Regional alternatives hampered by own set of problems. (Lax: Is there a Quicker Fix?).

BURBANK-Glendale-Pasadena Airport long ago surpassed its "official" capacity of 1.5 million passengers per year, the number its 174,000-square-foot terminal was designed to accommodate.

Last year, the airport handled 4.5 million passengers. Even without measures that would disperse travelers from LAX and toward the area's regional airports, Burbank projects its annual usage will jump to 7.2 million passengers by 2015.

"We could handle it -- it's just a question of how much service would be degraded," said airport authority spokesman Victor Gill. "Do you sit in a chair when waiting for your plane, or do you sit cross-legged on the floor?"

Sore-backed passengers are the least of Burbank Airport's expansion-related challenges.

Due to Burbank's Measure A, which was approved by voters last October, the airport is prohibited from any type of facility construction, including building a new terminal or an expanding the existing one, unless 12 standards are met.

These include enforcement of a 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew, an annual take-off and landing cap at 177,000 (last year's figure was 150,000) and, most limiting, an annual passenger usage cap at 5.2 million, which could be reached by 2010.

The measure is being challenged by the city of Burbank in Los Angeles Superior Court. A ruling is expected in August.

"(Measure A) is well-intentioned, but it was written by novices without an understanding of the complexity of federal law -- when it gets to court, it's going to be struck down," said Burbank city manager Bud Ovrom. A curfew, for example, would require Federal Aviation Administration approval.

As a result of the new law, the airport authority said on July 2 that it would be unable to meet a federal mandate to have baggage-screening systems in place by the end of the year. The airport estimated that a $14 million, 40,000-square-foot expansion would be necessary to house the additional machinery, facilities and personnel.

A committee formed by the Burbank City Council will draft a November ballot initiative that would approve the building of a replacement facility to the existing terminal in the event Measure A is struck down. Guidelines for a new terminal are expected from the group in August.

Two years ago, the city and Airport Authority had been close to agreeing on a 250,000-square-foot, 14-gate replacement terminal. When the city insisted on the provision of a new Environmental Impact Report, however, the Authority balked, and put 81 of the 130 acres it had aside for airport expansion up for sale. The land was acquired from Lockheed Martin Corp. for $86 million in 1999. Of the total, 59 acres were pulled off the market due to security-related uncertainties after Sept. 11.

Ontario

FOUR years ago, Ontario International Airport unveiled a $270 million renovation and a new image. Two spacious terminals were built to accommodate up to 12 million passengers per year. Ontario, overlooked since its construction in 1942, attempted to position itself as a comfortable alternative to overcrowded LAX.

Easy freeway access, ample parking and shorter lines were the major selling points. But travelers haven't responded. With 6.7 million passengers passing through in 2001, Ontario is underutilized.

"It's frustrating that there is not more traffic," said Al Becker, a spokesman for American Airlines, which can't sell the seats it already has on nine daily flights out of Ontario. "If the market expands, we'll respond to that expansion," he said.

It's a chicken-or-egg dilemma. Passengers opt for LAX because it has many more flights to more cities. Airlines limit their flights because there are so few passengers. "There's a recognized need (for change) but there's a reluctance factor on all sides to make it work," said Don Driftmier, treasurer of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

After Sept. 11, a $2 million marketing plan to increase the airport's visibility was shelved. At Los Angeles World Airports, owner of Ontario Airport, the team devoted to promoting the facility was reduced to two.

Airport officials said they are trying.

"We go out there and beat the bushes," said Adriana Renteria, senior management analyst at LAWA. (LAWA also runs LAX and airports in Palmdale and Van Nuys.) "We have targeted viable markets and meet flight planners to talk about what a great opportunity they are missing'" she said.

Like American, other carriers are reluctant to expand.

Southwest, United and JetBlue offer domestic service, but it's limited. The airport handles only one direct flight to New York, offered by JetBlue. Flights to other high-traffic destinations like Chicago, Boston and Washington, D.C. are being courted. Internationally, London and new flights to Mexico are a possibility.

But Ontario remains a hard sell.

"Our load factor on our Hermosillo service is 30-40 percent," says Mayte Weitzman, an AeroMexico spokeswoman. "We are trying to figure out why the flight hasn't been more successful, since the same flight out of LAX has been full," she said.

The flight to Hermosillo, Mexico, is one of two international flights going out of Ontario -- added in January as part of Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn's efforts to route traffic to alternative airports from LAX.

For cargo, Ontario has done better. Companies like FedEx, DHL and United Parcel Service hauled 462,006 tons of cargo through Ontario last year, placing it 16th largest for cargo in the United States.

Samantha Lee