Airport Debate

County doesn’t need an airport anymore

Only a politician, feeling immune from the consequences of reality,

would continue to support another airport in the face of the air travel

industry’s current woes (“County supervisor changes his El Toro vote,”

Wednesday).

Flights are cut in half, layoffs by the airlines are as high as 20% of

their work force, reduced purchases from Boeing and subsequent layoffs

there, cancellations of numerous conventions, refusal of many pilots and

flight attendants to even come to work and that’s just what has happened

in the first week [since the terrorist attacks].

Future prospects for a healthy air travel industry are pretty dim.

Time is money, businessmen won’t wait three hours at the gate for a

two-hour flight. Short haul flights will decline dramatically. Vacation

air travel will be heavily curtailed. (Hawaii will be a basket case by

Christmas). International air travel will continue but at a severely

reduced rate.

The entire country has been traumatized. It will be years before air

travel returns to “normal.” We need another airport like we need another

politician.

DON HULL

Costa Mesa

It’s a good time to settle on an airport

It seems to me that now may be the time to settle the fight over the

future of the former Marine Corp Air Station at El Toro.

Newport Beach is satisfied with its agreement with the county that

permits John Wayne Airport to have 8.4 million air passengers per year

and about 120 airline departures per day.

If the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority offered the same deal for El

Toro to the county, I bet the Board of Supervisors would jump at the

opportunity, just to get El Toro off its back. South County cities, which

use John Wayne the most, wouldn’t “suffer” more than Newport Beach

already does, and we would all be spared the ordeal of a fourth El Toro

election.

Besides, if the proposed Central Park and Nature Preserve Initiative

fails to make it to the March 2002 ballot, or if it does make it, and is

defeated, the county could be in a position to shove a much larger El

Toro airport down South County’s throat. South County politicos should

think about that prospect and settle while they can.

NORM EWERS

Irvine

Seize an opportunity and build an airport

It is time to rethink El Toro. This is the perfect time and

opportunity to build a 21st Century airport with the newest security

technology. Let’s take advantage of all that acreage and the wide buffer

zone to do things right.

MIKI and STEVE SHOLKOFF

Newport Beach