LAX: ‘World-Class Inconvenience’ in Plan

Re “Security Eclipses Capacity in Plan for LAX,” July 10: Mayor James Hahn said: “If we don’t do something, people will fly somewhere else” and that the region would risk losing lucrative international flights to competing airports in Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Francisco. Now, I’m trying not to be disrespectful to the mayor, but if I needed to get to Los Angeles from France, do you think I would care if the airport has been modernized? I am certainly not going to fly to Las Vegas if I need to get to Los Angeles.

This argument is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. As a matter of fact, his plan will backfire: If I had to take two extra hours by starting out at a “check-in” facility a mile away, I would look for another airport.

Howard Richman

Tarzana

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Mayor Hahn’s $9-billion, 12-year proposed renovation plan for Los Angeles International Airport increases the overall security of the airport using devices that are not yet available, decreases the number of gates used for aircraft parking, limits the number of passengers to 78 million annually, attempts to increase growth of other area airports due to passenger overflow at LAX, creates off-site passenger check-in and parking facilities and imposes higher landing fees on airlines using the airport. As stated in “No Benefit Found in Plan to Modernize LAX” (July 9), the mayor’s plan doesn’t provide for any long-term economic growth past the 12-year construction period.

Hahn’s plan comes with a hefty price tag of world-class inconvenience.

W.C. Matlock

West Hollywood