A Terminal Case of Airport Crowding : New Addition Still Leaves County Short of Its Needs

Orange County can be justifiably proud of its new Thomas F. Riley Terminal, which opened today. But that pride must be tempered by irony: as the first commercial jet took off this morning, the new airfield it left behind was obsolete.

Technically, the terminal is state of the art, with the latest equipment. Its design is appealing, with its striking barrel-vaulted ceiling. But even on opening day for the terminal, the airport is too small to adequately meet the growing flight needs of county residents, business firms and tourist attractions.

The new terminal is designed to serve up to 8.4 million passengers a year (which is the maximum under a court settlement reached with opponents of airport expansion). That total, however, meets barely more than two-thirds of today’s estimated passenger needs and, as the county grows, it becomes more inadequate every year. The county’s air travel demand is projected to reach more than 22 million passengers a year by 2010.

The county avoided a serious shortcoming last Wednesday when, in the face of growing public protest, it wisely reversed its shortsighted decision to close the lower-cost, long-term parking lots. The county seemed more concerned with generating cars and higher parking fees to help pay off the bonds it floated to finance the new parking structures than it did in giving travelers a less expensive parking option. Now the airport must quickly fix another problem: The new terminal is in violation of several state codes designed to make public facilities accessible to the handicapped.

The supervisors have been major players in the county’s urban development and resultant air travel. They have a dual responsibility, to the environment and to those millions of passengers who rely on them to provide adequate air transportation.

To meet that need, the board must rededicate itself to finally locating a site for another regional airport. If one isn’t found soon, more and more Orange County air travelers are going to have to make longer trips to more distant airports or find other ways to travel. Some business firms may even consider relocating closer to convenient air transportation.

In the next 20 years the local demand for airlines seats is expected to exceed the new airport’s capacity by 14 million passengers a year. So, celebrate today. But tomorrow morning county officials must turn their attention to those other 14 million passengers a year and start making the hard decisions that will accommodate the future.