Group Plans Shuttle Service Flights From John Wayne to LAX

Despite the failure-ridden history of commuter airlines at John Wayne Airport, a group of Orange County investors plans to inaugurate a new shuttle service between Orange County and Los Angeles by mid-September.

Carl Strombitski of Santa Ana, who is waging a court battle to prove his part in founding an air service between Maui and Honolulu, said Monday that in the meantime he has become president and chief executive officer of the new Newport Beach-based shuttle airline.

“I’m not grinding an ax . . . . I’m going on with my life,” said Strombitski, 37.

Strombitski said Monday that the new commuter airline, which currently is called Metro Express Airlines but is changing its name to Golden State Airlines, was founded by “a group of local Orange County executives who want to see a reliable, reasonably priced commuter service.” He would not identify the investors but said that he personally owns a “greater than 20%” interest in the airline company.

Strombitski said the company proposes to operate nine-passenger planes on seven round-trip flights a day between John Wayne Airport and Los Angeles International Airport. The company still is awaiting federal and local government approvals and the signing of certain joint operating agreements with other airlines.

Although the new airline is not yet prepared to announce its flight schedule or ticket prices, it will definitely offer lower fares than its only competitor, Imperial Airlines, Strombitski said.

Imperial Airlines, which is in its fourth year of operation at John Wayne, provides 16 round-trip flights a day between Orange County and Los Angeles and offers fares ranging from $35 to $59. In addition, Imperial has interline agreements with United, Delta and American airlines that enable customers of those major airlines to take Imperial’s shuttle at no additional cost.

Cindy Gilbert, Imperial’s station manager in Santa Ana, said the airline has found the Orange County-Los Angeles route to be profitable. She said Imperial is boarding about 2,200 passengers a month on 18-seat and 36-seat planes.

Gilbert said she did not believe competition from Golden State Airlines would harm Imperial’s Orange County business because “a lot of people don’t like real small planes at all.”

Imperial’s financial success at operating a shuttle flight between Orange County and Los Angeles has been exceptional. Other airlines that tried to provide such service, including Golden West, Dash Air and Evergreen Airspur, a helicopter service, ultimately collapsed.

Strombitski said Golden State’s strategy is to keep its operating costs low by leasing small, inexpensive aircraft and maintaining a small staff of managers willing to wear two or more hats on the job.

Golden State has obtained tentative agreements for WestAir Airlines Inc. to handle ticketing and ground support services at John Wayne. In Los Angeles, Golden State plans to use Transworld Airlines terminal facilities and to contract with another carrier for baggage handling and ticket services, Strombitski said.

Contracts have yet to be signed with the airlines and with Orange County and the City of Los Angeles, which manage the airports, Strombitski said.

Orange County airport officials said the shuttle service application will go before the county Airport Commission and Board of Supervisors for approval within the next 30 days.

In addition, Strombitski said, the new airline is awaiting commuter certification from the U.S Department of Transportation.