The Associated Press
Monday, October 8, 2001; 8:17 PM

LOS ANGELES –– Mayor James Hahn proposed a scaled down expansion plan for Los Angeles International Airport Monday that emphasizes security measures over the $12 billion growth-oriented redesign favored by his predecessor.

"I think the past month convinced me that we need a different approach in what we need to do here at LAX," Hahn said during a press conference at the airport.

Hahn said he would favor a plan that continues the current ban on parking in structures near the airport terminals that was instituted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The mayor said he would ask airport commissioners to consider building a facility several blocks east of the airport, where passengers would check their bags and pass through security. Passengers would then travel to their terminal on a bus or by rail.

"We need a different approach to airport design that places the emphasis on designing an airport that is functional and efficient and most importantly as safe as we can possibly make it," Hahn said.

Hahn also repeated his calls for a regional solution to congestion at LAX. He has previously called for some commercial traffic to be diverted to Ontario International, the Los Angeles-owned airport in western San Bernardino County.

Hahn said that his revised plan would increase Los Angeles International Airport's capacity to 78 million passengers per year by 2015 instead of the 89 million previously envisioned. The airport, which was built to handle 40 million passengers per year, now accommodates about 67 million.

The more ambitious expansion plan proposed by former Mayor Richard Riordan sparked strong opposition from those living near the airport.

Hahn opposed the plan during his mayoral campaign and was among candidates who signed an anti-expansion pledge calling for a regional solution to increased airport traffic.

The pledge was advanced by a coalition of residents who live in areas that would be affected by increased flights.

Expansion of Los Angeles International has been strongly backed by business and labor groups.



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Who is John Galt?
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My 2 cents for long term changes at LAX

If they want security... Dump the central roadway and start from scratch...

Put TWO approaches into the airport West and East.

West Approach could be for two or three concourses

East for two or three.

GUT the existing Terminals 1 - 7 - this can be done over time.

Buildout the Western Terminal area with two concourses with 40 gates a piece. Connect these concourses by underground tunnels and rail. THIS ensures good spacing from curbside/parking to terminals (e.g. addresses security issues from cars)

Once the Western Terminal Area is built. Start moving as many flights away from the existing current complex. Keep the TBIT terminal, keep the American Terminals and remove the DAL/ UA terminals and Terminal 1/2. Remove the central roadway and merge the two american terminals together (e.g. with the central roadway gone, you actually have room to add more gates.

Build a main drop/off area for the TBIT terminal and the extended current AA terminal. This would be aprox where Terminal 2 is today streteching to UA terminal 7. Move all parking from the entrance to this new drop off area. This makes the existing complex similar to a new proposed west airport complex. NO close access from parking or curbside to gates or terminal areas.

This also fixes a fundamental flaw at LAX. If midfield concourses are used - aircraft looking to go from 25 runway to 24 rnunway complex will have aprox 6 cross over points. Vs. the two today. This can eliminate ground delays and taxi times greatly.

Any other bright ideas?

Some of what I'm saying doesn't make sense without visuals... Go to http://www.laxmasterplan.org look at the options showing a new western approach to the airport. My idea only differs in that a similar Eastern approach is put up. the central terminal areas is removed and midfield concourses are used on the eastern side as well.

This can all be done in phases and based on incoming funding.

A mass transit trlley or train or ... to the center of the airport would be nice. The current trains stop just a wee bit short of the airport to be effective. Poor planning?

R&R,

Yes, poor planning. And insufficient funds, so I've read. I'd also like to suggest just plain incompetence by that disaster of a government bureaucracy called MTA. How they built a Metro Green Line station just shy of the airport without actually stopping in it befuddles me. Since MTA routinely goes over budget on all their projects, couldn't they have spent just a little more for an airport stop?

It doesn't really matter though since the Green Line isn't really an airport line: there's nowhere to put your luggage, it's too slow, and you have to change lines to get from downtown to LAX.

As for Mayor Hahn's idea of diverting traffic to Ontario, it's got to have a high-speed LAX-Ontario line for any chance to succeed. Who'd want to sit through two hours of LA traffic just to transfer from an international to a domestic flight?