An Airport Solution That Might Really Fly

Most major urban centers throughout the world have one giant international airport outside the city center connected to the region by good ground transportation. Where does Los Angeles come off thinking that because it is so spread out it can satisfactorily get away with regional airports indefinitely and simply expand Los Angeles International?

Mayor James Hahn is offering a $9-billion plan to renovate LAX to accommodate a projected doubling of demand over the next 20 years. What happens 20 years after that when a further increase in population and demand for airport facilities is projected? In fact, there is no long-term plan, and there are no area population predictions beyond 40 years.

Criticisms of the mayor’s proposal have surfaced on the local and federal levels. Everyone agrees that LAX needs modernizing; they just can’t agree on how.

One solution would be to pattern Los Angeles airport facilities after those of other urban centers. Obviously, there must be some innovative thinking to take into account the large area and lack of significant mass transit system here.

Establishment of an international airport in Palmdale on the 70,000 acres local politicians say they have already set aside for the purpose would be a start. The effects of noise and neighborhood complaints related to an international airport could be minimized by careful building and air-route planning and the fact that Palmdale residents are the only ones in the L.A. area who want an expansion of their local airport and peripheral facilities.

LAX could be connected to Palmdale International by a 180-mph train dedicated to transporting passengers between the two facilities.

A model for the overall operation is the Sea-Tac Airport in Washington, which serves the cities of Seattle and Tacoma. Passengers check in, enter a train with comfortable seating, relax for some minutes, exit when their concourse stop comes up and walk to their aircraft gate.

Although the physical distance would be greater between the LAX and Palmdale terminals than between terminals at Sea-Tac, the faster train line would speed the journey. Airline passengers could transfer from a gate in Palmdale to a gate at LAX in about 30 minutes, about the same time it now takes to go from gate to gate at different terminals at LAX.

A cost estimate by the Southern California Federation of Scientists for this dedicated high-speed train is $2 billion. The money would come from airport taxes.

The advantages include the airline companies being able to operate LAX-Palmdale as one hub, i.e. transferring passengers from gate to gate at either facility. Passengers would eventually be able to check in at Palmdale and fly out of a terminal at LAX. Hahn would have the bragging rights for having initiated the building of the largest airport complex in the world.

Increasing demand should maintain present business levels at existing terminals with substantial business development occurring in Palmdale.

Long-term needs would be satisfied for residents, airlines, area businesses and politicians while reducing pollution. The “one airport option” would be a win-win situation for everyone.