LAX Status Update -May 2010

LAX

The LAX Master Plan process is restarting year-end with a Notice of Preparation and new Environmental Review. Current improvements at Tom Bradley are progressing as well as the first of two midfield taxiways. The Central Utilities Plan replacement is progressing. Up scaled concessions are being added in terminals with more tied to the new construction. Numerous small maintenance projects continue. Upper terminal roadway repair to replace failed expansion joints remains an open issue since first identified by CalTrans in 2003. Auto traffic remains a problem at terminals although the number of people using LAX remains down but is improving slightly. Nothing is happening with the Consolidated Rental Car facility which could help traffic concerns by reducing the many buses.

The report to end all reports, The Final Northside Runway Safety Study, by the Academic Panel (AP) who have done much lauded FAA work in the past and NASA was released last week. The controversy continues. The AP draft report stated that the runways are already extremely safe and that only nominal safety improvements (though significant percentage) would be gained by moving north, wiping out substantial portions of the Westchester Business District. The FAA criticized the AP draft report demanding runway movement only to have the AP respond that they used FAA information and followed their FAA policy—something not done in its criticism of the report. The AP continues to state that the only valid justification for moving the runways is expansion, not safety. The Controllers Union, NATCA, wrote a position paper which agreed with the AP. Fully trained, adequate controller staffing of the tower remains an open FAA issue. Meanwhile, quicker and cheaper safety improvements resulting from moving taxiways has been identified but not started.

Van Nuys

Beginning July 1, 2009 LAWA will initiate a new online flight tracking and aircraft noise complaint entry system calledWebTrak. The Community Response Line for noise complaints is (800) 560-0010. The phaseout of stage 2 aircraft (there are exceptions for historical and military aircraft) is proceeding and the Part 161 Study supporting a request to the FAA is almost complete.

LAX's north runways are safe and should stay as they are, NASA panel says

A NASA panel says the north runways at Los Angeles International Airport are safe and should remain in their current configuration, according to a report released Friday.

The panel said that while other proposals -- including widening the distance between the two north runways -- might make the airport runways safer, "the risk is so low, reducing that risk by a substantial percentage is of limited practical importance.”

A committee of academics working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration released a preliminary copy of the report Friday morning at the Flight Path Learning Center near LAX.

LAX Status Update -November, 2009

LAX averted a major disaster on the “fixed” southern runway complex when a landing aircraft missed one on the ground by several feet. The FAA’s pronouncement that the centerline taxiway precludes this was wrong. Runway status lights minimize these errors but the FAA guessed wrong on which sites to place them. Meanwhile the north complex, which the FAA is pushing hard to change, is operating safely.

Several upgrade projects such as the Tom Bradley West expansion of the number of international gates and a new Central Utilities Plant to provide adequate power, air conditioning, and heating for LAX is in work along with fixes to baggage handling system.

Many more of projects, “green lighted” four years ago by the “Settlement Agreement,” remain stalled. The Consolidated Rental Car facility could dramatically improve LAX traveler experience by removing thousands of buses from the Central Terminal Area.

Real safety items such as repair of the upper CTA roadway in the also have not progressed either. The roadway expansion joints were deemed “failed” in a 2003 CalTrans report. This project has yet to be started (it is a footnote in the list of capital improvement projects).

Van Nuys – The creation of a FAA Federal Part 161 regulation request to limit aircraft at VNY is still in process. The Part 161 study by HMMH Company will justify rejection of all stage 2 aircraft. Bob Hope Airport had objected to any reduction of aircraft coming to Van Nuys in the past, but has softened its stance since its own Part 161 to ban all night-time flights was rejected by the FAA. Approval of a facilitator for a new VNY-Community Noise Roundtable was also approved.

LAX Modernization Status Update -October 19, 2009

The most important airport project approval, Bradley West Project at LAX which will rebuild Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) about 130 feet further west, had about $1 billion in bonds approved today. This project will add new flex gates on the back that are large enough to handle the giant newer, larger aircraft like the Airbus A380 by 2012 and will increase the core building size by 2015. Denny Schneider, President of ARSAC, told BOAC today, “We support the project because we need to stop apologizing for poor customer service to our tourists, but several additional things should have been done to make it even better. We should have improved the curbside frontage, added bomb glass for security, and added even more concessions to accommodate friends bringing travelers to LAX. We still disagree with the EIR approval process, but time is of the essence to meet the aggressive schedule promised to the City Council. ”

Also approved today was an amendment to the new Crossfield Taxiway project for about $26 million.

The Central Utilities Plan Project to increase power and heating/cooling capacity to meet current and anticipated needs is continuing. Many additional maintenance and refurbishment projects are needed all over LAX. We continue to wait for a full list of Capital projects is due to be released soon, but we understand that it will include the start of urgently needed repairs to the Central Terminal Area upper roadway.

Regionalization of airport transportation will be helped by a new plan to involve Disney with efforts to improve Orange County use of LA/Ontario Airport.