John Wayne Airport launches designated pick-up spots for ride-sharing services, but there’s confusion during transition

SANTA ANA — Lyft driver Giovany Diaz was confused as he headed into John Wayne Airport to pick up a passenger on Wednesday, Oct. 3.

Typically, he’d swoop down to the lower level arrival area and look for his passenger curbside near one of the numbered pillars. Cars would stack up and frequently he and other drivers would be urged by Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies to move along, to alleviate the congestion. Often that meant Diaz and other ride-share drivers would have to circle the terminal multiple times to get their passengers.

All that has changed. This week, airport officials designated three pick-up areas where Uber, Lyft and Wingz drivers will operate at the airport.

At terminals A and B, people looking to get rides with the ride-share vendors now must cross the roadway and head to the top of parking lots A2 and B2, where covered canopies await them. Those coming from Terminal C will find their designated location inside the Terminal C parking structure. At each location, drivers meeting their passengers now queue up with the assistance of airport personnel.

Taxis will continue to operate from their usual location in the ground transportation center at the bottom of the parking structures. Ride-share drop-offs remain at curbside on the upper level departure area.

The move comes as more airport passengers use ride-share apps to catch a ride, and self-parking has decreased.

An increase in people waiting at the curb on the lower arrival level led to greater congestion and more traffic accidents, airport officials said. From January through August there were 17 traffic collisions at JWA.

Officials decided to make the ride-share change after congestion in the arrival area increased significantly following approval by the Orange County Board of Supervisors in 2015 to allow ride-share drivers to service the airport.

“The lower roadway has been congested at peak times to a point where drivers were double-parking and stopping in lanes of traffic to pick up passengers in the middle of the traffic lanes,” said Captain Ross Caouette, who oversees airport operations for the Sheriff’s Department. “Time will tell if this will have a positive impact on the number of traffic collisions occurring at JWA.”

The change of location is similar to moves at other Southern California regional airports.

In January, officials at the San Diego International Airport moved ride-share vendors into designated areas at each of its two terminals. Drivers there pick up their fares at the airport’s Transportation Island and wait in holding lots until they are dispatched. At Los Angeles International Airport, travelers meet up with ride-share vendors on the upper departure deck.

“It’s definitely helped with efficiency and has relieved congestion,” said Jonathan Heller, spokesman for the San Diego airport.

Lyft driver Diaz, a Marine veteran, said Wednesday he likes the new arrangement at John Wayne Airport and believes it will be an improvement for drivers and travelers. But in it’s early stages, there have been frustrations.

On Wednesday, one passenger Diaz picked up was upset when he wasn’t curbside on the arrival level.

“I had to call the passenger and direct him upstairs,” Diaz said. “He was frustrated because there was no signage. It’s frustrating for us drivers because our passengers think we’re making the mistakes. I know it’s a work in progress but they should have thought about some of these things ahead of time.”

Deanne Thompson, spokeswoman for the airport, acknowledged there have been some unhappy airport passengers and ride-share drivers this week. She has been among more than 20 airport managers who are pitching in to help navigate the change.

“The vast majority has had no difficulty,” she said Thursday. “But there have been some who are unsure as to why it’s happening and some people and drivers have been confused.”

On Thursday, airport personnel were helping passengers find their drivers and more signs had been placed along the roadway at the terminals, inside terminals, at baggage claim areas and along airport walkways. Arrows on signage help people navigate to the locations.

Passengers without checked bags can go directly from the upper level of their terminal and cross the roadway to parking structures A2 and B2. In Terminal C, passengers are directed through the ticketing area on the upper level to the parking structure.

Passengers arriving with checked bags are being directed to use the elevators from the lower level baggage claim area or parking structure to the upper level, and follow the signs to the designated pick-up area.

Guy Norris, of Irvine, had come to the airport Thursday to drop off a rental car and was waiting under a blue canopy on the top level of the Terminal B parking lot.

“I like what I see here,” he said. “They’ve put up a proper tent. It’s good to have a dedicated site. It was becoming mayhem at the arrival area. It was very difficult to find your driver and for them to find you.”

Still, when it became clear that Norris’ driver wasn’t getting to the new site fast enough, Amy Goethals, who oversees terminal concessions, jumped in to help. She grabbed his phone and spoke with his driver, guiding him to the entrance of the parking structure off the roadway.

“If I see a passenger here more than 10 minutes, I’ll direct the driver where to go and flag them down,” she said. “The first day a lot of the drivers were lost. In the next days, we added signage and I think they’ve communicated about it in their communities. A lot of our passengers have been really understanding.”

But Elli and John Dotson, traveling from Memphis, weren’t too happy after landing at Terminal C. They were confused where to go after getting their luggage and ended up curbside in front of the terminal.

“I don’t know where I’m supposed to be,” said John Dotson. “I would never do this again. We’ve waited 20 minutes and he’s nowhere in sight.”

In 2017, about 10.5 million passengers came through John Wayne Airport.