New Wayne Air Terminal Open at Last : Aviation: It’s 5 months late and $17 million over budget, but reviews from passengers are favorable.

Months late and millions over budget, the cavernous new passenger terminal at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport swung open its doors for the first time on Sunday.

The 337,900-square-foot terminal generally received rave reviews from a public happy to see a more spacious and luxurious replacement for the cramped, 23-year-old facility just down the runway.

“This new one is lovely, really lovely,” said Rae Weinstein, who toured the terminal Sunday morning before flying home to Massachusetts with her husband, Irving. “The old one reminded me of when we went to Morocco. There were people milling around everywhere.”

That sort of comparison is not without merit. For years, John Wayne Airport was something of an embarrassment for officials of a county that takes pride in its affluence and high-tech image.

The new, $63-million Thomas F. Riley Terminal, which is 12 times the size of the old facility, will be capable of handling up to 160 departures a day within two years, nearly double the current number. Up to 8.4 million passengers are expected to board jets each year, compared to 4.5 million at the old terminal.

Gone are the rickety, portable stairs that passengers climbed to their planes at the old John Wayne. In their place are modern enclosed “jetways.” The single, tiny snack shop, lone bar and restaurant at the old Edward J. (Eddie) Martin Terminal have been traded for a wide assortment of watering holes and eateries offering everything from McDonald’s hamburgers to gourmet croissants.

Newsstands and gift shops are flanked by glossy marble walls, fashionable lighted sconces and broad aisles, all of it under a dramatic curved ceiling.

As with opening night of a big Broadway play, Day One at the new terminal had its glitches as airport workers grappled with jammed luggage conveyor belts, balky flight display screens, fickle security alarms on doors leading to the Tarmac and occasional traffic jams at parking lot exit gates.

Most of the problems were tackled behind the scenes without much strain, and airport officials declared the opening day an overall success.

“It really works! Believe it or not, it really does!” chimed Alan Murphy, the project director who steered the construction through an obstacle course of design problems, work delays and legal tussles with contractors that ultimately put the terminal five months behind schedule and about $17 million over its initial budget.

All that was left behind Sunday. After a soupy, early morning fog burned off, the day began with the departure of a Delta Airlines Boeing 737 bound for Dallas-Ft. Worth. The first passenger aboard--Adele Taymore of Boston--was trundled on in a wheelchair during pre-boarding.