EDITORIAL:

Maybe in the future air commuters will be able to park their cars at what will be called the John Wayne Airport and Transportation Center, and instead of boarding a flight right there, hop on a train and take a maglev ride to Ontario Airport or points beyond.

Or maybe, just maybe, more property will become available, maybe even at Camp Pendleton Marine Base, that would be perfectly suited for a new airport.

Unfortunately, we’re here to say those “maybes” can’t be counted on any time soon.

Indeed, the exorbitant costs of land, technology and building the infrastructure of rapid transit makes those options so cost-prohibitive as to almost be a pipe dream.

At least that was the impression we got after hearing from representatives of the Southern California Association of Governments as they discussed those very options at a meeting earlier this week with members of AirFair, a group dedicated to keeping the caps on flights and expansion of JWA intact.

“I thought the residents made it pretty clear to SCAG that we want them to find an alternative airport location, or put some high priority on some efficient transit system that will get people from here to an airport in Ontario or San Bernardino,” Costa Mesa Councilwoman Katrina Foley was quoted as saying.

Foley is correct, and if that doesn’t happen, it’s too bad.

As the recent numbers at JWA show, the airport’s demand is increasing.

Numbers from last August showed a 7.2% increase in flights year over year.

Increasingly, the pressure on JWA is coming from air carriers and a booming population.

Thankfully, city, county and federal officials have inked the settlement agreement that extends the restrictions, capping flights and imposing noise curfews on the airport through 2015.

But make no mistake, that pressure is going to continue. Consequently, so should the quest to find a solution to JWA’s impending growth. Because expanding the physical size of the airport and destroying homes, neighborhoods and businesses simply is not an option.