Warns LAX Gate Upgrades Still Must Be Made

Talk about a mixed message. Officials at Qantas have reportedly threatened to move its planned Airbus A380 operation to San Francisco, unless Los Angeles International Airport moves quickly to upgrade its facilities. But a spokesman for LAX says Qantas representatives visited the airport just last week... and praised the airport's progress.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports the furor started over comments Wally Mariani, Qantas senior EVP for the Americas and Pacific, made to Jane's.

"If in the future LAX [Los Angeles Airport] is unable to keep up with the need for additional ... gates, we would be forced to relocate our A380 services to San Francisco," he said. "Should that ever be required, it would be a major economic loss to Los Angeles and we would regret it. We've made a large investment in our A380s for the benefit and enjoyment of our passengers and we do not intend to lose it on the ground."

Qantas is scheduled to launch A380 service between Melbourne and... somewhere in California... October 20. LAX is currently undergoing $723 million in renovations to handle the superjumbo airliner, including adding gates to handle the double-decker plane. But Mariani says many of those gates aren't attached to the main terminals.

That's true, replies LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles. She told the paper LAX has already purchased eight gates to handle the A380, two of which will be attached to the terminals from the start. The other six gates will be connected by 2012.

"We built it in time [for the inaugural A380 flight]. I don't understand why they're saying that," she said. "I can see why he'd be concerned if we were to say you have to park out there on the remote side of the terminal, but that's not the case as it stands.

"Unless Qantas have plans to expand that we're not aware of, there's no reason for that," Castles added.

For the moment, it would appear the two fully-completed gates should be adequate for Qantas' needs. The airline will initially operate two regular A380 flights each week, one from Melbourne and one from Sydney. The airline plans to launch three weekly return trips to Sydney and two to Melbourne when a second A380 comes online in November.

FMI: www.lawa.org, www.qantas.com