Husing
Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 09/29/2012 03:51:39 PM PDT
Updated: 09/29/2012 06:05:26 PM PDT
Airlines across the nation are still adjusting to a tumultuous four-year period in the aviation industry that has forced many to adopt a new business model, according to an aviation industry performance report released by the Department of Transportation.
The report looked at a time frame almost identical to L.A./Ontario International Airport’s period of decline, from 2008 to 2011.
In it, the inspector general has found that rising fuel costs have complicated efforts to keep ticket costs low and as a result airlines have had to reduce their flights and increase their fares.
The national trend is what airlines have been doing at ONT.
The findings contradict comments made by Inland Empire economist John Husing, who on Thursday, while addressing a congressional panel about ONT, said mismanagement was at fault.
Husing pointed to figures that showed a rise in population and jobs is enough to be able to sustain increased growth at ONT.
In the report, rising fuel costs are one of the contributing factors to the airlines’ financial woes.
In 2001, fuel only accounted for 10 percent of an airline’s costs.
In 2011, that figure jumped to 35 percent.
“Ultimately, the trends presented in this report suggest that the changes in the number of airlines controlling the industry, fare increases, and capacity reductions that began in 2008 are not a brief phase, but rather are signs of a greater shift in the industry that will remain for years to come,” Calvin L. Scovel III, Department of Transportation inspector general, said in the report.
Mary Grady, spokeswoman for Los Angeles World Airports, which operates ONT, Los Angeles International Airport and the Van Nuys airport, said its agency has taken significant strides to reduce the overall operating budget in an effort to make it affordable for airlines to do business.
LAWA officials have said all along that the 42 percent decline at ONT since 2007 is a reflection of the shift in the way airlines do business.
Airlines are retreating from smaller hub facilities like ONT.
ONT saw about 4.2 million passengers in 2011, figures not seen since the late 1980s. It’s a drastic drop from the peak traffic of 7.2 million in 2007.
“Regardless of who owns ONT, and right now it is LAWA, we feel an obligation to operate it as efficiently and effectively as possible while doing all we can to improve the situation,” Grady said.
In his testimony to the House subcommittee, Husing said Inland Empire residents have to fly out of LAX, which has resulted in a $48 million annual burden in extra costs – parking costs and the time lost commuting.
But Grady sees it differently.
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The only people with less credibility than Hack Husing are LAWA==Los Angeles Worst Airports.
So Johnny “Crystal Balls” Husing is calling out LA Mayor Antonio Viagragosa and the rest of the LAWA/ MTA Board members for MISMANAGEMENT? WHAT A JOKE, how much did the new JPA headed by SBCo. CEO Gregory “Peckory” Devilreaux and Ontario Councilman Alan “Ex-police” Wapner pay Husing to make this most recent prognostication and assessment? Plenty I’m sure, not to mention getting the IEEP paid as their CHIEF ECONOMIST, for spreading the party line lies about JOB CREATION and the SMALL BUSINESS FRIENDLY environment in the IE.
Hey Mayor Antonio and other interested LAWA folks, take a look at SanBAG’s performance in last year’s AUDIT of MEASURE I/ SAFETEA-LU expenditures if you want to see why the VALLEY-METRO relationship is destined to be filled with conflict-o-interest and graft in public contracting, because that’s all that SanBAG knows, with over 20% of the money being fraudulently spent aka squandered. Surely “Crystal Balls” Husing would never bite the hand-that-feeds and report that CORRUPTION and the MISAPPROPRIATION OF PUBLIC FUNDS are the two biggest challenges facing the recovery of this here Inland Valley area, but he’s quick to cast judgement on LAWA.
Anything coming out of Husing’s mouth is garbage. Husing’s economic forecasts are the opposite of looking outside-the-box for causes and solutions to our current economic woes, his Redlands Politics & Economics, Inc. is the definition of THE BOX, the black-box of political meddling in private sector business. He’s really walking-on-thin-ice these days by trying to INCREASE THE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT right now, the San Bernardino Association of Governments doesn’t need to expand into COG status too, time for the people to start reigning-in this out of control and wasteful spending. We don’t need ANOTHER LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT just to misspend our GAS TAXES, and dream-up new REVENUE STREAMS to fund SanBAG activities, like making our FREEWAYS into TOLL ROADS!
Besides, SanBAG and the County- Ontario JPA CAN’T RUN AN AIRPORT (except into the ground), just look what they’ve done with the San Bernardino International Airport and Million Aires Terminal! The only one that became a MILLIONAIRE with that project is a FELON. Wonder what the FBI investigating the SBIAA/ IVDA thinks about Husing, Wapner and Devilreaux now? The feds probably just sit around and laugh about how much these boyz can get away with (but what about the COLLATERAL DAMAGE to the health, safety and welfare of the general public?)
Hey Alan, do you think that AECOM wIll wait until after Prop. 32 is approved before they CUT U LOOSE?
Now that’s what I call JOB CREATION (for and by the PUBLIC SECTOR<— Johnny doesn't get it, the government doesn't know how to create jobs… so get out of our way old man river, time to hang-up the Crystal Balls and RETIRE!)