FIXING THE FLYAWAY; GROUPS ENVISION REVAMPED LAX LINK.

Byline: David R. Baker and Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writers

The Van Nuys FlyAway ought to be a great convenience for San Fernando Valley travelers trying to avoid hassles at LAX - except it isn't.

It's often hard to get in and out. There's little short-term parking. The drop-off point is so inadequate that most travelers prefer a long trek from the parking lot - if they can find a space any time after 8 a.m.

``I'm so damn mad,'' fumed Roger Lamanna on Saturday morning as he marched past the ``lot full'' signs at the FlyAway entrance after parking his car a quarter-mile away on Woodley Avenue.

``What's the point? We come here early, and the lot's full,'' said Lamanna of Westlake Village. ``Now I'll have my fingers crossed that nobody is going to steal my car.''

Once a shortcut to LAX, the FlyAway is a victim of its own popularity.

But now the city-run FlyAway has found a champion in Valley business leaders who envision it as a satellite terminal, complete with parking garage and vans to and from local hotels.

``Van Nuys could become the entrance to the Valley,'' said David Iwata, with the San Fernando Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau. ``Right now, the Valley is not as accessible as everyone wants it to be.''

Under a plan drafted by the Valley Industry and Commerce Association and the Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau, the FlyAway would have:

Expanded parking, probably provided by a garage.

An enlarged terminal to include ticketing desks for more airlines.

A place for travelers to check in their baggage without having to take care of it at Los Angeles International Airport.

Shuttle vans to local hotels.

The projected benefits include less congestion at LAX, more parking spaces for Valley travelers, and a quick, convenient way to whisk tourists to Valley hotels and restaurants.

For now, the proposal is still just a collection of ideas. Many details, including price, have yet to be hashed out.

Still, the groups hope to pitch their brainchild to the Los Angeles Department of Airports in the next few weeks. The department's executive director has said the proposal deserves study.

``I like the ideas,'' said airport director Jack Driscoll. ``Is it something we can turn around immediately? No. But is it worth looking at? Certainly, especially with the expansion plans here and our trying to keep as many cars out of here as possible.''

Helping LAX expand

Any plan to enlarge the FlyAway comes against the backdrop of debate over whether to drastically expand LAX.

City officials are studying a series of proposals to expand LAX's capacity from about 60 million passengers a year to 98 million passengers. The expansion would include at least one new runway and a planned new terminal, in addition to other improvements.

With that would come traffic, much of it from the Valley, helping to clog the already-congested San Diego Freeway. Since the FlyAway already helps reduce congestion at overburdened LAX, Driscoll said he believed that expanding it could make sense.

``It has become very valuable to us for keeping traffic down,'' he said. ``We'll look at anything.''

The department, he said, is already searching for ways to expand parking at the FlyAway, which has proved enormously popular since it opened in 1975. Last year, a total of 710,622 passengers used the facility, and 126,490 cars parked in its lot.

``When it started, we had plenty of space, and now even the overflow parking is full,'' Driscoll said.

Driscoll said that creating a baggage check-in system at Van Nuys could be difficult because of federal requirements about security of baggage loaded onto planes. But even that idea did not strike him as impossible.

Valley residents trying to park at the FlyAway, at the intersection of Woodley and Saticoy, often must wait in line until a spot opens in the 2,020-space lot, and sometimes they can't find a parking spot at all.

FlyAway: lot full

Lamanna and his wife use the FlyAway parking lot three times a year, but after arriving at the FlyAway at 7:45 a.m. Saturday to catch their 10 o'clock flight to Pennsylvania, he vowed to start using LAX shuttle vans instead.

``I just won't use this anymore. I can't rely on it,'' Lamanna said. ``I don't want to go through this panic anymore.''

Alberto Magpali also couldn't squeeze into the packed lot Saturday. A Northridge resident, Magpali said he uses the FlyAway for its convenient location, but Saturday he had to send his wife home with their car and then had to have a relative bring her back to the FlyAway.

Myra Rolston and her husband had to call a neighbor last minute to haul their car out of the FlyAway's short-term parking lot.

``Everyone I know has had this experience lately,'' said Rolston of Tarzana. ``Our friend told us to watch out, but we said no, there will be room Saturday morning. But I guess everyone got here Friday.''

While pleased that VICA is working to alleviate the parking problem, Rolston said there is no need to go overboard.

``Let's just put another parking lot first,'' said Rolston, who uses the FlyAway to avoid traffic jams. ``I don't think we need a restaurant or another big airport terminal.''

Customer aggravation 

Debra Epner of Northridge arrived Friday afternoon, but she also found a ``lot full'' sign blocking her way.

In 15 minutes, she was called from a waiting list and allowed into the lot to hunt for a spot.

``Sometimes it's disappointing,'' she said. ``You can't be sure that there will be a space available.''

But like others, Epner is drawn by the cheap parking - $1 per day - and similarly low bus fare, $6 for a round trip.

``I don't have to fuss with going all the way down to LAX, plus it's safe and a lot less expensive,'' she said.

One airport officer spent an afternoon last week explaining to patrons that they would have to wait for a space to open up. Many people arrive an hour to 1-1/2 hours earlier than they would normally to ensure they park in the lot, even if it means waiting.

Juan Garcia of Sylmar arrived early Saturday morning, but rather than wait for a spot, he returned home and had a neighbor drop him off at the FlyAway's curb. He then had to make four trips to lug his four 70-pound bags to the bus pickup point.

``I had to go and come back, go and come back,'' lamented Garcia in Spanish. ``If I could show you the marks on my shoulder.''

Garcia welcomed the expansion, especially the idea of adding restaurants and gift shops.

``You're taking a risk by coming here because it's last-minute, and you don't know whether you'll find a spot,'' Garcia said. ``What better way, that instead of rushing out of your house, you can come here, grab a bite to eat and you're ready to go.''

The congestion and confusion at the FlyAway spills into the neighborhood.

Woodley Avenue is a wide street that has no restricted-parking signs, which means frustrated travelers often leave their cars there.

``They fill up the streets and take up all the parking,'' said Suzette Mellies, a receptionist at the automobile wheel manufacturer Superior Industrial offices, which is next door to the FlyAway.

``It aggravates me because it's inconvenient for customers and vendors to come in (here),'' she said.

Valley booster

By making the Valley more accessible to travelers, VICA and the tourism agency hope the expanded FlyAway would help the economy.

Besides giving the hotels a boost, that could also mean more travelers eating in Valley restaurants and shopping in Valley stores, Iwata said. Car rental services would thrive, and demand might increase for local office space and meeting facilities.

``This thing really has the ability to impact the economy,'' he said.

- Daily News Staff Writer Jin Whang contributed to this story.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Map

PHOTO A traveler lugs baggage past a ``lot full'' sign at the FlyAway bus terminal in Van Nuys on Saturday.

Michael Owen Baker/Daily News

MAP: VAN NUYS FLYAWAY