Baggage system in new terminal fails test
After a week of previews and celebrations, John Wayne Airport began checking in travelers at its new Terminal C on Monday.
But one group of flyers was sent hiking to the old terminal: people with luggage.
Terminal C failed its federal baggage screening certification last week and officials were forced to improvise, said JWA spokeswoman Jenny Wedge.
With plans to open before the holiday rush, the $120-million terminal was heralded for its advanced ticketing and luggage systems. Now, contractors are working frantically to fix it by month’s end.
“That’s just how the timing worked out for us,” Wedge said. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s part of the process.”
The terminal and a 2,000-space adjoining parking structure are the culmination of an expansion first approved by the county Board of Supervisors in 2004. On Sunday, airport officials dedicated the facilities during a ceremony, but didn’t mention that the system had failed.
Wedge said the airport learned Thursday that it didn’t pass, and officials were planning to work around the problem.
“We knew that there’s another terminal that could handle all of this,” she said.
Travelers who do not have to check bags are able to pass through security in Terminal C, while those with luggage have to walk to Terminal B if they parked in the new Parking Structure C.
Wedge did not know specifically why the system failed, but she said it was checked for its security screening accuracy and its efficiency, among other aspects. The test was one of the last procedures before opening the terminal.
Some of the terminal’s new concessions are also still under construction, and a customs area will remain unused until the airport begins flights to Mexico. On Sunday, Southwest Airlines announced it intends to fly between Orange County and Mexico City, and to Cabo San Lucas.
Twitter: @mreicher