Los Angeles World Airports Moves One Step Closer to Modernizing LAX

Kim, when the words "completion of the LAX master planning process" is mentioned in a press release or public statement, what comes to your mind?

Relief. Success. Milestone. You know, this process began at LAWA in the mid-1990s, and it has gone through a lot of iterations. 9/11 totally changed the direction of the master plan. Though it hasn't been a straight line, it is a terrific milestone for us, not just for the City of Los Angeles, but also for all of our passengers. We will finally get a chance to do the right things that will improve the passenger service level, along with improvements to safety, security, and modernization.

As you know, a recent survey of airline passengers by J.D. Power and Associates suggested that LAX was at or near the bottom in terms of service. What will result from these new plans that will improve service to the traveling public?

First of all, the top airports on that list are all either new or newly remodeled. One of the problems in this industry is that there are so many dynamic technologies – and post-9/11, the changing security climate – that require airports to remake themselves every few years just to keep up. We do not have space here at LAX for our traffic or our passenger processing. The master plan will allow us to get back to a level of service that is tolerable. I would say that it isn't tolerable right now, when we see lines out of Terminal 1 that stretch all the way to Terminal 3. Without the entitlement that we got recently, we were extremely limited in what we could do.

Let's differentiate what "green light" and "yellow light" projects are in the plan passed by the City Council in December. Could you list the "green light," or immediately approved, projects?

The first project out of the box, Runway 25L, will address safety. Moving that runway south and adding a center taxiway will greatly improve the safety of our airfield. We are excited that we can begin that later this year.

Then, the intermodal facility, the consolidated rental car facility, and the West Employee Parking Lot – all three "green light" projects which should start fairly rapidly – will greatly alleviate the ground transportation bottleneck that we currently experience at LAX by providing alternative entries to the airport. The intermodal center will provide a connection to the Green Line and regional transit buses. From there, people will get on an automatic people mover that will take them into the terminal area you know today. That will eliminate many shuttle buses and private cars going through the airport loop. The consolidated rental car facility, similarly, will have people-mover access to the terminals and will eliminate buses that go round and round to pick up rental car customers. The West Employee Parking Lot should help traffic on surrounding streets. So those green light projects right out of the box will help the ground transportation issue.

There are also two projects that are not part of the master plan but that will be started next year and will help the passenger experience in the terminal. We are going to take the large screening devices for checked baggage that currently sit in the lobbies and put them in a baggage make-up area down on the ramp. That way, we can return those lobbies to the pre-9/11 process where you as a passenger will come in the door, go to a ticket counter, hand the ticket agent your bag, and that is the end of your involvement with your luggage. The second project is that we are about to begin remodeling the Tom Bradley Terminal. It was finished in 1984. We will start an over $200 million project sometime in mid-2005 that will hopefully bring that terminal into the 21st Century.

So, after build-out of the approved plan, will it be easier to enter and exit LAX from the 405 and Century and Imperial Boulevards?

The piece of the master plan that will ease the pressure on the freeway system is that we have a commitment over the next five years to build eight FlyAway facilities. We already have a FlyAway terminal at the Van Nuys Airport where you can park your car and board a shuttle bus, which then uses the HOV lane and gets you to LAX at a very reasonable rate. Parking at the FlyAway terminal and riding the shuttle are less expensive, for the most part, than driving and parking at LAX, and are also a much better experience. The system has been so successful that it has eliminated hundreds of thousands of car trips a year on the 405. What we intend to do is build more FlyAway facilities all around the county – our commitment is for eight in the next ten years. We also hope that the people mover connection to the Green Line will enhance ridership on mass transit.

Now that the council's compromise plan has been approved, can you clarify for MIR's readers what the "yellow light" projects are and what the process for consideration of these projects will be going forward?

Let me put them in context. The council approved a broad, program-level document that analyzes every project as a finished product, including the related environmental impacts. Now, we are doing project-level environmental analysis on every project, whether "green light" or "yellow light," looking at the impacts during construction and then at completion. That is part of the California environmental review processes.

Locally, we have added the Specific Plan, which says that the projects that are "yellow light," which means they are not universally accepted, are going to require additional analysis. We will look at them in terms of security, impact on traffic, and where we are on the rest of the master plan. But all projects, whether "green light" or "yellow light," will have additional analysis before they are started.

Hours before the City Council acted to approve this plan, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a lawsuit against the City over concerns about the plan's security measures and future growth in cargo and passengers. Could you share your reaction to the County's decision to litigate?

I think that the county is just trying to preserve their rights. I'm not a lawyer. I can tell you that we properly completed the county process. They found us to be non-compliant with their plan. The City Council, by a 12-3 vote, has ruled to move ahead despite that county ruling. So, we think we are pretty much done with the county.

Looking ahead, are there other stumbling blocks that could disrupt the modernization of LAX?

Well, we have completed the local entitlements for the program document. We're done. We now get the federal record of decision, hopefully in March. Assuming that comes in, we will begin the city's project approval process, including the environmental review, and then gear up to begin construction of the runway. We have designed the runway and are now working on its individual, project-level environmental package. We hope that we can be in the ground with that this year.

Moving on to other issues, State Senator Alarcón has expressed a desire to create a new international airport in north Los Angeles County. As executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, what are your thoughts about his initiative?

We are totally in support of a regional approach to dealing with demand in the region. We believe that Ontario International Airport has some capacity to grow in the next few years; that is why we are doing a master plan in Ontario. We also believe that Palmdale Regional Airport has a future of growth, and we are doing a master plan there as well. I would say that it would be a difficult task to even think about building a greenfield airport anywhere in the country today, because of the issues of noise, pollution, and local residents not wanting to be near an airport. There was an existing infrastructure at El Toro, and even that can't be turned into a commercial airport, bcause the federal government has indicated it will not permit that use due to local opposition. It is very ambitious to believe that you can find a place in north L.A. county that would welcome an airport as a neighbor. Our best bet is to ask every airport in this region – and that includes Burbank, Long Beach, and John Wayne – to step up and to try to take some of the demand that right now is all focused on LAX and Ontario.

You reiterated your support for a regional approach. But in a MIR interview with County Supervisor Don Knabe [see the January 2004 issue], he said, "I tried to revitalize the old Southern California Regional Airport Authority... The City of Los Angeles basically boycotted that group and didn't participate, effectively making the organization obsolete." Is he wrong here? If not, what has changed?

I don't have any history with that organization, so I really can't comment on that. LAWA has always been participating with SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments), however, in its regional approach to airports and working to provide throughout our system our fair share in meeting the regional demand. I know that Mayor Hahn is incredibly committed to a regional solution, which is shown by his support of our master planning at LAX, Ontario, and Palmdale. He has called for El Toro to be maintained as an airport.

From what I hear from the City Council, from the Mayor's office, and from the county, it seems to me that the time is right for a regional look at these issues. What form that takes, I can't say. But I think all of the players are ready to make it happen.

Lastly, Kim, sketch for our readers what the future portends for demand at LAX and how you envision LAX serving the public in the 21st Century?

If I had magic glasses to look into the future, I would see airports becoming more user-friendly through technologies such as multi-lingual dynamic signs and interactive kiosks that do more than just allow you to get a boarding pass. You will probably check in your own luggage and get information about the meal on your flight, your hotel, and ground transportation, all in that first interaction at a kiosk. I also think that we will see security-related technology becoming much less intrusive. And certainly, as the new large aircraft are introduced into airports like LAX, you will see a shift in how airports are used. The larger, long-range aircraft will probably enhance the international markets. We here at LAX certainly hope that is the case – these new aircraft will help us to improve our status as an international gateway.