If you keep tabs on press releases, you’ve probably seen the bombardment from the LA World Airports (LAWA) about a “major breakthrough in development of Southern California regional airports.” The first release went out on Friday saying that the Mayors of LA and Ontario along with other dignitaries will greet a new airline arriving at Ontario Airport today, Monday, at 11a. In case you didn’t get the first memo, they sent out reminder press releases on Sunday and another one this morning.

So what is it that’s so incredible it’s going to reshape the landscape of Los Angeles aviation? Well, not much. The big Ontario announcement is that ExpressJet is going to make Ontario its largest operation when it launches in April. That’s not really news though, because it was already announced last week by the airline. It is really nice for the people that live out that way, but I’m not convinced it’s going to do much to relieve LAX. You can still fly to most of ExpressJet’s Ontario destinations on other airlines from LAX for less money. A lot more needs to happen before Ontario can seriously relieve LAX.

Oh, but wait, there’s more. They will also announce that Palmdale airport will once again get commercial service. United Express will start twice daily regional jet flights to San Francisco thanks to more than $2m in revenue guarantees. This one was disappointing to me, because I don’t think San Francisco is the right market.

Apparently Delta also competed for the flights and they would have gone through Salt Lake City. That would have given connections throughout the country. A flight up to San Francisco makes connections to Asia or the Pacific Northwest worthwhile, but other than that, it’s not ideal. I always thought that a US Airways flight to Phoenix would give the most connecting opportunities, but they didn’t even try for the flights.

It’s time once again for the completely irregular segment I like to call random bits of info. There have been a bunch of little airline stories the last few days, so I’m just going to rattle them off here now.

• Hooray for the Brazilian courts! – It was ruled that the two American pilots being held in the Gol accident investigation cannot be held any longer. After some more interrogation and a promise to return when needed, the pilots will be free to go home. At least someone realized the gross injustice going on down there.
• Virgin Blows . . . – At least, that was the gist of the press release announcing the airline’s return to the Windy City (that’s Chicago). A daily flight between London/Heathrow and Chicago/O’Hare begins April 23, 2007. The airline used to fly from Chicago but pulled out afternoon Sept 11, 2001. I’m surprised that they’re going back, because it’s a very competitive market. American, United, and BA all fly it multiple times a day.
• . . . So Does LAWA – In the news of the lame, LA World Airports (LAWA) has announced it will rename Ontario Intl Airport to LA/Ontario Intl Airport and Palmdale to LA/Palmdale Regional Airport. Since apparently nobody knows where Ontario is (Canada?), this is the right thing to do. Actually, the Ontario renaming doesn’t bother me nearly as much as Palmdale. I mean, Palmdale doesn’t even have any flights! Do you think that airlines will start flying there just because of its new name? Lame-o.
• Lufthansa to Kick Airbus in the Nuts – Rumors abound today that Lufthansa is set to be the first major customer for Boeing’s new 747-8 with more range and more seats. This is Boeing’s competitor to the A380, and if a German airline which has traditionally ordered Airbus chooses Boeing here, it’s very bad news for Airbus.
• Does God Hate El Al? – That’s definitely a question being asked these days. Due to a general strike, El Al opted to fly on the Sabbath in order to get people home. Well, the flight to New York had rudder problems and had to return to Tel Aviv, prompting those onboard to say it was the “finger of God” punishing them for flying during the holy day. Um, ok. Now there’s a huge boycott in the works by the ultra-orthodox community, and the airline will probably be forced to sign a document saying they won’t do it again. My question is this . . . if they boycott El Al, who are they going to fly? Everybody else flies on the Sabbath. Good luck with that one.

I’m not quite sure why it is that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa thinks that Palmdale is the answer to LA’s aviation needs. One quick look at a map will show you why it’s not going to work:

That line snaking from downtown LA to Palmdale is 70 miles long, and that’s really the only way to get out there. Any more direct route takes you through some pretty large mountains, and that’s why you don’t see much development the further north you go. Even measuring from San Fernando, just a few miles before the route turns toward the east again, you’re still 50 miles away from the airport. As a comparison, O’Hare and JFK are less than 20 miles from downtown Chicago and New York respectively while “far out” Denver airport is still only 25 miles away.

So who in their right mind would think that Palmdale would work as a good feeder airport for the Los Angeles area?

No airlines think that way. That’s why the airport has no current commercial flights. The last attempt involved Scenic Airlines props to North Las Vegas, but of course that failed miserably. In the past United Express has served Los Angeles and America West Express served Phoenix, but both have long since pulled out.

To be fair, the area is growing quickly, so I would venture a guess that it could support some regional flights to Phoenix, Salt Lake, or another western hub, but that’s going to be the extent of its success.

Unfortunately, the city of LA continues to focus on this airport as a viable alternative. Last week, the city approved a plan to request proposals for service to Palmdale. The plan includes up to $5m in incentives, including some hard cash costs that could be put to better use.

Mayor Villaraigosa said “Developing new and expanded service at Southland regional airports will go a long way toward relieving congestion at Los Angeles International Airport.” Well, the proposed regional jet flights to western hubs aren’t going to do much at all to relieve LAX. A handful of daily flights is a joke, and it’s not going to solve anything. Nobody in Los Angeles wants to fly out of Palmdale.

It’s time the city’s leaders create a plan that will expand LAX to fulfill the region’s needs in the future. Though neighbors will complain, the airport has been there much longer than they have. They should have expected airport expansion and the fact that they can prevent the region’s aviation infrastructure from expanding is mind-boggling.