Palmdale airport case up in the air

Depending on whom you talk to, the prospect of Palmdale becoming a major port of air travel is slim, or highly probable if certain criteria are met.

Oddly enough, the most optimistic outlook given for the future of the Palmdale Regional Airport depends on a train.

During a meeting of the Valley Industry Commerce Association at the Universal Sheraton on Friday, air industry and commerce experts offered up their view of air travel in Southern California by the year 2020.

Some speakers pointed to Palmdale as a viable alternative to expanding already overcrowded airports in Los Angeles and Burbank, while others expressed doubt about the fate of the Palmdale Regional Airport.

A congressman for a nearby district went so far in his opposition of the Palmdale Airport, he resorted to issuing insulting quips about the desert city and its surroundings.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Woodland Hills, slammed the idea of a Palmdale Regional Airport and instead spoke in favor of expanding Burbank Airport.

The reason why there aren't 3 million or 4 million people in the Antelope Valley, as would be necessary to support a major airport, is because "it's hot as hell up there," he said.

The 60-mile trip from Palmdale to Los Angeles that passengers would have to make would be too long, Sherman said.

Air passengers could miss one train and have to wait for another, which would cause them to miss their flight.

"There's plenty of things for you to do in Palmdale before that flight takes off," Sherman quipped, acidly.

Mark Pisano, executive director for the Southern California Association of Governments, gave a positive outlook. He bolstered Palmdale as a crucial spoke in a regional hub made up of several airports - including Los Angeles International, Burbank, Ontario, Long Beach and El Toro airports.

Pisano predicted that by 2020, the Palmdale Regional Airport could serve 5 million or more passengers per year if plans for a high-speed train linking the Antelope Valley with Los Angeles materializes.

Currently those plans are in the hands of the High Speed Rail Authority, a newly organized commission of transportation experts charged with setting in motion plans for a San Francisco-to-Los Angeles bullet train.

Commissioners are still toying with a recommendation that the 220-to-300 mph train make a stop in the Antelope Valley.

Depending on the type of rail technology used, a trip from Palmdale to L.A. on such a train could be as short as 25 minutes.

The commission is looking at two other rail alignments that would circumvent the Antelope Valley entirely. No date has been set for their decision.

On the chance high-speed tracks don't cross through the Valley, Pisano estimates that Palmdale's airport would host about 250,000 passengers per year - a small slice of the projected 150 million or more passengers per year expected to be using the region's airports by 2020.

Currently, no major commercial air travel is available from Palmdale.

Others in attendance weren't so optimistic about Palmdale Regional Airport's prospects.

Despite opposition by many residents and business owners who attended the meeting to air complaints about noise created by jets and traffic congestion at Burbank, most speakers seemed bent on pressing forward with development of Burbank and LAX airports.

Jack Driscoll, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, didn't agree with Pisano's outlook.

The population concentration in the Antelope Valley is not big enough to support a major airport, he said.

Although Driscoll is one of those in favor of expanding LAX and doesn't see Palmdale growing as much as other regional airports, he agreed that outlying airports, such as Palmdale's, need to be developed as well.

"We see Palmdale being a reasonable regional airport over time," he said. "If (the airports) don't grow as a region, we're never going to make it."

Burbank Airport spokesman Victor Gill agreed that the Burbank Airport is at maximum capacity, but, he said, airport executives are looking to expand the airport's terminal to an adjacent lot owned by Lockheed.

Gretchen Martin, a spokeswoman for Congressman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, said McKeon believes that Palmdale Regional Airport could be made to work.

McKeon, whose district includes Lancaster and Palmdale, said he would support an aggressive advertising campaign to let people know of the possibility of air travel from Palmdale and development of transportation to and from the airport - such as the expansion of Highway 138 and building additional lanes on the Antelope Valley Freeway.

The foundation for a bullet train could be built from Palmdale to LAX for much less than it would cost to expand LAX, Martin said.