L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has come up with a plan to send short-haul flights to other airports in Southern California, reports the Los Angeles Times. The plan is yet another attempt to deal with local opposition to any expansion of the area’s main airport.

The mayor wants the reserve LAX for international flights and make it the Pacific gateway to the booming economies of Asia. So far, so good. But what about all those international passengers who make connecting flights to everywhere else in the U.S. Are they going to hop on the shuttle to John Wayne to get that flight to Detroit?

The immediate impact for us, if the plan ever gets off the ground, is that it might limit the number of flights between LAX and LAS. And a sizeable part of the air traffic does go to the City of Angels.

The fact remains, though, that airlines and their passengers prefer big-city airports, and airport directors cannot force carriers to redistribute flights to less popular airports. Still the city is focusing on Ontario and Palmdale Airports and wants to more facilities further east in Antelope Valley and San Bernardino County.