Plan Allows 3 New Carriers in 1990 at Wayne Airport

Braniff, Southwest and Midway airlines will join the nine commercial carriers now serving Orange County when the new terminal at John Wayne Airport opens next year, under a new airport access plan unveiled Wednesday.

The additional airlines are expected to serve John Wayne as part of a proposal to allocate dozens of new flights that will come on line when the terminal is completed next spring. The total of daily flights could increase from 93 to 150, a 61% increase.

The plan developed by the county airport staff generally respects the investment that American Airlines and USAir have made in quiet-engined aircraft by allowing them to maintain their dominance. It also attempts to give all commercial carriers at least a piece of the expanded airport pie.

The access plan, required under terms of the 1985 settlement of a noise damage suit against the airport, must be approved by the Board of Supervisors. The Airport Commission has scheduled an Oct. 4 public hearing on the access plan, while the supervisors have set an Oct. 11 hearing date.

Under the new proposal, the number of flights which are restricted because of noise is boosted to 73 takeoffs and landings a day, up from the current 55. Flights by super-quiet aircraft could boost the total number of flights to about 150.

But the increased flight activity--designed to enable the expanded airport to handle as many as 8 million passengers a year compared to the current 4.5 million annual passengers--is unlikely to bring much fare relief to Orange County’s flying public.

Fares at the airport are among the highest in the nation because most passengers there are business fliers who do not use discount fares.

Of the new carriers to be admitted to the airport, only Southwest is a recognized fare cutter. And the access plan recommendations would give Southwest a maximum four of the 73 restricted flights.

Southwest has not indicated the destinations it will serve from Orange County, but the Dallas-based carrier is expected to compete with America West on routes to Phoenix and perhaps to Sacramento, industry sources said.

Braniff has said it intends to fly to Kansas City, and Midway plans to fly to Chicago.

The plan also enables seven new commuter airlines and two small cargo carriers that use turboprop aircraft to begin flying from John Wayne Airport. Currently, there are five commuter carriers.

The 1985 settlement established three classes of commercial jet flights. Two are restricted by noise levels and are known as Class A, the noisiest, and Class AA, which are significantly quieter. They compose the 73 restricted flights and are most coveted because the airlines can use their biggest and older jets.

The third class, Class E, are those flown by jets that are so quiet that they are exempt from the noise restrictions. Class E flights are limited by passenger capacity only.

The new plan will establish airline-use patterns and dominance at John Wayne Airport for the next 15 years.

It leaves American as the dominant carrier with either 19 or 20 restricted flights--there are two slightly different flight allocation plans being recommended. But that represents only a modest 5.3% increase for American. USAir would remain the second largest carrier at the airport, with 10 restricted flights, an 11.1% increase.

Most other incumbent carriers would see their allocations increase by 50% to 100%, although in actual numbers they would have far smaller shares of the pie than American.

Several of the carriers with small allocations--including United Airlines, which would have four restricted flights--had argued earlier for an allocation program that would divide the restricted flights evenly among all carriers.

The recommended plan denies applications by Federal Express and United Parcel Service to begin jet service from Orange County unless they agree to use expensive new jets with noise-reduced engines--a position UPS has opposed in the past.

Most airline officials were reluctant to comment Wednesday on the plan because they had not yet seen it.

But officials at Southwest Airlines voiced discontent when informed that the proposal would give them only a maximum of four of the airport’s noise-regulated flights a day. The carrier had proposed a plan that would have given it as many as 12 restricted flights. Southwest officials declined further comment until they have reviewed the 400-page document.

In one striking departure from its earlier positions, the airport staff is recommending that air carriers be given a one-time opportunity to trade regulated flights among themselves after the county allocations are made.

Finally, the plan also calls for the county to hold out six class E flights to be allocated to any potential new applicants who seek admission to the airport after this plan is put into effect.

In drafting the plan, said airport spokeswoman Kathie Rutherford, the airport staff “tried to balance the air transportation needs of the community with the concerns of the airport’s neighbors and to accommodate to best of our ability the divergent interests in airport matters of federal, state and local regulators, passengers, the airlines and the surrounding communities.”

Airport officials, however, said they anticipate litigation by one or more carriers.

DAILY FLIGHTS AT JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT

The county airport staff has recommended this flight allocation plan.

*PRESENT PROBABLE ALLOCATION FUTURE ALLOCATION Class Class % Carrier A AA Total % A AA Total Growth American 13 6 19 34.5 **12 8 20 5.3 USAir 3 6 9 16.4 2 8 10 11.1 Northwest 6 0 6 10.9 5 2 7 16.7 Continental 5 0 5 9.1 5 2 7 40.0 America West 0 4 4 7.3 **0 6 6 50.0 Delta 3 0 3 5.5 3 2 5 66.7 Alaska 2 0 2 3.6 3 0 3 50.0 United 2 0 2 3.6 2 2 4 100.0 TWA 2 0 2 3.6 3 0 3 50.0 (County) 3 0 3 5.5 0 0 0 -100.0 TOTAL 39 16 55 100.0 35 30 65 18.2 NEW CARRIERS Braniff 0 0 0 -- 1 2 3 -- Southwest 0 0 0 -- 1 2 3 -- Midway 0 0 0 -- 2 0 2 -- TOTAL 39 16 55 100.0 39 34 73 32.7

* Through April 1, 1990 ** Under a variation on the plan, America West would receive one more flight while American would get one less.

A -- Largest, noisiest flights permitted. AA -- Aircraft that are quieter than Class A but still noisy enough to have total flights restricted.

Note: The flights listed as (County) are permitted but are not allocated.

Source: John Wayne Airport