John Wayne Throttles Up Again
The number of passengers using John Wayne Airport bounced back closer to normal levels during the first two weeks of October, with experts attributing the rebound to travelers trying to avoid delays and hassles at LAX.
An estimated 242,200 people used John Wayne from Oct. 1-14. That’s 17% fewer passengers than John Wayne served during the same period in 2000. But it’s higher than the passenger load at many airports across the country, which experts said is roughly running at least 25% below normal.
“It’s climbing back,” said John Wayne spokeswoman Yolanda Perez, noting that passenger volume was 46% below normal just two weeks ago. “It’s a bright spot for our air carriers and the airport.”
John Wayne’s improving numbers come as U.S. airports struggle to regain the public’s confidence in the wake of last month’s hijacking of four commercial jets that left many passengers afraid to fly.
Mike Taylor, director of travel services for marketing firm J.D. Power & Associates, said John Wayne has emerged as a convenient alternative to Los Angeles International Airport, where heightened security measures have caused lengthy delays.
“If you try to get out of LAX lately, it isn’t worth the hassle,” Taylor said. “You’re better off going to John Wayne.”
LAX, the target of a botched terrorist plot last year, closed the main terminal road to private cars after Sept. 11 and required passengers to be bused from remote parking lots. On Thursday, LAX officers were trying to beef up security measures with an eye on reopening the road as early as Saturday.
The much-smaller John Wayne has been allowing private vehicles to drop off and pick up passengers in front of the terminal as long as they do not stop for more than a few minutes. Curbside check-ins resumed two weeks ago and skycaps are also back in action.
“LAX is not a very pleasant place to go right now,” said Ron Kuhlmann, vice president of Roberts, Roach & Associates, an aviation consulting firm in Hayward. “Security is very complex. You can’t drive in, you can’t park. Had I been someone who had used LAX before, and now had an alternate choice, this may be the time I would make that choice.”
John Wayne specializes in short-hop flights to places such as the Bay Area and Arizona and is used frequently by business travelers. Kuhlmann said the fact that John Wayne offers few international or long-haul flights might be another reason for its improving numbers.
“In general, airports like John Wayne have a larger percentage of short-haul travel, which I think people are more inclined to continue to do, partly because it is less expensive and partly because it’s not that far from home,” he said.
County officials have said John Wayne would lose $9 million this year because of the terrorist attacks. If the recovery continues, officials said, it’s unclear how much those figures will be adjusted.
