A new era in Orange County’s aviation history opened Sunday with the departure of AirTran flight 1646 from John Wayne Airport to Mexico City.
The Boeing 737 jet took off into the gray morning skies at 10:42, about 20 minutes later than planned. The departure marked the beginning of a busy first day of new flights for a new airline at the airport.
After the Mexico City flight, AirTran has a flight at 12:30 p.m. to Cabo San Lucas and arrivals in the afternoon from Mexico City and Cabo. The incoming flights will inaugurate the new Customs and Border Protection facilities in Terminal C. It will be the first time that passports and customs forms will have been checked at John Wayne Airport.
Passengers arriving for the Mexico City flight were met with balloons at the ticket counter, chips and salsa in the boarding line and the Latin brass band “Banda Sinaloense Rio Grande” playing music in front of the nearby Javi’s restaurant at the airport.
“Orange County is so much easier for going to Mexico City,” said Elvira Arevalo, 52, of Santa Ana, who was on the first flight. “I used to have to go to Los Angeles or Tijuana and this is better. I will fly this if the prices are good.”
The new flight also got a thumb up from her son, Josh Arevalo, 27, who drove his mother to the airport.
“It took just minutes – not like Los Angeles and not at all like going down to Tijuana,” he said “Coming back over the border can take hours.”
Some passengers were surprised by the hoopla when they arrived.
“We just booked the cheapest flight we could find and this was it,” said Jon Pryor, 30, of Whittier, who was leaving with his wife, Jane, on a culinary tour of the countryside near Mexico City. “But when we got here, everything was just so easy compared to Los Angeles. The airport is small and less crowded than Los Angeles. I’d like to take it when we go to Cabo next time – it’s only a two-hour flight and you spend that much time each direction getting to LAX.”
AirTran is a wholly owned subsidiary of Southwest Airlines and the ticketing and gates are adjacent to Southwest’s. The service will eventually be rebranded as Southwest, though it could take more than a year to transfer the international service certificates AirTran possesses.
Ashley Dillon, a spokeswoman for Southwest who came from Dallas for the first day of service from John Wayne Airport, said the flights to Mexico City and Cabo San Lucas were full, while the flights into Orange County were about 50 percent to 75 percent at capacity. All the routes used later-model Boeing 737 jets.
Though AirTran is owned by Southwest, it doesn’t follow all its parent’s rules. There’s assigned seating, and much to the disappointment of passengers, a $20 fee to check a bag in each direction. Dillon said eventually Southwest’s “bags fly free” credo will be implemented, though likely not until the name change occurs well down the line.
Jenny Wedge, spokeswoman for John Wayne Airport, said experienced Customs and Border Protection staff from Los Angeles were working the new facility, so that the system should work smoothly. That’s what everyone wants for a new service that could be a big boost for Orange County’s flight choices and tourism industry.
“We’re all glad they’re here,” she said. “I wish I was going to Cabo today myself.”
Contact the writer: travel@ocregister.com
