What’s in store for 2011

1. Airbus A380 returns to LAX
1. After working out engine problems, Qantas will announce resumption of A380 service from LAX to Sydney and Melbourne in January 2011.
2. Singapore Airlines will replace a Boeing 747-400 with an A380 on the LAX-Tokyo Narita-Singapore route effective May 27, 2011. This may not pressure ANA or Japan Airlines to buy A380’s as ANA is adding non-stop service to Tokyo-Haneda service. Delta is also adding a Haneda service with a Boeing 747-400 on February 19, 2011.

2. More international flights
1. Turkish Airlines to LAX-Istanbul, Turkey, March 3, 2011.
2. American Airlines (April 5) and United Airlines (May 20) to Shanghai, China
3. Iberia to add LAX-Madrid, Spain service in April 20, 2011. Iberia returns to LAX after serving LAX from 1984 to 1997. The addition of this service is due to the US anti-trust approval of the trans-Atlantic joint venture of American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia Airlines.
4. Mexicana may return to LAX if revived by late January 2011.
5. Note that none of these new flights are due to a subsidy from the City of Los Angeles to the airlines (This is a common practice used by other US airports to lure British Airways and Lufthansa to add international flights).

3. LAX Master Plan Yellow Light Projects. Now on its third Mayor and fourth Executive Director, the LAX Master Plan is again mired in controversy with proposals to move the north runway 400 feet closer to the Westchester/Playa del Rey community. These proposals again will delay completion of “modernizing” LAX because of LAX’s failure to work with the community to come up with win-win solutions. There are ways to make LAX safe and efficient without moving runways, noise, traffic and pollution closer to residential areas. If the downtown LA business community is smart, then they will stop pushing the same lies that LAX is losing flights to other airports and that the LAX north airfield is unsafe. Instead, they should work with Westchester/Playa del Rey in coming up with the win-win solutions that do not move runways north. Joe Czyzyk, are you reading this? If the business community does not understand that quality of life is important to have an attractive business climate, then they are heartless.

4. Ontario International Airport. More movement will be seen to put ONT back in the operational control of the City of Ontario.