Depending on who you ask, the three new appointees to the Van Nuys Airport Advisory Council represent either a shift toward a more pro-homeowner view or are the final step in creating a block of members who are decidedly anti-aviation. Rick Flam, Harold Sullivan and Laurence Rabe were named by Mayor Villaraigosa as his appointees to the 18-member council. Robert Rodine and private pilot Harry Berg, in return, were removed from the council. Rodine served on the council for 10 years, since his appointment by then-Mayor Richard Riordan. But he is not disappointed about his removal from the council, said Rodine, a consultant with clients in the aviation industry. “I am disappointed over the imbalance on the council,” Rodine said. “If there was someone in my seat interested enough in the analyses I would be delighted.” Council imbalance is also on the mind of member Gerald Silver, but he says the council is tipped in favor of aviation interests or anti-homeowner, as he calls it. <!– Director: Gina Marie Lindsey. –> Director: Gina Marie Lindsey. The new appointees instead give a greater voice to homeowner interests but they still remain a minority, Silver said. The homeowners hold a moderate view of what should take place at the airport, Silver said. “All we are asking for is balance, which means a curfew on helicopters, jets, [which] should fly at reasonable hours, and the noisy Stage 2 jets should be banned like they are elsewhere,” Silver said. Appointments to the advisory council are made by the mayor, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners and four city council members. Continuing members include Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley President and CEO Bruce Ackerman; flight instructor Bob Jackson, the chairman; and Harold Lee, owner of Million Air, a fixed-base operator providing fuel and maintenance services to private aviation. Jackson, however, votes only in the event of a tie and Lee recuses himself on issues involving jet aircraft. Four vacancies remain on the council one each from Councilmembers Dennis Zine and Wendy Greuel, and two from Councilman Richard Alarcon. Airport means money The Van Nuys Airport contributes $1.3 billion to the Southern California economy and creates 12,300 jobs, according to a study that will be released in November. The airport’s impact on the local economy has increased since 1999, despite a drop in aviation activity. Van Nuys is the world’s busiest general-aviation airport with about 400,000 takeoffs and landings anticipated for this year. The airport’s close proximity to business, entertainment and recreation centers benefits the corporate, private and government travelers using the airport, said airport Manager Selena Birk. “Van Nuys continues to create jobs, promote business and serve as a valued Valley and region-wide resource by generating significant positive impacts,” Birk said. Of the jobs supported by the airport, more than 2,000 are dependent on airport activity. The remaining jobs are created through purchases by airport employees and of goods and services by firms dependent on airport activity, visitor industry jobs and non-aviation real estate tenant jobs. Together all the jobs directly and indirectly create wages and salaries of $707 million. The complete study from Martin Associates will be released in November. New LAWA Director New Los Angeles World Airports Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey came out to the Valley Sept. 19 to meet with community members and business people at a reception sponsored by the Valley Industry & Commerce Association. Van Nuys Airport is a terrific facility that she has fallen in love with, Lindsey told the crowd of about 40 at the Airtel Plaza Hotel. But a changing aircraft fleet is, in turn, changing the character of the airport, which makes for both a happy and unhappy situation, she said. “When things change there is always going to be someone saying, ‘I want it the way it was,'” Lindsey said. Many of Lindsey’s comments focused on Los Angeles International Airport, and she made no mention of the LA/Palmdale Regional Airport and how it fits into the regionalization plan to relieve air traffic at LAX. Lindsey is a 16-year veteran of the aviation industry and served as aviation director for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. She also established and expanded the aviation lobbying and consulting practice at McBee Strategic Consulting. Regional charters go on-line Air charter operators at Van Nuys and Bob Hope airports are among the companies providing their services through a new online marketplace from Virgin Charter. The online booking service was made available to a limited number of customers and aviation companies at the end of September with wider availability planned for February. For passengers, the service makes it simple and easy to book a flight, said Scott Duffy, founder and CEO of Virgin Charter. For the aviation companies, Virgin becomes a sales force and gives access to the demand for private air travel, Duffy added. Virgin Charter has 500 aircraft available through its booking system. Among the operators Clay Lacy Aviation and The Air Group based at Van Nuys Airport, and Ameriflight based at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. “For us, the number of operators is irrelevant,” Duffy said. “We want to make sure we have enough aircraft to handle the requests and offer geographical diversity.” Virgin Charter is owned by Virgin USA, the North American headquarters of the Virgin Group. Passengers booking flights do not pay to use the system. The operators pay a commission to Virgin Charter for the trips booked online. Duffy compared the system to the popular online auction site eBay, in that charter operators’ pay is based on volume rather than Virgin taking a large percentage. Virgin Charter is not the typical aviation business, Duffy admitted. There is an expectation that the association of the Virgin brand with the online booking system will bring to mind the exceptional guest experiences the company is known for, Duffy said. “It gives (clients) the confidence to make big financial transactions over the Internet,” Duffy said. Virgin Charter is also in the process of working with Westlake Village-based J.D. Power and Associates to create a rating system for charter aircraft to determine what makes a quality experience. The Air Group President and CEO Jon Winthrop serves on the Virgin Charter Quality Council, Duffy said. Staff Reporter Mark Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or by e-mail at [email protected].
