Low fare (and profitable!) carrier JetBlue has developed Long Beach into it’s major West Coast facility. At town council meetings, though, there are constant complaints about noise and airport expansion. Long Beach residents are against JetBlue’s expansion. Or are they? JetBlue didn’t really believe the opposition was as widespread as vocal residents claimed. So they commissioned a study and most locals kind of like a convenient lowfare carrier building up flights.

The results: Eighty-three percent of 900 registered voters surveyed agreed that Long Beach Airport is a “valuable asset’ because it stimulates the economy, enhances tourism, creates jobs and provides convenient transportation for residents and visitors.



The survey showed 12 percent thought the airport should be closed because it creates traffic, increases the number of people coming into the city and degrades air quality.



Another 79 percent said they supported a proposal for more permanent facilities at the airport, with 13 percent opposed. And 85 percent said they would support the possibility of increasing the number of flights as long as the current noise ordinance is not violated. Those opposing increased flights totaled 12 percent.