside a traveler's bag, said Nico Melendez, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.

The machines cost about $125,000 each and will allow the 2,200 security screeners at LAX to zoom in on specific items that catch their attention.

Officials began installing the new X-ray machines late last month and hope to have the devices working at every security checkpoint in all of LAX's terminals in a few weeks, Melendez said.

"The new technology enables our security officers to perform their functions flawlessly," he said. "This will make it easier for our people to identify objects ... while also detecting small components of improvised explosive devices."

A classified report leaked to the media last November found that security screeners at LAX missed about 75 percent of fake bombs during 70 tests conducted two years ago by undercover federal agents.

The classified report also found that security screeners failed to spot 60 percent of 75 fake bomb parts hidden inside carry-on bags at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, while screeners at San Francisco International Airport missed about 20 percent of fake explosives during 145 tests.

Aviation consultant Jack Keady applauded the new system, but noted that travelers should be patient as security screeners adjust to the new machines.

"More items will now show up on the screen, so the screeners will have more occasions to stop the process, open the bag and look inside," Keady said. "This will lengthen handling times and may cause the need for more screeners."

Up until now, security screeners at LAX have relied on X-ray machines that were manufactured during the 1970s. The relics scanned baggage from a single, top-down view. The new X-ray scanners will be able to collect images from various angles, Melendez said.

"This gives us multiple angles and views to give us a clear definition of what's inside the bag," he said.

The new X-ray machines were first introduced for testing at Albuquerque International Sunport airport, Washington Reagan National Airport and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. TSA officials hope to eventually install the new system at all of the nation's airports, according to Melendez.

"This is just one more tool to ensure safety," Melendez said. "It's all about seeing threat items more clearly."

[Westsidelife]

Airport Agency Chief to Face Questions Over LAX Pacts (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-airport5-2008may05,0,2661672.story)

Gina Marie Lindsey is scheduled to appear before the airport commission and a council panel this week to explain her role in awarding LAX construction contracts worth $67 million to two firms.

By Dan Weikel and Jennifer Oldham, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
May 5, 2008

Los Angeles airport director Gina Marie Lindsey -- about to complete her first year overseeing one of the world's busiest travel gateways -- will spend the next few days explaining to her bosses what role she played in the awarding of $67 million in LAX construction contracts.

Today she will appear before airport commissioners. On Wednesday, she will sit before a City Council committee, whose chairwoman has recommended that the body take jurisdiction over one of two contracts in dispute.

The contracts grew controversial over the last two weeks after questions were raised about Lindsey's role in the selection of firms competing for a share of a huge expansion planned at Los Angeles International Airport.

Lindsey has repeatedly said there was nothing improper about the awards. And a number of city and airline officials last week rose to her defense, praising her for advancing major improvements at LAX that had languished for years.

Since her appointment by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa last May, Lindsey, 55, has reversed a decline in lucrative international flights, largely by following through on long-standing promises to build new facilities.

Lindsey "is a real change agent. She has done an amazing job," said City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents neighborhoods near LAX. "More than $100 million worth of studies have been done on the airport, and nothing has happened since 1983. For the first time, I'm seeing real progress."

The airport's $5- to $8-billion master plan calls for adding a midfield concourse and making renovations to the Tom Bradley International Terminal, including creating gates for wide-bodied aircraft such as the new Airbus A380 and Boeing 787. It is the largest capital-improvement program in the city's history.

In the last two months, Lindsey has managed to get through the board of airport commissioners more than $106 million in engineering, architectural and project management contracts related to the modernization projects.

"We are getting out of the planning mode and into the building mode," Lindsey said. "This is a unique and exciting time for Los Angeles with respect to its airports. It is an opportunity for all of us."

Lindsey also lists as accomplishments plans to repair and renovate other Los Angeles World Airport facilities -- LAX is the largest of four regional airports operated by the city -- and mend strained relations with airlines and surrounding neighborhoods unsettled by airport operations.

International carriers, several of which have considered moving flights elsewhere because of LAX's aging facilities, credit Lindsey with jump-starting renovations, which has encouraged them to stay. This year, international flights have increased, and the airport has managed to attract new carriers, such as Alitalia and Emirates.

"The confidence in the airline community that LAX is moving forward with improvements is indeed higher than it was 18 months ago," said Frank Clark, executive director of the nonprofit organization that represents international airlines at LAX.

Clark said, however, that international carriers are concerned that the recent contracting controversy might stall the newfound momentum. If the city's review drags on and delays the modernization efforts, carriers could take service to other airports, he said.

"I have all due respect for a transparent procurement process that follows city guidelines," Clark said, "but the ongoing debate and criticisms of the process are raising yellow caution flags."

Lindsey has been dogged by accusations that she manipulated the contracting process in order to hire two companies that she previously worked with -- DMJM Aviation Inc. of Florida, and Fentress Architects of Denver. The companies were awarded project management and architecture contracts worth almost $67 million, although other companies were initially preferred during the selection process.

Airport sources, who asked that they not be identified for fear of retribution, said that Lindsey took the unusual step of seeking a second evaluation panel in both cases after the first panels recommended other companies. Lindsey has denied this.

Lindsey and airport staff members are scheduled to be questioned about the contracts before the Airport Commission and the City Council committee that oversees LAX. The city controller's office also has opened a review of the DMJM and Fentress contracts.

"We need to get this behind us as soon as possible. A lot is at stake," said Lindsey, who receives a $305,000 salary. "It's going to be a very long road to make LAX a transportation icon. We need to start on it the right way. We are absolutely sure we have done that."

Los Angeles officials cited Lindsey's strong leadership abilities when they chose her from a field of 70 candidates last year to replace Lydia Kennard, who retired after her second stint at the city's airport agency.

Lindsey is known in the aviation industry as a trailblazer who became one of the first women to head an airport when she was named director of the Alaska International Airport System in 1989.

She is also the former aviation director of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where she pushed through plans to build a third runway and expand the facility.

She played such a pivotal role in shepherding the renovation that officials named part of a terminal concourse after her: the Gina Marie Lindsey International Arrivals Hall.

"I was delighted she came to LAX," said City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who chairs the council committee that oversees airports. "She saw immediately that we needed to move forward on the modernization. We were losing business. We were losing respect in the industry."

Before Lindsey arrived, the effort to devise a politically palatable expansion plan for the airport had taken 16 years and cost more than $150 million.

A lack of cohesive political leadership, a history of mistrust between the city's airport agency and nearby communities, grandiose visions for expansion and an incredibly complex planning process left officials without a modernization blueprint.

Today, carriers say they will not bring new large aircraft to LAX if there are not enough parking spots for them at the terminals. Passengers also have consistently ranked LAX as below average in surveys of the nation's busiest airports because of its aging facilities, cramped terminals and lack of quality concessions.

But in the current effort to reverse the decline of LAX, there have been complaints about Lindsey's management style and decisions to hire executives from outside the airport department.

Lindsey acknowledges that she probably has irritated longtime employees by recruiting people from outside for six key positions. She says she also has opened up the hiring process so outsiders can apply for the general manager position at LAX.

Airport officials, who requested anonymity, say that Lindsey has ignored veteran staff members who are more knowledgeable about local airport operations than the new hires. The officials complain that Lindsey has brought in people she worked with in Seattle, including Amy Shaw, who runs the concessions department, and Jeff Fitch, who oversees security at LAX, Van Nuys, Palmdale and Ontario airports.

In an anonymous letter to the city's Airport Commission, a writer who claimed to be an 18-year employee of the city's airport agency said that Lindsey "alienated" employees by hiring outsiders with little experience in the aviation industry.

The letter further stated that Lindsey and new members of her management team routinely made negative comments about work done by longtime airport department employees. Lindsey defended the people she has hired, saying that executives from other airports have different experiences and innovative ideas that can benefit the modernization plan for LAX.

"Bringing in new people will help get us going," Lindsey said. "We don't have a lot of time to do this. Other airports are way ahead of us. We need an infusion of energy to turn LAX around. We need people who are very good."

[Westsidelife]

^ I want them to resolve this issue as soon as possible so that they can resume focus on these very important projects.

[Westsidelife]

JetBlue to Delay Launch of LAX Service (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/los_angeles_metro/la-fi-jetblue6-2008may06,0,1693817.story)

An airline official says soaring fuel costs make the flights to Boston and New York, originally scheduled to debut May 21, too expensive.

By Peter Pae, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 6, 2008

JetBlue Airways is expected to announce today that because of high fuel costs it is suspending indefinitely its first transcontinental flights from Los Angeles International Airport.

The low-fare carrier had planned to start on May 21 operating four daily flights from LAX -- one to Boston and three to New York's John F. Kennedy airport. But the cost of fuel got too high to support the flights without incurring losses, an airline official said.

The Forest Hills, N.Y.-based airline said it cost about $9,600 to fill up its Airbus A320 aircraft fuel tanks for a transcontinental flight last year. That cost has now climbed to more than $15,000, according to the official.

The start of additional service at Burbank and Long Beach on May 21 is on track because JetBlue will be using smaller Embraer 190 jets that consume less fuel, an airline spokeswoman said.

As part of its West Coast expansion, JetBlue recently added a flight from Long Beach to Austin, Texas, and on May 21 will begin service between Burbank and Las Vegas, Long Beach and San Jose, and San Diego and Seattle, among others.

The airline suspended selling tickets for the LAX flights to the East Coast late Monday and has told airport officials that it will contact travelers to re-book them on its flights from the Burbank, Long Beach and Ontario airports.

[Westsidelife]

NASA Safety Study at LAX Set for Liftoff (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9292107?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
May 17, 2008

After months of negotiating, NASA Ames Research Center is expected to launch a safety study of the north airfield at Los Angeles International Airport next month, under the terms of a $1.4 million contract up for consideration Monday.

The Board of Airport Commissioners is expected to sign off on a new contract with NASA, just a few months after a similar deal fell apart.

A $2 million contract with NASA approved last August never got off the ground because the agency changed its focus from aviation issues back to space projects, according to LAX officials. Although the initial study was dropped, airport officials continued to negotiate the study's parameters with NASA.

In fact, some aspects of the study are still being hammered out, according to Jonas Dino, a spokesman for NASA Ames Research Center, based just outside San Jose.

"We are still in discussions with LAX," Dino said. "If we can match their interests and capabilities, then we will move forward with the study."

NASA will spend the next year studying five different options for the north airfield at LAX, then conduct a series of simulations aimed at projecting airline traffic through 2020, according to an airport report.

However, NASA will not interpret the data, which was one of the sticking points during the last round of contract negotiations, airport officials said.

Instead, information gleaned from the report will be explained by six university professors who specialize in aviation studies.

The scholars, who come from MIT, University of California Berkeley, George Mason University, Maryland University and Virginia Tech, will be paid $75,000 each to provide "unbiased" feedback on the NASA report, according to an airport report.

"They have no biases, no axes to grind and their recommendations will help guide us when it comes time to decide what to do with the north airfield," said Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th District includes LAX.

"We want a true, honest analysis of the plans going forward with airfield geometry and safety," he said. "It's all about modernization and improving safety at LAX with an unbiased view."

The study is expected to begin next month, with an initial report due next April. NASA's final report would be submitted in June 2009.

The NASA study was sought out after five previous reports completed by aviation consulting groups called for moving one of the northern runways at least 340 feet toward the communities of Westchester and Playa del Rey.
Such a move might wipe out the Westchester business district, which includes a beloved In-N-Out Burger restaurant, according to Denny Schneider, president of the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion.

"I don't want my city to deliver on a promise that could ruin our livelihood," said Schneider, whose group opposes expansion at LAX.

"We prefer that the airport does nothing because we would rather see them spend their limited funds on refurbishing the terminals," Schneider said. "But if they really feel that there's a safety issue, then we want something that is convenient and something that we can be proud of."

As part of the deal with LAX, NASA agreed to study ARSAC's suggestion to simply leave the runways alone, but it's an option that won't likely happen.

The Federal Aviation Administration has long urged airport officials to reconfigure the north airfield as a way to heighten safety. Currently, airplanes maneuvering on the ground must use paths that crisscross the middle of the northern runway, which increases the risk of near misses.

LAX has logged six runway incursions since Oct. 1, all of which have been classified as minor, according to FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. Last year, the airport reported eight runway incursions, the most serious of which occurred Aug. 16, 2007, when two jetliners came within 37 feet of each other.

Near misses like that could be avoided if the runways are separated to make room for a centerline taxiway, Gregor said.

"The FAA very strongly feels that the airport should increase space between the north runways," Gregor said.

A new centerline taxiway was built on LAX's south airfield, which had long been cited as a hotbed of runway incursions. A study completed several years ago by NASA eventually led to a $333 million south runway renovation project, which is scheduled for completion next month.

"The centerline taxiway on the south airfield is doing what it is meant to do, and we're hoping for the same type of results on the north airfield," Gregor said.

As part of its study, NASA will also review a plan that calls for moving one of the runways about 340 feet south to make room for a centerline taxiway - an option that was formally supported three years ago by the FAA.

That move would lead to the demolition of Terminals 1, 2 and 3 as part of a plan first proposed by former Mayor James Hahn and subsequently approved by the Los Angeles City Council in 2005. It was shelved after a legal settlement was reached over Hahn's failed airport modernization plan.

"If the airport presents some other plans to us, we'll consider them under the same review we did on Hahn's runway plan," Gregor said.

Another option under consideration by the the airport calls for moving one of the runways 100 feet south to make room for a centerline taxiway, which would also lead to the demolition of three airport terminals.

Yet another option calls for moving the northern-most runway about 100 feet north, which would likely keep local businesses intact.

Separately, the airport commission called for an $8.7million study in January to determine which of those options would best work for the north airfield. Massachusetts-based Camp, Dresser and McKee is expected to submit its report by August 2009.

Whatever design is ultimately selected, construction might not start on the north airfield until 2012, airport officials said earlier this year.

"We're going to trust what these studies say because it's taken too long already," Schneider said. "These reports will determine where it all falls in the end."

[milquetoast]

Passenger volume at LAX, Ontario and Palmdale expected to be level with last year http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/LAX3_500.jpgmediaarchitecture.org

An increase in foreign flights is expected to counterbalance a decrease in domestic air travel.
By Dan Weikel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 21, 2008
Almost 20 million passengers are expected to pass through Los Angeles International Airport during the summer travel season, crowding terminals and filling flights to near capacity, LAX officials said Tuesday.

Overall, however, passenger volumes at LAX will be about the same as last summer as rising ticket prices and the nation's economic downturn cut demand for domestic air travel. The reduction is expected to be balanced by increasing foreign flights.

"We are looking for a flat year this summer," said Deputy Airport Director Paul Haney. "In the face of record fuel costs, the airlines have begun to trim their flight schedules and this is resulting in fewer seats and higher airfares."

Airport and federal officials will hold a news conference today at LAX to lay out their expectations regarding air traffic in the months ahead.

The summer travel season begins Memorial Day weekend when about 820,000 passengers are expected to arrive at or depart from LAX. The busiest days will be Friday and Monday.

Airport officials predict that LAX will handle about 19.6 million passengers through Sept. 8, including those taking to the skies during the Memorial Day weekend.

More than 61 million people a year use the airport, which is operated by Los Angeles World Airports.

The agency also runs Ontario International Airport, Palmdale Regional Airport and Van Nuys Airport.

Domestic air travel is expected to be down about 2% at LAX while the number of international travelers, who are enjoying favorable exchange rates, will increase to more than 5.5 million, about 5% higher than last summer.

In recent months, nine international carriers have announced new Los Angeles routes, adding 126 arrivals and departures a week at LAX.

Several will begin service this summer, contributing to the anticipated increase in international passengers.

Airport officials said travelers can expect busy terminals in the months ahead as well as flights that will be about 85% full on average.

In addition to LAX, about 2 million passengers are expected to use Ontario International Airport this summer, a decrease of about 5% from the same time last year. About 80,000 will be traveling this weekend.

At Palmdale Regional Airport, about 8,700 summer travelers will use regional jet service that began in June 2007 and connects the Antelope Valley to San Francisco.

LAX passengers are advised to arrive three hours ahead of their scheduled departure for international flights and two hours before domestic departures. Passengers should arrive 90 minutes before departure at Ontario and an hour before departure at Palmdale.

Because many summertime passengers are infrequent travelers, airport officials suggest checking the Transportation Security Administration website www.tsa.gov for up-to-date lists of prohibited items for checked luggage and carry-on bags.

LAX, Ontario and Palmdale also offer several "Smart Traveler Tips" to help passengers get through airline and security procedures. Their websites are available at www.lawa.org

dan.weikel@latimes.com

[Westsidelife]

The April 2008 issue of LAXpectation's Capital Improvement Projects Update can be viewed here (http://www.lawa.org/lax/pdf/LAXpect%20Update%202008%2004.pdf).

[milquetoast]

Recycled carpeting? I likes! (Had to print these as my eyes are, well...) Another thing, and I know this sounds childish and all, but to be able to accomodate the first A380 from Australia or ANYWHERE, that's the kind of thing that can't be glossed over by eastern media. It's relevant to our standing overall.

[D'Transporter]

Masterplan of LAX Reconfiguration/Expansion Project - Need to be verified

http://www.pbase.com/cityflyer/image/84492220/original.jpg

[milquetoast]

I wish I could tell what was going on! Looks like they sacrificed capacity at terminals 1, 2 and 3 for the repositioning of the northern most runways and the new terminal to the west doesn't increase capacity all that much as a whole- and are they going to replace the interior elevated parking structures within World Way with new terminal buildings? That's quite the undertaking, if that's what I'm seeing here :)

[milquetoast]

..and what's going on east of Aviation Blvd.? Oh, this draft is from 2002 :) (I don't think there's been anything new since January 18th of this year.)

[D'Transporter]

Please check out this site for more info.

http://www.laxmasterplan.org/

[Westsidelife]

^ The LAX Masterplan has been scrapped.

[Westsidelife]

Korean Air Begins LAX to Brazil Flights (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9453482?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

Staff Writer
June 2, 2008

Korean Air will begin today offering nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The airline will provide flights on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, leaving LAX at 7:30 p.m. and arriving in Sao Paulo at 11 a.m. the next day. Return flights will leave Brazil on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and arrive at LAX at 9:30 p.m. the same day.

The flights will be on Boeing 777-200 aircraft with lie-flat sleeper seats in premium classes, along with on-demand movies and music throughout the plane.

"Korean Air's non-stop flight between LAX and Sao Paulo is a key route for people who want to conduct business in South America's largest city," said John Jackson, Korean Air's director of sales and marketing for the Americas.

[Westsidelife]

Also, Alitalia Airlines launched nonstop service between LAX and FCO (Rome) yesterday.

[Westsidelife]

Panel OKs $3.2B Budget for Airports (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9460916?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
June 3, 2008

The Board of Airport Commissioners on Monday approved a $3.2 billion budget for Los Angeles World Airports for the fiscal year that begins July 1, a 23 percent increase from last year.

A large portion of the airport agency's budget is set aside in reserve funds or dedicated to special projects, but it does not include anticipated expenses for upgrades related to the massive capital improvement project at Los Angeles International Airport, according to a LAWA report.

LAWA's operating budget includes $664.1 million to pay for day-to-day expenses at LAX and the agency's smaller airports in Ontario, Palmdale and Van Nuys. That's a 4.9 percent spending increase from last year.

The airport agency is expected to more than cover that amount by generating a projected $757.1 million worth of ticket and flight fees, building leases, concessions and other measures at the four airports - a 4.8 percent increase in revenues.

On its own, the cost to operate LAX is expected to be $557 million during the next fiscal year, a 6 percent hike from this year, according to airport officials. Revenue at LAX is projected at $639 million, up from $610 million.

With an anticipated decrease in the number of flights coming in and out of LAX, airport officials said that significantly more revenue will likely come from such sources as parking fees, car rental fees, advertising, food stands and taxicab fees.

Additionally, about a year's worth of operating costs remain in the airport agency's reserve account, in the event that airline revenues drop too severely, according to Ryan Yakubik, a financial analyst for LAWA.

"We tend to try to be conservative in projecting our revenues," Yakubik said.

The conservative estimates come from expectations for a significant downturn in service at LAX this fall, said Gina Marie Lindsey, the airport's executive director.

United Airlines plans to reduce the number of flights offered between LAX and Hong Kong, possibly cutting the service entirely by fall, according to Lindsey.

"That will be a big blow," she said.

Additionally, rising fuel costs have prompted United to scale back flights at LAX by 7 percent, while American Airlines intends to reduce service at LAX by 12 percent by fall, according to Lindsey.

"We think we're in good shape for the near term, but it's going to be an unpredictable time," she said.

Elsewhere, the cost to operate LA/Ontario International Airport is expected to increase nearly 11 percent - to $75.1 million. However, revenue at Ontario airport is expected to drop slightly from $92.3 million this year to $91.7 million during the next fiscal year.

The cost to operate Van Nuys Regional Airport will increase 28 percent to $21.6 million, while revenues are expected to increase nearly 26 percent to $24 million.

Palmdale Regional Airport will be LAWA's only airport operating on a debt, with costs expected to be $9.8 million, up from $7.7 million last year. Revenue at the airport is expected to be $2.1 million, up slightly from $1.5 million earned last year.

"I would like to see something done about reducing the cost of carrying Palmdale," Airport Commissioner Walter Zifkin said.

United launched service from Palmdale to San Francisco about a year ago, but few passengers take advantage of the flights. Airport officials are trying to come up with measures to keep the two daily flights in place, even as United discontinues service from low-performing markets across the country.

"We're working right now with United to change their aircraft to smaller aircraft," Lindsey said. "They are looking at their marginal routes and trying to pull them down, so I think we'll have a challenge."

[Westsidelife]

$32M OK'd for LAX Runway Safety (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9460932?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
June 3, 2008

More than $32 million worth of contracts aimed at improving runway safety at Los Angeles International Airport were approved Monday by the Board of Airport Commissioners.

A runway stoplight system will be installed by San Diego-based Helix Electric Inc. as part of a $2.7 million contract awarded by the airport commission.

The runway status lights system is expected to start working by the beginning of next year on four taxiway intersections and the inner runway on the north airfield. The south airfield will have lights at three taxiways.

The red lights will be embedded in pavement and switch on any time it's unsafe for a pilot to cross a runway or take off from the airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The $6 million lighting system is expected to help decrease the number of close calls between aircraft maneuvering on the ground at LAX.

Airport officials had agreed to pay for all costs to install the lights as part of an effort to expedite the work. However, LAX might qualify for some sort of reimbursement from the FAA in the near future, according to Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of LAX.

"We didn't want to wait for the FAA's schedule," Lindsey said. "We wanted to move ahead, which means we had to front the money."

In a related move, Walnut Creek-based R&L Brosamer Inc. was awarded a $29.3 million contract to widen five intersections in the north and south airfield at LAX.

Airport officials say roomier taxiways are needed to accommodate the next generation of behemoth jetliners, such as the Airbus A380.

Plans also call for relocating an electrical vault and all affected taxiway lights and signs, according to an airport report.

"We want to make sure the airplanes can safely get around on the ground," Airport Commissioner Valeria Velasco said. "We're all really worried about safety."

[milquetoast]

Top airport security expert in Israel to inspect LAX anti-terror measureshttp://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/39865045.jpg Genaro Molina/LATimes

During a visit to Israel by Mayor Villaraigosa, a pact is signed that will bring the official and two colleagues to L.A. for periodic inspections as $1,000-a-day consultants starting in the fall.
By Richard Boudreaux, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 14, 2008 LOD, ISRAEL -- Israel's top airport security official will make periodic reviews of anti-terrorist measures at Los Angeles International Airport under an agreement signed Friday during a visit here by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The pact, formalizing an arrangement begun nearly two years ago, will send the Israeli official, Nahum Liss, and two colleagues to Los Angeles for regular inspections as $1,000-per-day consultants. The officials work for the authority that operates Ben-Gurion International Airport.

Calling Ben-Gurion the world's safest airport, Villaraigosa said the agreement "is going to put us in a position to learn . . . to implement state-of-the-art technology and other measures to help us secure our airport."

Starting in the fall, Liss and his team will visit LAX about twice a year and provide additional consulting by e-mail, officials on both sides said. The team made a preliminary examination of LAX in October 2006.

The deal is part of an effort by city officials to upgrade security at LAX, which is considered the state's No. 1 terrorist target and has been singled out by the Al Qaeda network.

City Councilman Jack Weiss, who arranged the Israelis' 2006 visit, said the agreement is believed to be the first between a U.S. airport authority and a foreign government agency.

In the United States, federal authorities are responsible for security inside airport terminals.

But Gina Marie Lindsey, who signed the agreement as executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, said her agency wants to learn from Israel how to fortify the perimeter of LAX and how to incorporate anti-terrorist strategies into plans for expanding the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

In particular, she said, she wants to learn to apply Israel's system of electronic scanning of automobile license plates to identify terrorist suspects as they approach the airport.

During a walking tour of Ben-Gurion's 4-year-old international terminal, Liss pointed out to Villaraigosa and a large Los Angeles delegation the security features of its design. Bollards protect the building from wayward vehicles and its tempered, shatter-resistant glass facade is reinforced by vertical cables about a foot apart.

The terminal handles 55,000 passengers a day, about the same as the Bradley terminal.

"There's a recommendation they gave us," Villaraigosa said, pointing to one of the $2,000 trash cans placed along the curb outside the terminal. The cans, made of reinforced steel, serve as emergency receptacles for any explosives the police might find; from inside the can, the force of any blast would go only upward.

In 1973, when Ben-Gurion was called Lod Airport, three suicide attackers gunned down 26 passengers in the terminal. Three years later, a suitcase bomb killed a passenger and wounded five others.

A hush fell over the mayor's delegation as Zeev Sarig, the airport authority's managing director, told of witnessing those terrorist acts and of Israel's decades of work to make its airport security the gold standard.

"To have Israeli eyes on LAX on a constant basis, it's a huge deal," Weiss said.

Several Los Angeles officials said they were impressed by the unobtrusive character of Israel's airport security and said they want to replicate it.

"You don't see a lot of guards walking around with machine guns," Lindsey said. "And we certainly don't want that either."

While security was high on the mayor's agenda for his six-day visit, he couldn't escape the blow of the Lakers' humiliation back home in Game 4 of the NBA playoffs. The game was in progress when he awoke here Friday, 10 hours ahead of Pacific time.

More than an hour later, during a meeting at the airport, El Al airlines Chairman Israel Borovich received a written note from an aide, turned to the mayor and announced: "You know what it says here? The Lakers lost."

"Trust me," Villaraigosa replied, rolling his eyes. "You think I didn't know that?"
The defeat followed him to Sderot. The town has been battered for years by Palestinian rocket attacks from nearby Gaza Strip, and Villaraigosa went to show solidarity.

He brought 15 basketballs for the Tornai Madaim elementary school and a Lakers' shirt bearing the number 24 and Kobe Bryant's name for Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal, who greeted him in the schoolyard.

"Let me tell you this, my friends in Boston will hate me for this," Moyal said, declaring himself a Celtics' fan.

The two men laughed.

"Tell them you've got a good friend in Los Angeles," Villaraigosa said.

In February, Villaraigosa supported a "Live for Sderot" concert in Los Angeles that raised $300,000 for the town's schools, which the Israeli government matched. On Friday he visited Alon High School to see one of the benefits, a classroom computer with a wireless Internet connection and projected onto a large "smart board" screen.

At both schools, Villaraigosa stood with Moyal and praised his bravery in the face of the rockets.

"That courage of his comes from the courage he sees in all of you, the young people of Sderot," the mayor said. "In Los Angeles, we are aware of your courage."

"We love your mayor," he added, "even though he's a Celtics fan."

richard.boudreaux@ latimes.com

[Fern~Fern*]

Does anyone have any idea when is LAX going to received it's first A380 commercial flight????

[Westsidelife]

^ LAX first welcomed the Airbus A380 on March 19, 2007.

[Fern~Fern*]

^ True but some commercial flights began already. If I'm not mistaken Quantas has plans on making LAX it first ever A380 voyage. I wonder who else so I can go and take pix!!!

[Westsidelife]

^ Sometime later this year, although no specific date has been set.

[Fern~Fern*]

Hopefully soon since I've missed the one in a life time opportunity last year...

[milquetoast]

“Los Angeles is the obvious destination for the first U.S. flights of new large aircraft so it is critical that LAX has the infrastructure necessary to receive them,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “We are investing the resources necessary to be ready for next generation aircraft and to preserve LAX’s status as a premier international gateway.”

LAX is expected to be the first U.S. destination of an A380 passenger flight next year, service which will be provided by Qantas Airways.

LAX is a dominant gateway for travel to every region in the world and the leading

gateway for travel to the Asia/Pacific region, the fastest growing aviation market worldwide. Asia/Pacific carriers account for 40 percent of A380 orders and by 2012 LAX is expected to have 12 daily A380 flights, the most of any airport in North America.
LAWA

[Fern~Fern*]

^ Thanks for the info Milk guy (sticky stuff)....

[milquetoast]

United Airlines to double flights at L.A./Palmdale Airport
Doubling departures is intended to create a more flexible schedule, attracting more travelers to the still struggling north county facility.
By Dan Weikel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 18, 2008 Trying to lure more passengers, United Airlines will double its flights at L.A./Palmdale Regional Airport, which has been struggling to attract travelers since air service resumed at the facility a year ago.

Officials for Los Angeles World Airports announced Tuesday that United, the only commercial carrier at the airport, would increase daily flights from two to four and replace its current 50-seat regional jets with 30-seat turboprops, adding 20% more capacity.

"This action is a positive step forward in our expansion efforts for L.A./Palmdale Airport to become a viable alternative to LAX for the hundreds of thousands of citizens living in the north county and throughout the region," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich.

Airline and airport officials hope the additional flights will make Palmdale more attractive to travelers from military contractors, military bases and government installations in the region.

The new service will fly between Palmdale and San Francisco International Airport, where travelers can make connections to 35 destinations.

United customers can book the additional flights beginning Sept. 3.

Airport officials said that doubling departures was intended to increase schedule flexibility, something requested by frequent travelers from the area. They also said that adding an evening flight would prevent travelers who complete their business during the day from having to stay overnight.

"This is a good move," said Jack Keady, an aviation consultant based in Playa del Rey. "Passengers are frequency-minded. The change will give them two flights coming and two flights going. It could make a considerable difference."

Since United began offering service at Palmdale in June 2007, its regional jets have been 30% to 40% full, which is short of a goal of 50% by this time. Typically, flights for major commercial airlines run about 75% to 80% full.

Nevertheless, airport and airline officials say they remain optimistic about the service's chances for long-term success, saying start-up flights in new markets typically take months to catch on with passengers.

Airport officials note that in May, Palmdale's flights were 42% of capacity, representing a new high of 2,323 monthly passengers.
dan.weikel@latimes.com

[Westsidelife]

^ I don't see Palmdale Airport amassing a substantial enough traveler base because the Antelope Valley is virtually unpopulated. Increasing the amount of flights won't do anything to relieve congestion over at LAX. Plus; given the imminent transit improvements, getting to and from LAX would be quicker than getting to and from Palmdale via Metrolink.

[Westsidelife]

Delta Cuts 13% of Its LAX Flights (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-delta19-2008jun19,0,2840899.story)

The airline ends service on nine routes, including flights to several cities in Mexico and nonstops to Boston.

By Peter Pae, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 18, 2008

Delta Air Lines, struggling with high fuel costs, plans to slash about 13% of its flights at Los Angeles International Airport, including nonstop service to Boston, Hartford, Conn., and Columbus, Ohio.

The latest cuts are the deepest so far at LAX, which had until now managed to escape the brunt of an industry-wide move to ground flights as a way to cope with escalating fuel prices. Delta is the fourth largest carrier at the airport.

With the cutbacks, passengers can expect higher fares and fewer travel options, particularly to Mexico and Latin America. In all, Delta plans to end service on nine routes departing from LAX, including several cities in Mexico, starting mid-August.

For Delta, the cutbacks effectively end the Atlanta-based carrier's plans to expand at LAX and make the largest airport in Southern California one of its major hubs. Other cities that Delta has already cut this year from its LAX schedule include Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Ixtapa, Mexico; and Vancouver, Canada. The airline is also canceling plans to launch a nonstop service to Washington, D.C.'s, Dulles International Airport from LAX.

Though the airline has not publicly disclosed the route cuts, the changes were recently posted on a national flight schedule system.

[Epicentre]

^ True but some commercial flights began already. If I'm not mistaken Quantas has plans on making LAX it first ever A380 voyage. I wonder who else so I can go and take pix!!!

Shit! I wish I had kept the paper from earlier this week, but Qantas was offering $380 fares each way from either Sydney or Melborne to LAX during a 48 hour sale.

Found it! (http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/australia-qantas-a38-2056/)

[Fern~Fern*]

Shit! I wish I had kept the paper from earlier this week, but Qantas was offering $380 fares each way from either Sydney or Melborne to LAX during a 48 hour sale.

Found it! (http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/australia-qantas-a38-2056/)


^^ Dammit Epic!!!!!

Your a bit too late there with those news....

[Westsidelife]

LAX Runways Get Safer (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9677788?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

AVIATION: The $83 million taxiway project is expected to eliminate incursions the FAA blames on airfield layout

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
June 24, 2008

The south airfield at Los Angeles International Airport will get an added measure of safety when a new $83 million centerline taxiway opens today.

The 10,000-foot-long strip will provide a buffer zone for airplanes maneuvering between the southern runways at LAX, which have long been considered a danger zone.

"This is an incredibly important project because the center taxiway greatly reduces the chance that a serious incident will occur on the south airfield," said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

For years, the FAA had blamed the layout of LAX's south airfield for being a major cause of serious runway incursions.

LAX logged more runway incursions than any other airport in the country from 2000 to 2003, with most of the problems reported on the southern runways. In 2006 and 2007, 16 close calls were reported between aircraft maneuvering on the ground, nine of which were on the south airfield, according to the FAA.

However, no serious runway incursions have been reported on the south airfield since officials opened portions of the new center taxiway last August, according to Gregor.

"The new taxiway eliminated the circumstances that led to many of the runway incidents on the south airfield," Gregor said. "The high-speed taxiways were the culprit in most of the serious runway incursions on the south airfield."

Under the old system, airplanes landing on the southernmost runway at LAX had to use short, high-speed taxiways to cross the inner runway to reach the airport's terminals.

Some airplanes occasionally failed to stop and wait for clearance before crossing onto the second runway, putting them in the path of another jet taking off or landing.

The precarious situation prompted airport officials to draw up a plan to separate the parallel southern runways by 55 feet, making room for the center aisle.

The addition of a centerline taxiway will force the airplanes to slow down by taking them into a series of turns. It will also give planes a place to wait for clearance before crossing the inner runway.

"The runway incursions that typically happen on the south airfield are exactly the kind that the centerline taxiway are meant to address," said Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th District includes LAX.

"Obviously we're really happy because the project is completed and it will significantly enhance safety on the south airfield," he said. "This new taxiway will significantly reduce runway incursions, and we're all for improving safety at LAX."

The entire southern runway improvement project marks the completion of the first element of the massive LAX Master Plan, and serves as the first hint of modernization at the airport since several terminals were built for the 1984 Summer Olympics.

The project took nearly two years to complete, but was done within a $333 million budget and delivered four days early, according to Darryl Ryan, a spokesman for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

"LAX is the West Coast's gateway to the world," Ryan said. "With projects like the south airfield improvements LAX is reshaping Southern California's regional aviation network and maintaining a stronghold on its position as a world-class facility, technological leader and one of the world's safest airports."

A legal settlement reached in December 2005 with the county, three cities and a community group cleared all the legal challenges that had nearly thwarted the project.

The city of El Segundo had initially fought against moving the southernmost runway amid concerns over increased noise from the jets, coupled with the fact that planes would be landing closer to the city's border.

But under the settlement, El Segundo and other airport-area neighborhoods received millions of dollars to insulate homes against airport noise.

By July 2006, construction crews began the demolition of the southernmost runway and rebuilt it about 55 feet closer to El Segundo, clearing the way for the new center taxiway.

"There was more noise from the project's construction than what we expect to hear from the airplanes coming in," said El Segundo Mayor Kelly McDowell. "When everything gets back to what passes for normal around here, I think we will be very happy with the fact that we have improved safety at the airport's south airfield."

However, debate continues on how to improve safety for two runways on the north side of LAX, which have the same layout as the old south airfield.

Westchester and Playa del Rey residents are opposed to any plans that call for shifting the northernmost runway up to 340 feet toward their homes and businesses.

Three years ago, the FAA supported a plan that called for moving the inner runway about 340 feet south to make room for a centerline taxiway. Such a move would lead to the demolition of Terminals 1, 2 and 3.

For now, the north airfield's fate remains in limbo as a series of studies move ahead.

"Do we need a centerline taxiway on the north side?" Rosendahl asked. "That's what the studies will decide."

[Westsidelife]

New Old Look for LAX Structure (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9813563?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
June 7, 2008

The iconic Theme Building at LAX is about to grow a thicker skin.

Months after the building's metal skeleton was exposed and its sides surrounded in scaffolding, the Board of Airport Commissioners has approved a $9.3 million contract to replace the plaster exterior of the 1960s-era landmark.

Los Angeles-based Tower General Contractors was selected Monday to restore the white stucco skin on all four arches, which will finally bring the Theme Building back to the historic look made famous in movies and television shows.

The entire construction and restoration project has cost the airport nearly $15 million since troubles first popped up at the Theme Building more than a year ago.

"It doesn't seem as if we're getting much benefit from spending $15 million, other than the fact that we're preserving something that only serves as a historic site," said Airport Commissioner Walter Zifkin. "I hope it doesn't go over what we're already spending because it seems like a lot of money for a building that does not have much of a function."

A stucco slab fell from one of the upper arches and crashed into the structure's main platform, just a few feet from the roof of the Space Age-style Encounter Restaurant, on Feb. 24, 2007.

Airport engineers had discovered that rust had spread throughout the building's metal support system, likely caused by water that seeped past the plaster seams.

Less than two weeks later, the Theme Building and Encounter Restaurant were closed as a precaution.

Since then, CSA Constructors Inc. removed the stucco from the building under a $1.8 million contract. Gin Wong Associates was paid $1.5 million to oversee the emergency demolition and hazardous abatement of the Theme Building, and an additional $2.6 million to draw up plans to rebuild the structure's exterior.

Encounter Restaurant, situated in the middle of the building, reopened last November.

The Theme Building was constructed during the late 1950s at a cost of $2.2 million, finally opening in 1961. The Los Angeles City Council designated the structure a cultural and historic monument in 1992, which means it cannot be significantly altered.

The Theme Building was last renovated in 1999, when the platform's underside and the bottom of the restaurant were shored up at a cost of $3 million.

"We have kind of a boring-looking airport," said Airport Commissioner Valeria Velasco. "The Theme Building gives us some character."

[Westsidelife]

Putting the L.A. in LAX Designs (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9813560?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
June 7, 2008

Los Angeles International Airport is destined for a makeover - one that pays tribute to Southern California's laid-back attitude, sunny weather and wide pristine beaches.

The Board of Airport Commissioners agreed Monday that architectural designs for a new terminal and airline gates at LAX should reflect those qualities and more, including the region's history, culture and diversity.

"I really want when people get off the plane to know that they're in Los Angeles," said Airport Commissioner Valeria Velasco.

"We have so much to offer," she said. "We have the ocean and waves right outside our door practically."

Plans call for building six new gates on the west side of the Tom Bradley International Terminal to accommodate the next generation of large jetliners, including the Airbus A380.

The $1.56 billion project, now dubbed as "Bradley West," is expected to be completed sometime in 2010. About $950 million worth of airport bonds will go up for sale July 23 to help pay for the project.

"This is really the initial stages of trying to get your ideas and thoughts on how we should be putting together Bradley West," said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of LAX.

Earlier this year, Denver-based Fentress Architects was awarded a $41.5 million, three-year contract to come up with a series of designs for the extended Bradley terminal. Fentress is also expected to come up with designs for the $1.3 billion Midfield Satellite Concourse, which will be equipped with eight to 10 new airline gates.

Among his more notable projects, architect Curtis Fentress designed Denver International Airport, where the roof is adorned with white peaks made of fiberglass that evoke the Rocky Mountains. His firm also designed the new National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va., where a beam extending from the roof is meant to evoke the flag raisers at Iwo Jima.

"Our work is really about taking the best of what is in a place and working that into a project," Fentress said. "We'd like to take your vision and goals and weave that into all the bricks and mortar and steel and glass put together, along with all the functional things that we need to make the airport work better."

Despite the push for an impressive exterior design, airport commission President Alan Rothenberg said he was more concerned with what travelers saw while walking through the new terminals.

"While I want a dramatic exterior, I think I would focus more attention on what it looks like once you get inside and how you feel when you get off the plane," Rothenberg said.

Fentress said he hoped to gather city, business and community leaders for several more meetings before he unveils a series of final designs in October. Airport officials are expected to gather input during a community meeting set for 6 p.m. today at the LAX Flight Path Museum.

In the meantime, airport officials are still trying to figure out how to make the expanded Bradley terminal into a structure that not only gives a good impression, but also serves its purpose in an efficient manner.

For example, airport staffers are recommending that three passenger boarding bridges be built for each of the new airline gates to accommodate the trio of doors on the double-decker Airbus A380 jetliners.

Similar provisions are being made at airports in San Francisco, Paris, Sydney and New York's John F. Kennedy, according to Airbus officials.

For now, airport officials agree that two passenger loading bridges are needed at each gate. A cost analysis will be drawn up later this year to determine whether to build a third bridge at each of the new gates.

"What we have here is a 1960s airport, so whatever you're going to design shouldn't look totally out of sync with what's around it," said Airport Commissioner Walter Zifkin. "I think we have an opportunity here to do something extraordinary."

[Westsidelife]

^ Six new gates? Does that number include the two already completed?

[flying_olympic]

^^ Hopefully not..

I am very excited now! I can't wait to see the designs.

[milquetoast]

Should I post the Times article stating that most projects are being put on hold because of the current climate?

[Westsidelife]

^ It shouldn't affect LAX.

[milquetoast]

Airport projects may be grounded
Cash for upgrades will get scarce with carriers forced to cut flights. http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/lax20encounters-3.jpg cargolaw
By Dan Weikel and Peter Pae, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
July 7, 2008
Don't be fooled by the crowds this summer at LAX: Troubles loom large after Labor Day for the nation's airlines, passengers and airports.

Thanks to higher oil prices, fares are rising, airlines are cutting flights, older gas-guzzling planes are being mothballed and passenger fees are being added almost weekly. Now improvements worth hundreds of millions of dollars at aging passenger terminals and other airport facilities are in jeopardy.

These projects are financed with fees paid by airlines that use the airport. But airline industry officials have begun warning airport operators that major service cuts are on the way and they need to consider the consequences of a prolonged economic downturn before proceeding with expensive capital improvements.

"Our message to the world at large -- the federal government, the states and airports -- is that the industry is in a severe economic crisis. We need to urge them to take that into account when making decisions," said John M. Meenan, executive vice president of the Air Transport Assn.

Some major expansion and renovation projects are getting a second look. Oakland International Airport has shelved plans for a $500-million terminal after it lost three airlines, with two more to be lost in September. Passenger traffic is expected to fall more than 23%.

Depending on what happens later this year and beyond, airport operators say plans for LAX and facilities in San Bernardino, Long Beach and San Jose could also see revisions.

Citing robust foreign travel, LAX officials say they will proceed with a multibillion-dollar plan to improve Tom Bradley International Terminal, including installing new gates on the west side that can accommodate the next generation of large aircraft, such as the Airbus A380.

LAX is preparing to sell almost $1 billion worth of bonds to investors this month to help finance the first round of improvements.

But Gina Marie Lindsey, director of LAX operator Los Angeles World Airports, cautioned that "if airline growth continues to moderate, we might have to push back some of our long-term projects."

Those projects include a consolidated rental car facility, a mid-field concourse and reconstruction of the two runways on the north side of the airport.

The fallout is expected to be particularly acute for smaller airports in Southern California and may damp hopes to spread domestic air travel from LAX to nearby regional airports such as Ontario and Orange County's John Wayne. Airlines typically stick with their major hubs when cutting back service.

The industry's financial woes may dash San Bernardino County's plan to attract its first commercial airline to a newly remodeled former military base, where about $80 million has been spent on terminal and runway improvements.

"The downturn will result in a different aviation system in the U.S.," Meenan said, noting that as many as 200 small cities could lose scheduled airline service this year. Bakersfield, for instance, is slated to lose more than a third of its airline service in September.

Although their losses won't be so dramatic, regional airports in Southern California are expected to see available seats drop in September. John Wayne could lose as much as 14%, Ontario nearly 20% and Burbank's Bob Hope Airport more than 10%. The decline is expected to worsen in November for some airports such as Ontario, where airline service is seen dropping nearly 30%.

Long Beach and San Francisco International airports are the only ones expecting service to rise. San Francisco, which expects 5% passenger growth this year, is renovating one of its main terminals at a cost of at least $380 million. In 2000, the airport completed a $1-billion international terminal.

In Long Beach, low-fare carrier ExpressJet Airlines plans to beef up flights, which would increase passenger traffic by 4% in September compared with a year earlier.

Nevertheless, airport officials say they plan to meet with their carriers to see whether any changes need to be made to a terminal renovation project.

Shortly after Labor Day, U.S. carriers plan to make sharp cuts in flights, initially eliminating about 10% of seats to levels not seen since shortly after the September 2001 terrorist attacks that grounded air travel.

Demand for air travel is falling faster than the rate at which airlines are planning cutbacks, said Joe Brancatelli, an air travel consultant. "Sept. 3 is like a magic number where they close the spigot," Brancatelli said. "Business travelers have hit their limit in price, and leisure travelers are walking away because they can't afford to fly."

Airfares on average are up nearly 20% this year, and some analysts expect plane tickets to rise another 20% by the end of the year. But that still hardly compares with airlines' fuel expenses, which are up 69% since last year.

United Airlines, for instance, said in a filing with the Federal Aviation Administration last week that fuel accounted for about 70% of the cost of flying its largest passenger jet. With a barrel of oil in the region of $140, the airline spends more than $70,000 for fuel for a 10-hour flight on a Boeing 747-400, or about $200 per passenger.

Airlines are trying to close the gap by adding myriad fees for services that have traditionally been included in the fare. Such unpopular moves are hastening the downward spiral in air travel.

Airline service at LAX is expected to drop by about 5% overall, most of it in domestic travel. But international demand is giving LAX officials the confidence to begin renovating the Bradley terminal.

Frank Clark, executive director of LAXTEC, a trade group for foreign carriers at LAX, described the Bradley terminal as "substandard" and said that the long-awaited improvements were needed.

In Oakland, airport officials are taking a more cautious approach. After more than a decade of passenger growth, last year Oakland drew up plans to build its third terminal. But since then, traffic has dropped 15% to 20%.

"No one can tell me what the business is going to be like in two years," said Steven Grossman, director of aviation for the Port of Oakland, which operates the airport. "Why should we risk going ahead spending millions of dollars when we are not sure what is going to happen?"

dan.weikel@latimes.com

peter.pae@latimes.com Los Angeles Times

[Westsidelife]

A380 to Be Tested at LAX (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9882640?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
July 14, 2008

Emirates Airlines will fly the massive Airbus A380 to Los Angeles International Airport on Aug. 5 to conduct a series of ground and flight tests, officials said Monday.

The so-called familiarization flight will come two days after Emirates launches commercial service aboard the Airbus A380 between Dubai and New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. A similar test flight is scheduled for Aug. 4 at San Francisco International Airport.

"The A380 familiarization flights will give guests from San Francisco and Los Angeles a chance to feel and experience the new aircraft, as well as learn more about Emirates' world-class amenities and comforts," said Nigel Page, Emirates' senior vice president of commercial operations for the Americas.

"We are very proud to be the first airline to bring the A380 to North America as a commercial service and consider this a milestone for the aviation industry," he said. "We are also delighted to be able to offer access to the aircraft on both the East and West coasts of the United States."

The super-jumbo jet will be stocked with showers, a full-service bar and two lounge areas where passengers can mingle during a demonstration flight up and down the West Coast.

Although the Airbus A380 can hold more than 800 passengers, the aircraft scheduled for testing by Emirates will be configured to seat 489 people in first, business and economy classes, according to airline officials.

Emirates will launch service between LAX and Dubai beginning Oct. 1, using the Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. Airline officials said they hope to eventually use the Airbus A380 for the 8,339-mile flight, which lasts about 17 hours.

In the meantime, Qantas Airlines is expected to be the first airline to launch regular flights aboard the Airbus A380 out of LAX beginning in October.

Airport officials are planning to build six new gates capable of accommodating the Airbus A380 on the back of the Tom Bradley International Terminal by 2010 at a cost of more than $1.5 billion.

[Westsidelife]

^^ Hopefully not..

I am very excited now! I can't wait to see the designs.

It's hard to say. LAWA is branding Gates 101 and 123, which were demolished and reconstructed to accommodate larger aircraft, as being new gates. However, both gates completed reconstruction well before that article came out.

[Westsidelife]

Okay, I figured it out. The six new gates are part of the $1.56 billion Bradley West project, while the two recently reconstructed gates are part of the $723.5 million TBIT renovation. So, we'll get six new gates.

[flying_olympic]

Any updates on the terminal?

[losangelino]

LAX will use body imaging scanning
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/37977816.jpg

Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times
A TSA officer, right, participates in a demonstration of the Whole Body Imaging Technology scanner at LAX's Terminal 5.
The sophisticated technology may prove to be a more effective way to check passengers for dangerous materials, officials say. But critics say it's extraordinarily invasive and amounts to a virtual strip search.
By Dan Weikel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
6:45 PM PDT, April 17, 2008
Some travelers at Los Angeles International Airport will be searched for weapons and explosives using a new scanner that peers through their clothes and creates an image of the person's body, federal officials announced Thursday.

The sophisticated technology, called millimeter wave imaging, may prove to be a more effective way to check travelers for guns, knives, bombs and other dangerous materials than pat-down searches. But it has raised questions by privacy and civil rights advocates, who say the screening process is extraordinarily invasive and amounts to a virtual strip search.

"I don't think people are really aware of just how accurate and detailed the images are of their naked body," said Peter Bibring, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union office in Los Angeles. "We need to make sure there are good safeguards. The temptation is great not to follow procedures when a celebrity or someone well-known is involved."

Millimeter wave pictures are white and dark gray. Though somewhat fuzzy, they are detailed enough to reveal such features as breasts and body anomalies.

Officials with the Transportation Security Administration said the agency plans to buy at least 30 more scanning devices this year for use at other airports.

The TSA unveiled its "whole body imaging" machine at the Delta Airlines terminal at LAX on Thursday afternoon. The device, which is part of a pilot program involving major airports, is being tested under actual conditions at a TSA checkpoint for passengers departing on Delta, housed in Terminal 5.

"This will allow us to enhance our security at LAX," said Nico Melendez, a TSA spokesman. "Imaging devices are not a brand-new security tool, but they are a brand new security tool for airports."

Travelers randomly selected for secondary screening will go through the scanning device, which uses electromagnetic waves to create an image from energy reflected from the human body. The device costs about $150,000.

If passengers don't want to go through the scanner, they will be subjected to other screening measures, including pat-down searches. Signs posted in the checkpoint area will advise them of this option.

During the process, a person walks into a large portal -- about 9 feet high and 6 feet wide -- and assumes two different positions for the scan. A three-dimensional image later appears on a computer screen that is checked by a security official in a separate location. The process takes a minute or two.

To protect a person's privacy, TSA officials said that security officers review the images in a booth about 65 feet away and are unable to see the passenger in question. The faces of those scanned are blurred, and the images cannot be stored, copied or printed, federal officials said.

According to the TSA, about 80% of travelers scanned during recent tests at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix opted for the imaging machine instead of a pat-down search. Melendez said there have been no complaints from passengers since testing began at Sky Harbor late last year.

Civil rights and privacy advocates say the resulting images are detailed depictions of the naked human body -- images that should be tightly controlled to prevent them from being posted on the Internet, sold to tabloid publications or misused in other ways.

"It's a high-tech strip search," Bibring said. "Blurred images of someone's face can be undone by computer. The most important issue is no image retention. That is absolutely crucial for such an invasive technology to satisfy privacy concerns. We need to make sure it is implemented in a foolproof manner."

Bibring also questioned whether the use of such an invasive measure was a good use of the TSA's resources, considering there is no indication that-pat down searches aren't effective.

The images in question are not as revealing or detailed as some critics have made them out to be, Melendez said. He said the complaints have been based on old images from a different technology used in Phoenix early last year that produced more detailed pictures.

"First and foremost, we have done a lot of work with industry and other groups to address the issues related to whole-body images," Melendez said. "We would not have put the technology in place if we could not protect the privacy of passengers."

TSA officials in Los Angeles said they will study the machine's effectiveness, as well as privacy considerations, training requirements, safety issues and public perceptions. They added that there is no end date for the pilot project.

In addition to LAX, another millimeter wave machine was rolled out Thursday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

The machines are already operating at airports in Britain, Spain, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Thailand and the Netherlands. They have also been installed at some courts and correctional facilities in Virginia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, California and Illinois.

dan.weikel@latimes.com

...and Baghdad. My company builds them. I wish I could say more. The complete replacements of the baggage screening systems mentioned here earlier are us too. PHX and LAX mostly complete (at least the targeted terminals), now on to JFK, ATL, ORD and IND.

BTW...the TSA reports that I see show LAX as the #1 busiest (baggage- 36 million and passengers- 37 million annually). 10 million fewer passengers go through O'Hare, and Atlanta trails at #4 or 5. Dallas too at 5 or 6. Not sure who is producing those other stats but the TSA mans to the "busy-ness" of an airport and LAX is number one hands down.

[ArchiTennis]

^^ i don't want them to see my well...u know

[losangelino]

^^ i don't want them to see my well...u know

Sorry but we do!

We've put in privacy algorithms to shield (you know) which has finally convinced "some" airports to deploy them at least in pilot mode. War zones could care less and they've been using them for some time now.

[milquetoast]

BTW...the TSA reports that I see show LAX as the #1 busiest (baggage- 36 million and passengers- 37 million annually). 10 million fewer passengers go through O'Hare, and Atlanta trails at #4 or 5. Dallas too at 5 or 6. Not sure who is producing those other stats but the TSA mans to the "busy-ness" of an airport and LAX is number one hands down.

First I hear L A X is at 60 million, then 50. Do you have a link or a section within TSA's webpage?

[losangelino]

First I hear L A X is at 60 million, then 50. Do you have a link or a section within TSA's webpage?

Sorry, but these are hardcopy reports, no internet link. They list the 47 busiest airports on it with LAX at #1 (baggage as one category and passenger throughput as another and LAX leads in both categories.) I guess I could type some of this in, but that would take some doing.

[milquetoast]

Stats are funny and change from time to time. If you have an up to date T S A report on content of baggage in tons or number, as well as the current capacity on passengers, that I would appreciate. I'll loosely estimate L A X capacity this year at 53 million, well below Hartsfield and O'Hare, but well above J F K or D F W.

[surfnspy]

LAX is crap.

They should raze the whole thing and start over. As a facility designed so long ago--it is bursting at the seams and needs reinventing.

How about building an island off the coast, just west of the current site, turn the current LAX into a parking facility and then just take trains into the new airport. Didn't they do this in tokyo?

[Westsidelife]

^ That's easier said than done. ;)

LAX is certainly aging, however the entire facility does not need to be razed. Most of the other airports around the country are dated as well. I think what LAX needs is some cosmetic surgery as well as the necessary transit infrastructure.

[San Marino Guy]

LAX is crap.


How about building an island off the coast, just west of the current site, turn the current LAX into a parking facility and then just take trains into the new airport. Didn't they do this in tokyo?

I like thate idea! That would be soooo cool!!! Just like the Hong Kong Intrl Airport was built on a man-made island.

[Westsidelife]

^ Well it's not going to happen. ;)

[Fern~Fern*]

A380 to Be Tested at LAX (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9882640?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
July 14, 2008

Emirates Airlines will fly the massive Airbus A380 to Los Angeles International Airport on Aug. 5 to conduct a series of ground and flight tests, officials said Monday.


Thanks for the post WS...

IS anyone planning on showing to check out the A380 land in our own backyard....

If anyone is showing up we can meet at In & Out unless it lands on a different runway... hope not!!!!

[milquetoast]

mmmmmm In N Out agggggg.... We don't need a man made island, we gots plenty in the Channel Islands system. No one's reeallllyyyy using Catalina, are they? Level it and build that 26 mile bridge- for mag lev trains of course :)

[Westsidelife]

The July 2008 issue of LAXpectation's Capital Improvement Projects Update can be viewed here (http://www.lawa.org/lax/pdf/LAXpect%20Update%202008%2007.pdf).

[milquetoast]

August 5, 2008
Airbus A380 to Make LAX Cameo This Morning http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/702027-1.jpg
panoramio.com
The world's largest passenger jet, the double-decker, 489-seat Airbus A380, is scheduled to land at LAX at 9:15 a.m. After the plane arrives, 200 to 250 invited guests will get a two-hour "familiarization'' flight. The jumbo airliner was the first to be delivered to Emirates Airlines, which will begin a nonstop LAX-Dubai service this fall. LAist...out of the 17 customers Airbus has for its A380, "not one is an American airline and just one is an American company, Los Angeles-based International Lease Financing Corp." USATODAY

[Fern~Fern*]

August 5, 2008
Airbus A380 to Make LAX Cameo This Morning http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/702027-1.jpg
panoramio.com
The world's largest passenger jet, the double-decker, 489-seat Airbus A380, is scheduled to land at LAX at 9:15 a.m. After the plane arrives, 200 to 250 invited guests will get a two-hour "familiarization'' flight. The jumbo airliner was the first to be delivered to Emirates Airlines, which will begin a nonstop LAX-Dubai service this fall. LAist...out of the 17 customers Airbus has for its A380, "not one is an American airline and just one is an American company, Los Angeles-based International Lease Financing Corp." USATODAY



^ Damn I miss it....

Stupid new hire orientation..... :bash:

[Westsidelife]

^ It was yesterday, anyways.

[Westsidelife]

Rosendahl Pushes for LAX Upgrade Despite Cuts (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_10134722?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com)

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
August 8, 2008

Even as domestic airlines plan to dramatically cut flights at Los Angeles International Airport this fall, City Councilman Bill Rosendahl said Thursday that he supports efforts to move ahead with a $10 billion plan to upgrade the aging airport over the next decade.

Airport officials are making administrative cuts and plan to impose new fees to pay for construction of additional gates in the back of the Tom Bradley International Terminal, a consolidated car rental office, a people mover and a new airline terminal.

"LAX really is an international gateway, but it doesn't have to look like a Third World shambles of an old airport," Rosendahl told about 50 people gathered for a luncheon hosted by the Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum.

Rosendahl stuck with his mantra that "modernization is the key to regionalism," and said the city will be able to charge higher rents and landing fees to airlines after LAX gets a face-lift. The increased charges at LAX, he believes, will prompt air carriers to shift flights to LA/Ontario International Airport.

"We know the market is there in the Inland Empire," Rosendahl said. "The market will become real in a regional setting after we modernize LAX and pass the cost on to the airlines."

Critics say air carriers would more likely cope with the fee hikes at LAX, or take their business to other large West Coast airports before settling on Ontario.

Rosendahl also said he's concerned about safety on LAX's north airfield as several studies are under way to determine whether the runways should be separated.

Two years ago, aviation consultants suggested moving the northernmost runway about 340 feet north toward the communities of Westchester and Playa del Rey - a plan publicly opposed by Rosendahl and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Although he called the proposal a "dumb idea," Rosendahl moved away from previous statements that the runway would move "over my dead body."

Before considering such a plan, Rosendahl said he wants to install a runway stoplight system by early next year and hire more air traffic controllers. "If moving north is the only option - then we'll take a deep breath and consider it in a serious manner," he said.

The Westside councilman also said he would like to see a portion of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's proposed half-cent sales tax fund the Metro Green Line extension to LAX.

"I don't want to just see the Green Line go to LAX, I want to see it down at Hermosa Beach so folks in the South Bay will use it, too," he said.

In the meantime, Rosendahl said he's working with Los Angeles Public Works Commissioner Valerie Shaw on three bond proposals aimed at fixing the city's infrastructure. The first calls for repairing city streets and could appear on the ballot next year.

"The only way we can get our streets all done in this city is through a series of bond measures," he said.

[lvan]

Did it come?

[bruin787]

Did it come?

Yup.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/2738200305_f62c9a2bda.jpg

[Fern~Fern*]

Yup.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/2738200305_f62c9a2bda.jpg


^^ Hey BruinsA380, So is Emirates commencing LAX~Dubai Non-stop service anytime soon and if so what type of metal would they use??? T7LR???

Also what do you know about Emirates acquiring 747-8's?????

[milquetoast]

Screw the Emirates! I hate their guts. When are the Aussies coming with their A380 again?

[croyboy]

^^ ??!!

[bruin787]

^^ Hey BruinsA380, So is Emirates commencing LAX~Dubai Non-stop service anytime soon and if so what type of metal would they use??? T7LR???

Also what do you know about Emirates acquiring 747-8's?????

LAX-Dubai non-stop starts October 26th. They'll be using 777-200LR's for that. We MIGHT start seeing Emirates A380's here by 2011 or sooner if they get enough traffic. From what I've read, they're still looking into the 747-8.

[B]When are the Aussies coming with their A380 again?

October 20th is first flight from Melbourne.

[milquetoast]

October 20th :)

[Fern~Fern*]

LAX-Dubai non-stop starts October 26th. They'll be using 777-200LR's for that. We MIGHT start seeing Emirates A380's here by 2011 or sooner if they get enough traffic. From what I've read, they're still looking into the 747-8.

^^ Can they actually be that much traffic from KLAX~Dubai to upgrade to a A380?

As far as 747~8 is shocking to see orders in the passenger version is in the slumps. The cargo version is doing a whole lot better but is it sufficient for Doeing not to pull the cord on this project?



20th is first flight from Melbourne.

^^ I know QUANTAS has more than one daily to KLAX, so the question is are they planning to reduce daily flights since the 380 passenger capability?

Lastly, has any American carriers have option for the A380???

[milquetoast]

Lastly, has any American carriers have option for the A380???

Fern Ferns, check post #221

[milquetoast]

LAX workers go on strike, threatening Labor Day weekend travelhttp://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/629119The-Theme-Building-Los-Angele.jpg allposters.com
Union officials for baggage handlers, security personnel and janitors say the walkout will continue through the holiday weekend. Airline officials report no disruptions from the strike.
By Dan Weikel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 29, 2008
Threatening to inconvenience air travelers throughout the Labor Day weekend, several hundred airline service workers -- including baggage handlers, security personnel and janitors -- walked off the job Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport after months of inconclusive contract talks with their employers.

Members of the Service Employees International Union Local 1877 went on strike about noon at the Tom Bradley International Terminal and other terminals serving American, United, Southwest and Northwest airlines -- some of the largest at the airport.

Union officials say the number of workers participating in the action could increase through the holiday weekend, a traditionally busy time of the summer for LAX, which is expected to handle about 850,000 passengers.

As of Thursday afternoon, airline and airport officials said the strike had not disrupted operations or delayed flights, but they cautioned travelers to arrive at the airport two hours before their departures for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights.

"Everything is calm and going fine," said LAX spokesman Michael Molina. "We are anticipating no delays at the airlines."

Airline service workers are employed by private companies that contract with the airlines at LAX. Those firms provide about 5,000 janitors, skycaps, baggage handlers, aircraft cabin cleaners, security personnel and attendants for travelers with disabilities. About 2,500 of the workers are represented by the SEIU's airport division, the union said.

SEIU officials say the workers, who make an average of $10.50 an hour and do not receive benefits, are asking for health insurance and an increase in their hourly wage of 40 to 50 cents. Employers have made no concessions and have bargained in bad faith since contract talks began in early July, union officials say.

"No one wants to have to strike, but they have given us no other choice," said Jose Hernandez, a wheelchair assistant with Aero Port Services and a member of SEIU's bargaining committee. "We're proud to take care of the passengers who need it most, but we also need to be able to take care of our families."

The strike began after a negotiating session Thursday in which both sides failed to make progress toward an agreement. SEIU officials said G2 Secure Staff, Air Serv Corp., Aviation Safeguards and Aero Port Services refused to offer any improvements in wages, benefits or training despite two months of negotiations and the presence of a federal mediator.

Union officials said the strike so far involves workers from Air Serv, Aviation Safeguards and Aero Port Services. Many other workers remained on the job Thursday or had filled in for those on strike.

A spokesperson for Aviation Safeguards declined to discuss the strike. Officials for G2, Air Serv and Aero Services could not be reached for comment.

American, United and Southwest airlines reported that the strike had not affected their operations Thursday afternoon. At Southwest, airline representatives said that no more than 20 baggage runners and wheelchair assistants had gone on strike and that their positions were being filled by other contract workers.

Tim Smith, a spokesman for American Airlines, said janitors had walked off the job at the American terminal, but they were replaced by members of the contractor's management. American handles roughly 180 departures and arrivals a day at LAX.
dan.weikel@latimes.com LATimes

[Westsidelife]

The September 2008 issue of LAXTEC's TBIT Construction News can be viewed here (http://www.laxtec.com/tbit_construction_news/september2008.pdf).

[Westsidelife]

LAX Taxiways Get New Status Light System (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_10474506)

September 16, 2008

Construction crews on Monday began installing a $6 million runway stoplight system at Los Angeles International Airport.

The runway status lights system is expected to start working by the beginning of next year on four taxiway intersections and the inner runway on the north airfield. The south airfield will have lights at three taxiways.

The red lights will be embedded in pavement and switch on anytime it's unsafe for a pilot to cross a runway or take off from the airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The lighting system is expected to help decrease the number of close calls between aircraft maneuvering on the ground at LAX.

Airport officials warned that those living near LAX may hear noise caused by construction and by jetliners using a different flight path from midnight to 6:30 a.m.

[jessemh431]

Wait, so am I gonna have trouble sleeping on the North side? Between 12 and 6:30am are the exact times i sleep. How will I sleep?

[Westsidelife]

^ You poor thing. :|

[flying_olympic]

LAX retools Bradley terminal plans

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/19/2008 10:40:17 PM PDT
It's back to the drawing board for Los Angeles International Airport.

Rather than renovate the concourse areas of the Tom Bradley International Terminal, airport officials now want to build two new concourses on either side of the structure. The old concourse area would be demolished, but the terminal's ticketing lobby would remain in place, while the two security-screening areas would be consolidated into a single checkpoint.

"Building a new concourse gives you a better product and makes it easier to complete while we're still operating," said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX.

Airport officials have spent the past year trying to come up with ways to accommodate the Airbus A380 by the start of 2012, a self-imposed deadline that was promised to the airlines.

Initially, plans called for building the new Midfield Satellite Concourse next door to the Bradley terminal, but that project would have been too expensive and time-consuming.

Airport officials then shifted their attention to the quick-fix solution of simply adding larger airline gates on the back of the Bradley terminal while making major renovations to the building, which was completed in 1984.

However, seismic code upgrades to the old concourse proved to be too expensive. Concerns were also raised about overburdening existing electrical and plumbing fixtures by connecting them to new utilities
Advertisement
needed for the new gates. Additionally, working around travelers in a construction zone had posed a challenge.

The airport stands to save $70 million to $110million in construction costs by building a pair of new concourses, rather than renovating the old space. Airport officials still hope to have two new airline gates opened on the back of the Bradley terminal by 2012, with the entire project completed by the following year.

"It was a no-brainer for me, so I support this concept," said Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose district includes LAX.

"As we got our hands around the project, we found that it would cost more to renovate Bradley and eventually create an operational nightmare," he said. "If we're going to do this job, then we should do it right."

The new concourses will also offer passengers more space to eat and shop. In turn, officials hope the move encourages passengers to spend more money, according to Frank Clark, executive director of LAXTEC, the agency that represents the international airlines housed in the Bradley terminal.

"You're going to end up with a new structure with new utilities and more space for traveler shopping," Clark said. "Given the history of LAX over the last decade, with lots of money already spent in planning, this change in plans shows that the airport is not locked into a single idea that might not be good. I give the airport credit for taking a step back and looking at these issues."

For now, LAX offers significantly less space for stores and restaurants than most major airports across the country. The airport offers only 5.1 square feet of concession space for every 1,000 people passing through the airport with an average spending of $7.85 per passenger.

Some concessionaires operating shops and eateries inside the Bradley terminal said they trusted airport officials to fix up the concourse areas, noting that the improvements might boost sagging sales.

"Hudson is committed to continue to provide the first modern and exciting retail shops at LAX, helping the airport to realize its potential as a world-class shopping experience," said Laura Samuels, a spokeswoman for the Hudson Group, which operates 13 stores in the Bradley terminal.

The airport is expected to modify its concession contracts later this year. Food and retail agreements will be awarded in 2011 for the Bradley terminal, just one year before the new concourses are scheduled to open. In the meantime, current tenants will have the option to extend their leases in November.

source: http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_10514455

[Westsidelife]

^ GREAT article. I remember Gina Marie Lindsey saying in an interview some time ago that they have plans to add an additional 1 million square feet to TBIT. I'm glad they're choosing to build two new concourses from scratch, rather than simply add more gates to the back of TBIT -- that project was called "Bradley West". Though I'm still a bit confused. Aren't both TBIT concourses undergoing renovations as we speak? Now we want to demolish them?

Also, I'm a little disappointed that the plans for the Midfield Satellite Concourse have been shelved. I would've loved to see a brand new terminal built. Maybe this is still an option for the future?

[milquetoast]

Yeah, I'm also glad they took a step back and re-evaluated- now BUILD!

[Westsidelife]

Superjumbo Jet to Begin Regular Flights from LAX (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_10752224)

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
October 18, 2008

A new era of travel is scheduled to take off Monday, when Qantas Airways becomes the first air carrier to launch regularly scheduled commercial flights aboard the massive Airbus A380 from Los Angeles International Airport.

Australian carrier Qantas will offer two weekly round-trip flights on the Airbus A380 between Los Angeles and Melbourne, along with one weekly round-trip flight between LAX and Sydney.

"Several years ago, we looked at the various options to fly the A380 to different cities in the world, and we quickly came to the conclusion that Los Angeles was the best spot," said Wally Mariani, senior executive vice president of the Americas and Pacific for Qantas Airways.

"There was not much debate on the issue," he said. "What better place than L.A. to premiere a blockbuster like the world's largest passenger aircraft?"

The double-decked plane is scheduled to land on LAX's south airfield at 7:30a.m. Monday, then taxi to the Tom Bradley International Terminal, where passengers will be processed by federal customs inspectors.

The jetliner will then maneuver back down to the Flight Path Museum on the south side of LAX, where airline, airport and city officials are scheduled to hold a news conference. Tickets aboard the inaugural sold-out flight from Melbourne to LAX ranged from $1,091 for an economy-class seat to $27,655 for a first-class suite.

"Certainly, to have one of the early scheduled commercial A380 flights is a recognition of the preeminent status of Los Angeles as a gateway to the United States," said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX.

Earlier this year, Mariani told a Sydney newspaper that he was considering whether to move the A380 flights from LAX to San Francisco because Los Angeles did not have a firm plan in place to properly accommodate the behemoth aircraft.

The sticking point for Mariani was the fact that LAX had initially offered up a plan that would have required A380 passengers to use "remote gates" shortly after landing. Those travelers would then catch a shuttle to the Tom Bradley International Terminal for a screening by federal authorities.

Since then, LAX opened two airline gates at the Bradley terminal that are capable of handling the next generation of super-jumbo jets like the A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

But that still wasn't enough for Mariani and other international airline executives. Concerns were raised that LAX eventually would be unable to accommodate an estimated dozen daily A380 flights expected to land at the airport by 2012.

"We have consistently said that we will not schedule A380 service to any airports that are not ready to efficiently handle this aircraft, and that means no remote gates," Mariani said. "If you look at the number of international carriers who have the A380 on order, you can conclude that two gates will be insufficient. We told LAX that they needed a firm plan to build more gates in the next few years."

In response, airport officials drew up a $1.5 billion plan to build six additional A380 gates on the back of the Bradley terminal, along with a series of airfield improvements, with a self-imposed deadline of January 2012. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and airport officials are expected sometime next month to unveil renderings for the revamped terminal.

In total, LAX has spent more than $102 million over the last several years to prepare for the arrival of the Airbus A380, including costs for facility and runway upgrades, according to airport officials.

"Most of the work still lies ahead of us, not behind us," Lindsey said.

Regularly scheduled flights aboard the Airbus A380 are expected to provide a much-needed economic boon to the region's sagging economy, according to Jack Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.

One daily international round-trip flight at LAX generates $623 million annually and provides more than 3,000 local jobs, according to an LAEDC report released last year.

However, the arrival of the A380 comes at a time when LAX is projected to lose nearly 2,300 weekly departing and arriving flights in November, a 19.5 percent drop in operations compared with the same period last year. As a result, LAX is expected to lose 197,574 weekly round-trip seats next month, a 12.86 percent drop from last year.

"It's a bit of a gamble because you're putting a very big plane in a market that's showing a huge drop in international and domestic flights," Kyser said. "But the A380 will be a flagship for Qantas, and they will get a lot of attention for being the first to bring this aircraft to Los Angeles."

[milquetoast]

Qantas brings Airbus A380 to LAX http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/0630992300.jpg
http://www.latimes.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3047493
The world's largest airliner arrives from Australia with about 450 people aboard. A380 flights are expected to provide an economic boost to the region.
By Peter Pae
October 21, 2008
The world's largest airliner landed at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday with about 450 people aboard, kicking off Southern California's first A380 passenger service and providing a welcome economic boost for the slumping airport.

Qantas Flight 93 from Melbourne, Australia, landed at 7:26 a.m. and was greeted by public officials and Hollywood celebrities including actor John Travolta and singer Olivia Newton-John. The jetliner was scheduled to make its return flight to Australia late Monday.

Passengers, most of them Australians, described the flight as very quiet and smooth. They also said they had little problem getting through customs and retrieving their bags.

"I'm surprised. I'm stunned, actually," said Phillip Prendergast, who flew with his wife, Carmen. "The customs agents were reassuring and friendly, too."

Today marked the start of the first scheduled passenger service of the new A380 at LAX, which by 2012 is expected to serve more super-jumbo jets than anywhere else.

The double-decked Airbus A380 is expected to alter the skies over Southern California much the way Boeing Co.'s 747 did when it began flying out of LAX nearly 40 years ago.

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, on hand for the event, noted that the A380 was "finally here" after a two-year delay and touted how the start of the service would be an economic engine that could pump more than $600 million annually into the region and create 3,000 jobs.

FOR THE RECORD:
The headline in an earlier version of this story referred to the Qantas Airbus A380 as the world's largest jet. The craft is actually the world's largest airliner.

The Qantas flights also will provide a boost to LAX, which is seeing flights dwindle as airlines slash service amid high fuel costs and low demand.

Total weekly departures at LAX are expected to fall nearly 20% in November compared with a year earlier. The deepest cuts have come from U.S. carriers such as United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

But foreign carriers are mitigating some of the falloff. Next week, Emirates Airlines is scheduled to begin nonstop service from LAX to Dubai, and carriers based in South Korea are likely to increase flights to LAX after President Bush last week approved a visa waiver program for that country.

Under the program, which had been mostly confined to Western European allies, South Korean visitors will no longer need a visa if they stay in the U.S. for less than 90 days. It is intended to boost travel by friends and family of South Korean immigrants in the region, which has the largest concentration of South Koreans outside of the Asian country.

"We are expecting more travelers," said John E. Jackson, Korean Air's director of passenger marketing and sales for the Americas. The airline is the busiest Asian carrier at LAX. "We're actually finalizing our summer schedule for 2009 right now, and we intend to increase capacity."

The Qantas A380 had the limelight Monday as it parked next to a comparably diminutive Boeing 707, one of the industry's first passenger jets. This 707, built in the late 1950s, is owned and flown by John Travolta, a pilot, aviation enthusiast and Qantas booster.

Although the A380 is about 25% larger than a typical long-haul aircraft, passengers said they had few problems with the arrival process. Some observers have criticized the plane as being too large and have raised concerns that it would clog airport operations.

Also on the maiden flight was Luke Chittock, a travel agent from Perth, who is one of a handful of people who have been on every A380 inaugural service. He was on the first-ever A380 passenger flight, on Singapore Airlines, and then the first A380 flight to the U.S. on Emirates Airlines, which traveled from Dubai to New York.

"Whew! Got another one under my belt," Chittock said, adding that the flights are "all about the same now."
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/0630992900.jpg
Qantas plans to fly the A380 from LAX to Melbourne twice a week, and on Friday the airline will begin another A380 service between Sydney and LAX. The carrier, which has ordered 20 of the $300-million planes, currently operates six flights a day between Australia and the Los Angeles airport, flying mostly 747 jumbo jets.

The airline decided to inaugurate the A380 on its service to LAX because the route is considered one of the most profitable in the world. A round-trip business-class ticket on the A380 fetched more than $18,000.

During the A380's layover in L.A. on Monday, Qantas took about 200 travel agents, journalists and public officials on a two-hour flight in the plane over California. It included a flyover the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco before returning to LAX.

In a reunion of the stars from the musical film "Grease," Travolta, wearing his pilot captain's uniform, and Newton-John, dressed as one of the flight attendants, walked down the plane's aisle together, shaking hands and promoting the new plane for Qantas.

"It's whole lot different being a crew," she said, with Travolta standing next to her. "I'm just trying not to spill the champagne."

Pae is a Times staff writer.
peter.pae@latimes.com photos couresy of Daily Telegraph/AU Los Angeles Times

[Skyblade]

I'm still kicking myself for missing this but unfortunately I was over in Amsterdam when this historic event happened. I'm sure Bruin787 was able to get us a scoop of it though. :D

[Westsidelife]

In Downturn, LAX in Tough Fix on Improvements (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-airport5-2008nov05,0,6069556.story)

Executives say tighter borrowing costs and a drop in passenger and cargo volume in the near term won't halt crucial upgrades. Mayor Villaraigosa is expected to unveil designs this month.

By Dan Weikel
November 5, 2008

Amid one of the worst economic downturns in the history of the airline industry, Los Angeles International Airport is shedding passengers faster than its peers across the country, threatening the revenue stream needed to modernize its aging facilities.

In September, international and domestic travel through LAX declined 7.3% compared with the same time last year. Cargo plummeted about 17%. This is the biggest monthly drop in traffic this year, and even more declines are expected.

If the airline prophets are correct, LAX could see between 53 and 55 million travelers next year, down from 62.4 million in 2007 and 67.3 million in 2000. One prominent aviation consultant predicts that by 2014, LAX will have 10.5% fewer passengers than today, largely because it is not a home base for any airline.

Yet airport leaders are confident they can deliver needed improvements to the Tom Bradley International Terminal by 2012 and set the stage for the overall modernization of LAX, which has been planned for 11 years under three mayoral administrations.

"We can afford to do this. The downturn is not going to slow our progress," said Gina Marie Lindsey, director of Los Angeles World Airports, which operates LAX, Ontario International Airport and Palmdale Regional Airport. "In the near term, we are doing worse than other airports, but that will not be the case long-term."

The downturn has caused airports across the country to postpone building terminals, gates and runways. Some airline executives have come out against new construction, and projects that are under way have run into financing problems. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, for example, has been unable to sell bonds to help finance an $8-billion realignment of its runways.

"It is time for all airports and airlines to sharpen their pencils," said John Heimlich, chief economist for the Air Transport Assn., the industry's lobbying arm. "They need to revisit and rethink what projects will pay off, the ones that won't and the ones that should be deferred."

How LAX proceeds is critical. With tens of millions of business and leisure travelers a year, LAX is an economic engine for the region. If officials raise fees too much to fund a modernization effort, it could drive carriers to airports with lower costs, such as San Francisco International.

Aer Lingus and Air India have discontinued service to LAX, partly because of cost concerns, airport sources say, but have kept their San Francisco operations.

Among the highest priorities is the aging Bradley complex, which serves international travelers and has not undergone a major remodeling since it opened just before the 1984 summer Olympics.

Plans call for rebuilt concourses, a center taxiway, a million additional square feet that would double the size of the building, and new gates on the west side to handle large aircraft, such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The work might cost between $3 billion and $3.5 billion, according to estimates.

Lindsey said LAWA would continue planning other parts of the modernization, but those projects would probably have to wait until the economy and the airlines recover. The projects include a midfield concourse, a consolidated rental car facility, a people mover, improvements to the north runways and a passenger processing facility.

The airlines caution, however, that the improvements must be cost-effective and enhance operations without significantly raising landing fees and rents when high fuel costs and a slowing economy have pummeled their bottom lines.

They also say they will resist the desires of city leaders to create a bold architectural statement at LAX if it adds hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of modernization without substantially improving airport efficiency.

"The Bradley building and the airport need to be modernized, but not at any cost," said Frank Clark, who represents a trade association of international carriers at LAX. "It must be done in a way so that LAX remains competitive with other major airports. With the next generation of long-range aircraft, airlines can locate almost anywhere."

Clark cautioned that as the industry recovers from the downturn, carriers will pay close attention to airport fees and their operational needs in deciding where to restore flights. The potential for LAX to lose out to other airports, he said, "is not a hypothetical."

So far, planning the modernization has cost LAWA almost $260 million in consulting contracts for engineering and architectural designs -- work that has produced several plans dating to Mayor Richard Riordan's administration.

Lindsey, appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in June 2007, has advanced the effort, though the project and its cost have yet to be defined. She has vowed to provide new gates at the Bradley terminal by early 2012, an aggressive time frame by her own admission.

The latest concepts are set to be unveiled by Villaraigosa during a ceremony Nov. 17. On display will be an 8-by-12-foot model of the improvements and renderings of proposed building interiors.

"The mayor wants a world-class experience for air travelers and to make a long-term investment in the future of the airport," said Jaime de la Vega, who works on aviation issues for the mayor's office. "LAX will eventually fare well among airports globally."

Everything is hush-hush. Lindsey, who has viewed the model and architectural renderings, declined to comment except to say, "They're lovely."

Though the modernization effort is progressing, it has run up against a steep decline in the airline industry and a global economic crisis that has stifled the demand for air travel at home and abroad.

To cope, airlines are dramatically cutting flights and seats, a trend that will extend into 2009, analysts say, threatening airport revenues from landing fees, terminal rents, parking and concessions -- money that would have helped pay for improvements.

At LAX, airlines expect to reduce available seats by more than 11% during the fourth quarter, compared with the fourth quarter of 2007, according to the Air Transport Assn.

During the first quarter of 2009, the airlines plan to offer almost 10% fewer seats than in the first quarter of 2007.

Michael Boyd, an airline consultant and president of Boyd Group International in Colorado, predicts that LAX will have about 10.5% fewer passengers from 2008 to 2014, despite some recovery in the industry starting in 2010.

"I don't see anyone moving flights back into LAX right way," said Jack Keady, an aviation consultant in Playa del Rey. The downturn "is not a short-term trend in the industry. It will take a long time to recover."

Airport officials say fees from airlines, concession and parking revenue, seed money from an $853-million bond issue this summer and future bond issues worth several billion dollars could be used to pay for the proposed Bradley projects. Lindsey said LAWA might have to "get creative" with financing, but she declined to provide details.

She also disputed the dire forecasts for LAX, which she described as speculative. Lindsey says she relies more on an analysis for the $853-million bond issue, which was released by underwriters months ago. It predicts passenger volumes will increase about 2% a year until 2014.

Alan Rothenberg, chairman of the Airport Commission, said it would be several years before the airport might have to tap the credit markets. By that time, he said, financing would probably be more available than today.

Despite the economy and recent declines in passengers, Rothenberg said the airport must proceed with improvements.

"We are trying to modernize for the next generation, not for today," he said. "Three, four or five years doesn't matter. For us to stop in our tracks would be foolish."

[Westsidelife]

Bradley International Terminal Designs to Be Unveiled (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_10997199)

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
November 15, 2008

Southern California's beach culture will play a prominent role in proposed designs for the revamped Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX, set to be unveiled on Monday.

While the "official" concept has been kept under wraps, some people have said the undulating rooftop resembled "crashing waves."

Others have described the architectural concept as a set of "billowing sails" passing through Los Angeles International Airport.

One skeptic said the design looked like fish scales.

"We're looking at one of the most exciting new ways to make the Bradley terminal the true gateway to America," said Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose district includes LAX. "I think the design is futuristic and projects the kind of image that Los Angeles should project."

City and airport officials will hold a news conference Monday to unveil a series of renderings designed by Denver-based Fentress Architects, which was awarded a $41.5 million, three-year contract earlier this year.

Fentress also designed Denver International Airport, where the roof is adorned with white fiberglass peaks meant to evoke the Rocky Mountains.

"I'm hopeful that everybody likes it because, I have to admit, it is very impressive," said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX.

While the striking exterior will help change the face of LAX, the terminal's interior will also undergo a major face-lift, with the entire project's costs estimated at $2 billion to $3 billion.

Designers capitalized on the region's famous sunny weather by including large windows and skylights to provide natural light for the terminal.

The old concourse areas will be demolished to make way for two entirely new concourses on either side of the terminal, adding about 1 million square feet of space. Travelers will be given more options for dining and shopping, while the airport's two security-screening areas will be consolidated into a single checkpoint.

The most important part of the project calls for building two new airline gates capable of handling superjumbo jets by the start of 2012, with four additional airline gates set to open the following year.

"This will be the largest public works project in the city of Los Angeles, and it will be happening at a time when our country is struggling through a recession," Rosendahl said. "I think it's perfect timing because it will create jobs and it will stimulate other economic engines in the area. The timing couldn't be better."

Despite Rosendahl's optimism, LAX's capital improvement project comes at a time when the recession has forced other airports nationwide to scale back, postpone or cancel similar projects.

To get the airlines to agree to foot the massive bill, LAX must keep construction costs down and mend relations that have frayed due to protracted negotiations over disputed rental rates, according to Frank Clark, executive director of LAXTEC, the agency that represents the international airlines housed in the Bradley terminal.

"We need to do this, but I don't think it should be done at any cost," Clark said. "While we have to be competitive from a city standpoint, we also have to be competitive from a cost standpoint."

The Bradley terminal and second-level roadway were the last major changes made at LAX, completed just before the 1984 Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles. Airport officials said at the time that the renovation was meant to be an interim fix, not a long-range improvement.

LAX, designed to handle 40 million passengers, served nearly 68 million at its peak in 2000, and handled about 62 million last year. While the two previous plans for LAX were based on projections of a significant increase in travelers and flights, airport officials now say the upgrades are needed to improve a long-neglected, dilapidated facility.

"This is in no way related to expansion or additional passenger traffic," Lindsey said. "It's about getting our customer level up to where we can compete with other gateway airports and replacing facilities that need it. We want people to be glad they came to L.A."

The city of Los Angeles has spent more than $250 million over the past 15 years developing airport modernization plans backed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and two of his predecessors, according to Roger Johnson, a deputy executive director at LAX.

Efforts to modernize LAX date back to 1993, when former Mayor Richard Riordan proposed expanding the airport's capacity to 100 million annual passengers. Airport neighbors rejected Riordan's $12 billion proposal because it would have resulted in the demolition of scores of homes and businesses to make room for additional runways.

The plan was revised by former Mayor James Hahn after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to address several security concerns. Hahn's $11 billion plan called for an off-site ground transportation center in Manchester Square, where all passengers and baggage would be screened. Security experts said the plan increased the potential for terrorism because the facility concentrated airline passengers in a single location.

Then, Villaraigosa took office in 2005 after pledging to scrap most of Hahn's proposal, winning him much-needed support from those living in the LAX-area communities of Westchester and Playa del Rey.

Villaraigosa agreed to cap the airport at 78.9 million annual passengers and seek out ways to divert air traffic to other local airports, under the terms of a settlement reached with the county, three cities surrounding LAX and a community group opposed to airport expansion.

The settlement also allowed city officials to move ahead with so-called "green light elements," including ongoing improvements to the Bradley terminal and the recently completed south runway improvement project.

With all the starts and stops from the two previous mayoral administrations, airport and city officials said they are confident that their latest plan will actually go from concept to reality.

"Now is the time to do this if we're going to survive," Rosendahl said. "We have to get rid of the past and think about the airport's present and its future."

[VZN]

^^ About time....

[milquetoast]

Waves, sails, fish scales..... I can't wait

[Westsidelife]

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Unveils Modernization Plan for LAX (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-airport18-2008nov18,0,5997118.story)

The plan, which could cost $5 billion to $6 billion, focuses on rebuilding the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

By Dan Weikel
November 17, 2008

For the third time in less than a decade, a Los Angeles mayor and airport officials today unveiled a grand design for modernizing Los Angeles International Airport, which has not been substantially remodeled since 1984.

The centerpiece of the plan and its highest priority is the rebuilding of the Tom Bradley International Terminal, including new gates for large aircraft on the west side and a grand central hall offering passengers restaurants and shopping.

Other parts of the plan call for a midfield concourse with new gates west of the Bradley terminal. It will be connected to the Bradley by a sky bridge allowing travelers to view the ocean, mountains and L.A. cityscape.

In addition, the plan calls for a people mover around the airport, new taxiways and a new passenger processing center immediately east of the Bradley terminal.

According to estimates, the cost of all the work would cost $5 billion to $6 billion. A completion date has been set for 2013.

"Today marks a milestone in our effort to modernize the hub of the region's air transportation system and restore it to the premier international gateway the airlines need and the City of Angels deserves," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a news conference.

The design concepts for the airport were unveiled during a ceremony at the airport's Flight Path Learning Center. The event was attended by airport contractors, airport commissioners and local dignitaries.

The first master plan for the airport was unveiled during Mayor Richard Riordan's administration. Mayor James K. Hahn announced another version of the plan in 2004. But both were stalled by lawsuits and opposition by airport-area residents and elected officials.

[Westsidelife]

^ It's good to know that plans for a midfield satellite concourse are still in the works. I previously read that they'd been shelved. Also, it looks like they've opted to build a sky bridge instead of an underground people mover to connect it with the Tom Bradley terminal.

I'm also excited about the people mover (long overdue) and the passenger processing center, a component of the 2004 LAX Master Plan.