LAX plan to delay Palmdale flights

That was part of the message delivered to the Los Angeles County Planning Commission on Wednesday when its members spent the morning at LAX, hearing an update to the airport's master plan and taking a bus tour of the airfield.

Ted Tanner, an airport consultant who gave the update, mentioned Palmdale only briefly during his two-hour presentation. He is the vice president for airport development for Landrum and Brown, a consulting firm that specializes in airport development. The company's headquarters is in Chicago, but Tanner works in its Los Angeles office.

Tanner said Palmdale will play "a significant role in air traffic demand," but it won't likely do so during the time frame of the current master plan, which looks ahead to 2015.

"We are looking at what it will take to make Palmdale a major regional airport," Tanner said. "We have a consulting team on board right now."

Los Angeles World Airports will continue to encourage market demand in Palmdale, Tanner added.

Pat Russell, who represents the Los Angeles 5th Supervisorial District on the Planning Commission, said she was disappointed there wasn't more talk about the future of Palmdale Regional Airport.

"I expected more," she said after the presentation and tour. "I'd be happy with almost anything to help our economy. Whether it be cargo or international flights, I expected them to plan on sending something our way."

Tanner's presentation had two parts. The first was an overview of the LAX master plan, including options being considered for its expansion.

The second was to be a detailed look at each airport in the Los Angeles region. Because some members of the Planning Commission had to leave early, Tanner spent most of his time on the Master Plan and rushed through the second part of his presentation.

Russell mentioned to fellow Planning Commission members and others in the conference room at Los Angeles World Airports that a new commuter and cargo service, Cal West Airways, has been launched at Gen. William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster. But the discussion was cut short when Tanner and others from Los Angeles World Airports made comments about failed cargo efforts in other parts of the United States.

Commissioner Donald Toy, representing the 1st Supervisorial District, openly laughed when Russell asked what role Palmdale will play in the future of Los Angeles World Airports.

Environmental studies for the expansion of Los Angeles International Airport are expected to be complete this fall, Tanner said. When complete, the documents will be taken before the Los Angeles City Council for approval.

Members of the Los Angeles City Council received the same briefing last week that the Planning Commission heard Wednesday.

Los Angeles International is the fourth-largest airport in the world, with 2,100 flights per day, said Rick Wells of Los Angeles World Airports, who led the bus tour of the airfield. Wells said the airport has 130 acres of undeveloped land it can still build on.

A proposed new 6-millionsquare-foot terminal would sit on the west end of the airfield, more than doubling the airport's current capacity, according to the master plan. Runway configurations differ slightly among the three plans being considered for approval.

A new LAX Expressway is also part of the plan. It would give highway-speed access to the new West Terminal from the 405 Freeway both north and south of the airport.

Expansion construction estimates are around $10 billion, Tanner said, and will be funded primarily by facility fees paid by every air passenger, concession income and landing fees.