USAir, MarkAir Seeking John Wayne Flights

USAir, which canceled its Orange County service last year during a financial crisis, is asking to come back.

The airline, based in Virginia, has applied for two of the 73 daily flight slots that are allotted by county supervisors each April 1 to qualified jet airlines.

A new player, MarkAir--until recently a regional Alaskan carrier--has also asked for two slots at county-owned John Wayne Airport.

USAir wants to make two daily round trips to Pittsburgh, while MarkAir, based in Anchorage, wants to schedule a pair of daily trips to and from Seattle.

The airport now is served by nine jet carriers whose flight allocations are controlled under terms of a court-ordered settlement to a noise-damage suit brought more than a decade ago by the city of Newport Beach and by homeowners in Newport Beach and unincorporated county areas directly beneath the airport’s flight paths.

An airport spokeswoman said that both USAir and MarkAir passed noise tests conducted at the airport during the last week of December.