Tentative Pact Reported on Feeder Service to LAX

Resort Commuter Inc. said it has reached tentative agreement to provide feeder service for Trans World Airlines Inc. to Los Angeles International Airport from John Wayne Airport and three other Southland airports.

Under terms of the agreement, expected to be completed Friday, Resort Commuter said it will change its name to Trans World Express on Oct. 26 and will repaint its twin-engine planes in Trans World’s red and white colors. Resort currently has two aircraft and plans to add a third DeHavilland when it begins serving Palm Springs next month.

Resort Commuter, owned by Costa Mesa-based Beverly Newport Aviation Inc., said the agreement with New York-based TWA calls for it to get a portion of the total ticketed fare. The agreement, aimed at bringing TWA passengers from outlying cities, is one of a number of pacts that so-called feeder airlines have signed with major carriers in recent years.

Resort Commuter began scheduled service from Orange County to Los Angeles and Catalina Island in January and began flying to Oxnard in July. Currently, the airline operates 11 round trips daily between Orange County and LAX.

Dann Lewis, Resort Commuter’s president, said the company expects to double its 40-person work force in the next two months and anticipates expanding service to “four or five” additional cities by January. The airline said it expects its traffic to quadruple over the next year. In August, the airline carried about 2,000 passengers.