Shuttles Get Curb Zone at Airport

Responding to passenger complaints, John Wayne Airport officials will grant hotel courtesy vans and shuttle buses a new curbside loading zone at the south end of the passenger terminal, beginning July 1.

Passengers leaving the terminal must now cross the street to board the shuttles.

Vehicles will be allowed to stop only momentarily to deliver or pick up. No waiting will be permitted. As a result, officials will urge arriving passengers to call a shuttle or hotel service from inside the terminal, then meet the vehicles at the curb.

Not everyone approves of the plan, however. Howard Pingler, a driver for the Amtrans Airport Shuttle, said the ban on curbside waiting creates too many problems.

“If a passenger isn’t at the right spot at the right time, we will have to circle, and the airport charges us $1.75 for each lap,” he said.

Airport spokeswoman Courtney Wiercioch said there is simply not enough room at the curb to accommodate all the shuttles that would wait for passengers, hoping to be noticed by those who have not yet made reservations with a particular company.