Leonard Kranser

Anaheim - Las Vegas high speed train

By Leonard Kranser | 03/03/09

One-woman bureaucracy keeps maglev hopes alive - Las Vegas Sun The El Toro Info Site reports that 5 years after the OC Register headlined that "High-speed train to Vegas on track" from Anaheim, the fast train is far from reality. Headquarters for the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission is in Richann Bender's suburban tract home in Las Vegas. Bender, is the commission's executive director and only staffer -- and an unpaid one at that.... read more »

Airport plans take wing - OC Register

By Leonard Kranser | 02/06/09

The Register shows renderings of the expanded John Wayne airport, released Thursday, - architecture that stays true to the fuselage inspired facade and ceilings.  Apart from the larger size, the most conspicuous visual change will be a marketplace area of eateries and shops. The new John Wayne Airport looks a lot like the old John Wayne Airport, and that's the idea. The El Toro Info Site comments that the new John Wayne Airport will... read more »

Ringling Brothers names new elephant "Barack"

By Leonard Kranser | 01/30/09

This just in by email from Ringling Brothers: IT'S A BOY! On behalf of the entire Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® family, I'm thrilled to announce the birth of our first Asian elephant born as a result of artificial insemination. A healthy male born on the inaugural eve of our 44th President of the United States, the calf named Barack, is a living tribute of our ongoing commitment to help save this magnificent yet endangered species.... read more »

Air Canada to offer first JWA international service; Virgin takes off for SF

By Leonard Kranser | 01/27/09

The El Toro Info Site notes that Air Canada is anticipated to start flying from John Wayne Airport to an unannounced Canadian destination close to summer time. The airport has delayed offering international flights because it doesn't have customs facilities. Adding a customs area was part of the justification for building a new third terminal at JWA. However, Air Canada - which has been on the JWA's waiting list of new air carriers for seven... read more »

Buzz over Long Beach Airport sale heats up

By Leonard Kranser | 01/04/09

The El Toro Info Site asks, Could Long Beach action reopen idea of selling JWA? The Long Beach City Council will meet in closed session with investment bankers next week to discuss sale or leasing of the city's airport. Some of the information surfacing seems relevent to Supervisor Chuck Smith's unsuccessful proposal to sell John Wayne Airport in 2004 to pay off O.C. bankruptcy debt. Smith's idea could have enabled Newport Beach or Los Angeles... read more »

John Wayne Airport sees continuing slide

By Leonard Kranser | 12/11/08

Traffic at Orange County's John Wayne Airport dropped in November to 17.0 percent fewer passengers than in November 2007 and 18.4 percent fewer than in November 2006 as the airport's slide continues. 2008 is shaping up as John Wayne Airport's worst year since 2003. The El Toro Info Site projects passenger volume for the calendar year to drop below 9 million - a million fewer travelers than the airport served in 2007. This translates into... read more »

Officials working to direct flights away from LAX - Daily Pilot

By Leonard Kranser | 11/20/08

The Daily Pilot reports Los Angeles airport officials are in the midst of creating an office to encourage airlines to direct flights away from bustling LAX to regional airports, such as Ontario International Airport, but John Wayne Airport is not included in the plans. "Regionalization, if it is to take place, needs to focus on ways to get passengers, especially those in central and northern Orange County, including Disneyland vacationers, to... read more »

More aboard

By Leonard Kranser | 11/12/08

Ridership jumps on county's bus and rail lines, though airport traffic is down. The OC Register reports Southern Californians ditched high gas prices and rush-hour traffic to hop aboard county buses in record numbers last month. Metrolink, the commuter-locomotive railway, also experienced a sizable ridership boost. Meanwhile, air travel is down - way down from a year ago. At John Wayne Airport, the number of passengers dropped to 731,985 in... read more »

A reminder of an O.C. fiscal disaster that almost happened

By Leonard Kranser | 10/07/08

Airports Suffer Terminal Illness Today's WSJ reports that the loss of passengers is creating a vicious economic spiral that is griping airports across the country. Ontario Airport is discussed as a chief example. The flight cuts will make the arport more expensive for airlines.  Most airports set landing fees and terminal rents charged to airlines based on debt payments and operating costs. Higher prices could lead to even... read more »

Foundation for the Great Park financials

By Leonard Kranser | 08/22/08

The El Toro Info Site has updated its library of financial data for the non-profit Foundation for the Great Park - not to be confused with Irvine's Great Park Corporation which is charged with designing and building the park at the site of the former El Toro air base. The Foundation raised $881K during its 2006-07 fiscal year and spent $666K, mostly on fundraising and "public education" including PR and other activities to support its... read more »