Donald Trump dumps on LAX, but L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti defends airport upgrades

The sentence structure was a mess, but it was clear during Monday’s presidential debate that when Republican nominee Donald Trump mentioned Los Angeles International Airport, he was not paying the facility a compliment.

“You land at LaGuardia, you land at Kennedy, you land at LAX, you land at Newark, and you come in from Dubai and Qatar and you see these incredible — you come in from China, you see these incredible airports, and you land — we’ve become a third-world country.�

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti shot back this week, saying LAX is undergoing billions of dollars in upgrades.

SIGN UP for the free California Inc. business newsletter »

In fact, Garcetti took part at a ceremony Thursday to open a $148-million facility that connects the Tom Bradley International Terminal to the terminals on the south side of the airport.

“If Donald Trump wasn’t jetting around the world on a private plane — or had ever walked through our terminals like the tens of millions who fly in and out of our airport every year — he might know about the largest public works program in the history of Los Angeles: the $14 billion we are spending to modernize LAX by connecting it to rail, building a brand new rental car facility and renovating eight out of the airport’s nine terminals,� the mayor said.

“The comment is just another example of Donald Trump throwing around wild insults without regard for facts.�

Garcetti already has endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

[email protected]

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.

ALSO

What to buy (and skip) in October

Bayer won’t fight EPA ban on pesticide

American Airlines’ new uniforms cause hives and headaches for some workers