=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2007/01/02/financial/= f042408S11.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday, January 2, 2007 (AP) Airports near LA hope using big city's name will help boost use (01-02) 04:24 PST Los Angeles (AP) -- Regional airports outside Los Angeles are hoping they can boost use of their facilities by adopting the big city's moniker — a move officials say has been effective in other states. Los Angeles' Airport Commission voted last month to change the name of Ontario's airport to LA/Ontario International Airport and Palmdale's facility to LA/Palmdale Regional Airport. Officials hope aligning the airports with a well-known geographic hook will draw travelers from outside California, encourage airlines to offer more flights at the facilities and take the pressure off aging Los Angeles International Airport. "Adding L.A. to the Palmdale and Ontario airports conveys locally that there is a larger regional system for air transportation, better identifies the size of the Los Angeles region, and creates a better linkage between Palmdale and the Los Angeles basin," said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford, in a statement. The move has helped facilities in New York, New Hampshire and Indiana, where regional airports have added the names of nearby cities or local landmarks to their names. In Buffalo, N.Y., for example, the airport was renamed to Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Indiana's Humal Field was transformed into Terre Haute International Airport, and Manchester's airport became Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. This month airlines will submit proposals to offer flights from Palmdale, located about 65 miles north of LAX in the Antelope Valley. Los Angeles airport officials are also in negotiations to land major new air service at Ontario, about 40 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Still, there are challenges, including educating travelers on the locations of Ontario and Palmdale so they aren't confused. Branding experts said it's possible people will fly into the wrong airpo= rt because all three share the Los Angeles name. People also could become angry finding out that with traffic, it could take several hours to get to points in L.A. Airport officials said they planned to promote the two airports on travel web sites. ___ On the Net: ___ Information from: Los Angeles Times, www.lawa.org www.latimes.com --------------------------------------------------------= -------------- Copyright 2007 AP