A Mostly Happy First Birthday : Airport: Passenger counts are up and reviews are good as Thomas F. Riley Terminal completes a year of operation, but some troubles remain.
The sleek Thomas F. Riley passenger terminal at John Wayne Airport celebrates its one-year anniversary this month against a backdrop of soaring passenger counts, positive consumer reviews and long-simmering safety, jet-noise and construction disputes.
Last year’s Sept. 16 grand opening extravaganza carried the promise of a spacious, state-of-the-art facility with new eateries, conveniences and more flights to more places.
The new terminal--12 times bigger than its predecessor--has delivered on most scores, particularly where it comes to comfort and convenience within the terminal, but has fallen short on a few other points.
“I’m really pleased,” airport manager Jan Mittermeier said. “Originally the passengers going through the terminal were comparing it with the old one, but now they’re forgetting the old terminal and are comparing it to others throughout the United States, with some even saying that this is the nicest one. I think it shows that we were successful in designing a user-friendly terminal.”
On the up side: Demand has been so strong at John Wayne that passenger volume has jumped 24.4% compared to a year ago, despite the recession and the departure of two airlines from the airport, Midway and USAir. Air fare wars and new competition to some destinations--including the Bay Area and Sacramento--have driven some ticket prices down 10% to 20% compared to a year ago, according to Jack Keady, West Coast marketing director for American Airlines.
On the down side: Average daily air carrier departures have increased by only seven, to 94. And only one significant new destination has been added: New York. Nonstop flights on the wide-body Boeing 767 to destinations such as Hawaii are still just a travel agent’s dream, with airport officials blaming the slow economy and the airlines’ unwillingness to invest more money in the aircraft needed for such missions. Moreover, demand for the available seats is so high that tickets out of John Wayne are still priced above comparable trips from Long Beach, Los Angeles or Ontario airports.
“I’m flying out of LAX when I take longer trips eastward, like to Florida,” David Thomas, vice president of Irvine-based Strategy Research Corp., said Thursday as he waited to board a flight to San Francisco. “The savings on the longer trips can be as much as 15 or 20%.”
When the new terminal opened last year, officials predicted that additional flights would provoke more noise complaints. They were right. Airport neighbors filed 1,291 noise complaints during the first half of 1991, up 15.7% over the 1,116 complaints filed during the first six months of 1990, before the new terminal opened.
A bid by the Federal Aviation Administration to change takeoff procedures to improve safety at John Wayne could result in even more noise for nearby residents. The FAA is proposing to ban JWA’s use of a power cutback at an altitude of 500 feet, which airlines adopted so that the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 could meet the airport’s strict noise limits. Four airlines currently fly a total of 12 MD-80s out of John Wayne. Without the 500-foot cutback, it is doubtful that MD-80s could continue to serve the airport. If they could not, airlines would be forced to substitute smaller, quieter aircraft or eliminate some flights.
Meanwhile, airport officials deal with some nagging problems at the terminal. Baggage occasionally jams on the conveyors; consumers complain about the lack of directional signs and the $14 daily cost of covered parking in the garages attached to the terminal building. (Cheaper long-term parking is available in the open-air parking lot directly across from the terminal’s baggage claim area.)
Patrons are still irked by the lack of timely, visible shuttle bus service as an alternative to taxicabs. Instead of waiting at curbside, shuttle vans must wait in a remote staging lot until a customer calls for them from courtesy phones inside the terminal.
Nonetheless people are generally enthusiastic about the new terminal. Airline officials even credit the cavernous, half-mile-long structure for boosting employee morale and productivity.
“It’s been a real joy to work here,” said Tom Reedy, Northwest Airlines’ station chief at JWA. “It’s definitely more convenient for our passengers, who no longer have to run outside between the gate and the airplane. And there’s a big change in the attitudes of everyone involved. This new working environment has made it a lot easier for the employees.”
Thomas, the vice president from Strategy Research, even loves the food. “I even pop over here for lunch sometimes,” he said. “The restaurants are great.”
Such customer reaction is gratifying to Isabel Villasenor, owner of the two McDonald’s hamburger chain franchises at the new terminal.
“We were able to meet our first-year sales projections even with the negative, five-month period of heavy security due to the Gulf War,” Villasenor said.
During that period, access to the gate concourse was restricted to passengers only.
“If there had been no increased security,” said Villasenor, “our performance would have been absolutely spectacular.”
Having weathered the first year of operation for the new terminal, officials are ready to tackle more airport projects.
Among them will be courtroom battles between the county and the terminal’s prime contractor, Taylor Woodrow Construction California Ltd. The firm claims in a lawsuit that it was fired improperly from work on the garages. And county officials expect Taylor Woodrow to file suit to recover millions of dollars it claims the county still owes for work on the terminal building.
On tap are still more structural improvements and landscaping, in the second phase of the $310-million JWA expansion program. A quarter-mile monorail line linking the terminal with an office complex across the street is still planned. New airport staff offices will be built at the new terminal. The old Edward J. (Eddie) Martin Terminal, now an abandoned relic, will either be torn down or remodeled to house commercial tenants.
Sometime in the next five years, two more parking levels are expected to be built atop the East Parking Structure, across the terminal access road from the baggage claim area. There will be additional widenings of Campus Drive and possibly MacArthur Boulevard as well. And a long-range possibility is construction of new, direct-access ramps from the San Diego Freeway, similar to the ramps that connect the terminal directly to the Costa Mesa Freeway.
And at least one commuter carrier--Pacific Coast Airlines--is expected to begin ferrying passengers soon between John Wayne and LAX. Unresolved are bids by cargo carriers UPS and Federal Express to serve the airport, with environmental impact studies still pending.
Airport Open House
To celebrate the first anniversary of the new John Wayne Airport terminal, officials have scheduled an open house featuring tours, cake and punch from noon to 2 p.m. on Sept. 17. Door prizes, including free tickets to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, will be given away at 1:30 p.m.
An invitation-only party will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for county supervisors, the airport staff and members of the county Airport Commission, as well as representatives of the airlines and airport concessionaires.
A Good Year at John Wayne Airport
The new Thomas F. Riley Terminal at John Wayne Airport symbolizes Orange County’s coming of age, according to county officials. The sleek, cavernous structure will be a year old on Sept. 16, but anniversary celebrations will be held a day later.
Passenger Volume
1990 1991 % Change January-July 2,471,525 3,074,104 + 24.4
Airport Revenue (Income from airline landing fees, airport tenants such as restaurants, car rental agencies, etc.)
Period Total % Change 1989-90 $23,782,987 -- 1990-91* $43,246,194 + 81.8 1991-92 (projected) $56,480,784 + 30.6
*New terminal opened Sept. 16, 1990; number of flights were allowed to increase as of Oct. 1, 1990.
Average Daily Commercial Airline Departures
August, 1990 August, 1991 % Change 87 94 + 8.0
Total Operations Jan.-July, 1990 Jan.-July, 1991 % Change Commercial 35,072 38,255 + 9.1 General Aviation 259,832 271,246 + 4.4
Noise Complaints
First Half 1990 First Half 1991 % Change 1,116 1,291 + 15.7
History
Edward J. (Eddie) Martin Terminal: Opened 1968 with 16-member county airport staff and annual budget of $174,654.
Thomas F. Riley Terminal: Opened 1990 with 102-member county airport staff and annual operating budget of $27,094,833.
Sept. 17 Anniversary Celebration
Public: Noon to 2 p.m. Free parking, tours, cake, punch, door prizes inside terminal.
Private: Invitation-only, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. inside terminal.
