Assessing Potential for Superhub Airport for California

Abstract

Increasing the United States' air‐transportation system capacity is a need expressed by air passengers, airlines, and aviation policymakers. This paper addresses the advantages and disadvantages of adding superhub (or wayport) facilities to the existing California air‐transportation system. To reach a conclusion, the feasibility of adding either two airports, one in the San Francisco Bay Area and the other in the Los Angeles basin, or one facility located between these regions was studied. Results indicate that the addition of two new airports would reduce traffic through the state because the presence of two facilities would divide potential markets, which would cause flight‐frequency advantages to be lost, effectively making California a less‐attractive hub. If stage‐length restrictions were placed on the existing airports, increases in traffic through the state could be expected with the addition of one centrally located superhub (or wayport). However, such restrictions may be politically unacceptable, and economically undesirable as well. On the other hand, if no restrictions were enforced, little traffic would be expected through the superhub unless high‐speed (supersonic) aircraft were allowed to use the new airport. Thus, the market niche for the superhub (or wayport) concept in California may be for high‐speed aircraft that can't use existing airports, because of environmental and physical constraints.