Thousands of Hawaii Flight Bookings Based on a Hope

Aloha Airlines has already booked nearly 6,000 passengers for Orange County’s first Hawaii flights from John Wayne Airport beginning May 1, even though the flights haven’t been approved by county supervisors.

The once-daily round-trip flight to Honolulu and a second flight to Maui beginning June 1 have been tied up for months in wrangling over the county’s plan to build a new airport at the closed El Toro Marine base.

The opportunity for the Aloha flights arose during negotiations for the renewal of cargo leases. Last month, a majority of the Board of Supervisors, the Newport Beach City Council and a Newport-based residents’ group reauthorized the cargo flights--something they must do every year--and added a statement that cargo operations would move to El Toro “as soon as possible.”

The two supervisors opposed to an airport at El Toro--Todd Spitzer and Tom Wilson--reiterated Friday that they will continue to oppose the new leases unless the El Toro statement is removed. Airline leases require approval by four of the five supervisors.

The talks also included making those cargo leases more long-term, which because of complex factors would create the opening for Aloha at John Wayne. But the two opposing supervisors also oppose extending those cargo leases, thus reducing Aloha’s chances.

This week, attorneys for Aloha sent John Wayne Airport Director Alan Murphy a three-page letter warning that the imbroglio threatens to deny the airline access to Orange County.

That would constitute “unjust discrimination” against Aloha under federal laws regulating airports, wrote Washington, D.C., attorney Marshall S. Sinick.

“Aloha finds itself stymied with time rapidly running out,” Sinick said, asking that supervisors take action no later than Tuesday.

“The potential disaccommodation of more than 5,924 booked passengers and the substantial cost that Aloha incurs every day to prepare for a May 1, 2001, initiation of service loom as extremely serious problems for which Aloha has no other solution,” he said.

Murphy replied to Sinick by letter this week that a Tuesday resolution wasn’t possible. He asked board Chairwoman Cynthia P. Coad on Friday to place the leases on the board’s April 3 agenda.

Murphy also faulted Aloha for booking flights when it hasn’t received final approval. The airline has included the flights in its overall schedule--at an introductory $437 round-trip fare--but took specific mention of them off its Web site.

“Aloha [should] immediately undertake the contingency planning necessary to allow those people to complete their Hawaii trips on the dates scheduled if Aloha is not able to provide service from John Wayne Airport,” Murphy said in his letter to Sinick.

The only other California airport that Aloha flies out of is Oakland International. Aloha spokeswoman Julie King said Friday that the airline remains hopeful and is “still working with [John Wayne Airport] on the details.”

Aloha plans to use two new Boeing 737-700s for the flights, new-generation planes that passed the county’s rigorous noise tests last summer. The aircraft, delivered this month at a cost of $80 million, are being configured with 12 first-class and 112 coach seats.

*

Wilson and Spitzer blamed the impasse on forces favoring an El Toro airport.

“I’m trying to work the issue out with all of the parties and hopefully will come to a conclusion, [but] there’s no guarantee,” Wilson said Friday. He accused the Airport Working Group, which supports an airport at El Toro, of “meddling” in supervisors’ business.

Spitzer said he won’t vote for “any change to the status quo” unless the El Toro language is cut.

Murphy didn’t return calls Friday seeking comment.

County officials have said there is one way the Aloha lease could be considered separately from the cargo issue: Cargo carriers could continue to operate on a month-to-month basis at John Wayne, as they have done since their current leases expired last year. The month-to-month arrangement doesn’t require board approval.

Neither Spitzer nor Wilson would say how he would vote on Aloha’s lease if it were separated from the cargo leases.

The Airport Working Group, meanwhile, will meet Monday to consider the two supervisors’ demand to remove the cargo language from the John Wayne Airport document.

A retraction isn’t likely, spokesman David Ellis said Friday.

“We think Aloha is getting whipsawed by Wilson and Spitzer,” he said. “We love the [El Toro cargo] language. We think the board majority, by putting this language in, is complying with” the 1994 voter approval for an airport at the closed Marine base.

Coad said she’ll push for the lease issue to be resolved at the April 3 meeting.