Could LAX lose out to SFO as West's top international gateway?
Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY, 2/27/2007
Is Los Angeles on the verge of losing its status as the West Coast's premier international gateway? It just may be, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times . The paper says LAX's antiquated terminals are thought to be costing it business to other airports. For example, the Times notes that Australian carrier Qantas next month will shift eight of its weekly Syndey-Los Angeles flights to land in San Francisco (SFO) instead of LAX. Qantas' other 42 weekly L.A.-bound flights will continue, but the Times says the SFO "move is just one example of a little-noticed shift in lucrative international air service away from crowded LAX to newer facilities in San Francisco, Las Vegas and New York. Since 2000, LAX has lost 12% of the seats on its weekly international departures, while other major U.S. gateways posted gains in service to foreign destinations."
The Times adds that "economists blame the shift on LAX's cramped and outdated terminals and lawmakers' inability to agree on a plan to modernize the airport while other cities have built gleaming new concourses. And newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft give carriers more choices of cities to patronize. The trend is alarming local officials, who say San Francisco International Airport may soon eclipse LAX as the highly coveted premier gateway to the Pacific Rim. This could endanger the $4 billion a year that international visitors pump into the [L.A. region's] economy." Michael Collins, executive vice president of LA Inc., the city's convention and visitors bureau, says: "Everyone assumed that LAX as a gateway would be there by the very fact that it's in L.A."
That's not always turning out be the case, especially with airports like SFO aggressively pushing its gleaming new international terminal. "We really want to be the airport of choice for business travelers, especially those going to Asia," says SFO chief John Martin. And LAX's troubles could accelerate when foreign carriers finally begin flying Airbus' massive A380 superjumbo jet. The Times notes that LAX expects to have two terminal gates able to accommodate the A380 by the end of the year. SFO, on the other hand, will have six. "And some carriers say they will not be satisfied with the remote gates on LAX's western edge," the Times adds. Says Wally Mariani, a senior executive vice president at Qantas: "We're looking at San Francisco and any other airport that will be able to handle the A380 at any gate, without any fuss."