JWA launches more travelers than ever
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Alicia Robinson
More travelers used John Wayne Airport in 2004 than ever before, a
trend that is likely to bring the number of air passengers within
spitting distance of the 10.3 million annual passenger cap this year.
More than 9.2 million people passed through the airport in 2004,
an increase of 8.6% compared with 2003, airport officials reported.
If passenger levels increase similarly this year, the total will top
10 million by year’s end.
The cap of 10.3 million annual passengers is part of a legal
agreement that governs the number of flights and passengers the
airport can serve. The agreement was renegotiated in 2003, raising
the cap from 8.4 million passengers a year to 10.3 million annual
passengers though 2011.
The number of passengers using John Wayne Airport showed strong
monthly gains throughout last year, increasing an average of 5.8%
over the fourth quarter. The fourth-quarter average growth was bigger
in 2003 -- 12.6% -- but that’s when airport officials first allocated
the higher capacities in the new cap.
The continued growth is attributable to the healthy local economy
and improvements at the airport, airport spokesman Justin McCusker
said.
“These are economic issues -- the local economy being strong, the
airlines offering attractive fares,” he said. “We believe that some
of what we offer here with expanded checkpoints are attractive to
potential fliers when they’re choosing the airport to fly in and out
of.”
Airport activist Tom Naughton predicts John Wayne Airport will
reach its passenger cap within the next year. The airport will have
to closely manage passenger levels throughout 2005, and limited
capacities will mean higher ticket prices and eventually a lack of
seats on flights, he said.
“We’re running out of capacity, and if you run out of capacity
it’s just like any other economic problem,” he said. “When [the
airlines] have a capacity restraint, then gradually they can increase
the prices to address that.”
John Wayne isn’t the only airport suffering growing pains. Demand
for travel increased elsewhere in Southern California last year also,
with Los Angeles International Airport reporting its highest increase
in passenger levels since 1978. The airport served more than 60.6
million travelers in 2004.
Those who oppose further growth at John Wayne Airport are banking
on state or federal officials to relieve their jet lag. A bill now in
the state Senate would create the Los Angeles Regional Airport
Authority, which some hope would have the power to set up an airport
at the closed El Toro Marine Air Corps Station or elsewhere in the
region.
It’s hard to say what a regional airport authority will be able to
do before the bill is fleshed out, said Jack Wagner, executive
director of the Orange County Regional Airport Authority, a joint
powers group that has supported an airport at El Toro.
What is clear is that more airport capacity is needed in the
region, with a 52-million passenger capacity shortfall predicted by
2030, Wagner said.
“If you don’t build the facilities, the cities and communities
die,” he said. “It’s not just inconvenience. It’s not just higher
fares. It’s going to affect jobs and the economy.”
* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be
reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at
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