Nobody in the history of American popular culture devoted more time and effort to the welfare and morale of our troops than the late comedian Bob Hope. When he died in 2003, the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport, a commercial airport serving millions of passengers a year, changed its name in his honor to Bob Hope Airport. In my years of frequent flying as a consultant, I used it quite often, for many parts of Los Angeles and its suburbs, including Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley, are far closer than Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).  The last time I used it, displays honoring Hope and his decades of service entertaining troop overseas, often in combat zones, were a touching tribute to his patriotism. But trends in air travel have not been kind to Bob Hope Airport, and many other secondary metropolitan fields. Ontario International Airport, in the eastern exurbs of Los Angeles has suffered catastrophic declines in passenger count. At the busiest and most...(Read Full Post)