Airline to Fly Some O.C. Passengers to LAX on a Free Ride

NEWPORT BEACH —  A small independent airline said Thursday that it plans to begin free flights between John Wayne and Los Angeles International airports for connections to three international carriers.

British Airways, Qantas Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airlines have agreed to absorb the cost of the O.C.-to-L.A. flights for passengers connecting to their overseas flights at LAX, said Carl Strombitski, president and chief executive of Newport Beach-based Pacific Coast Airlines.

Passengers would have to show a ticket for a connecting flight to board, and for the return flight from LAX as well.

The airline is completing its application to fly out of John Wayne Airport, said Courtney Wiercioch, an airport spokesman.

Strombitski said the Federal Aviation Administration is still reviewing Pacific Coast’s ground security manual, but he hopes to have approval within two weeks.

He is also negotiating with regional airlines to provide a $10 fare between John Wayne and LAX for passengers meeting a domestic flight in Los Angeles.

Pacific Coast is one of two independent airlines planning to offer the service out of John Wayne, planning nine flights a day. Alpha Air offers two flights a day for $50 one way.

Four other commute airlines, each affiliated with a major airline, also make the John Wayne-to-LAX flight, for prices ranging from $55 to $171 one way.

Strombitski--who ran Orange County-based Golden State Airlines out of John Wayne Airport until Stateswest Airlines bought his company in November, 1986, for an undisclosed amount--said the key to Pacific Coast’s lower fares is using smaller planes that are easier to fill with passengers and are cheaper to maintain.

Pacific Coast will fly two 10-passenger, twin-engine Piper Chieftains and one 18-passenger Metroliner. Other planes flying out of John Wayne carry 19 passengers or more. Strombitski said he does not think that passengers will be put off by the smaller propeller planes.

“With the economy the way it is, people are cost conscious,” he said. “They are going to be looking for a bargain.”

Pacific Coast currently flies from LAX to Santa Catalina Island. Strombitski also plans flights from John Wayne Airport to Catalina and to Bermuda Dunes Airport, near Palm Springs.