Travel Downturn Spreads More Woes --- A Community of Immigrants In Shadow of LAX Suffers Loss of Thousands of Jobs
LENNOX, CALIF. -- Something strange washed over this area following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11: quiet.</br></br>With planes grounded across the U.S., residents of this crowded community abutting Los Angeles airport weren't assaulted by the sound of jet engines for the first time in anybody's memory. The sudden silence was so at odds with the usual deafening roar that "kids were scared" by it, says Maria Van Deventer, assistant principal at Jefferson Elementary School.</br></br>Today, planes are once again buzzing just 300 feet above the heads of the people of Lennox. But something even scarier has befallen them. The meltdown in the travel and tourism business has claimed thousands of their jobs.</br></br>As much as any place in America, this 1.3-square-mile unincorporated area of Los Angeles County has been the victim of post-Sept. 11 economic fallout. Because this is practically a company town, with many of its 23,000 residents employed at the third busiest airport in the world and related businesses, Lennox has become a ground zero of sorts for the devastated travel and tourism industry.</br></br>The impact of the near collapse in the industry has left a broad footprint. Airline industry revenue should decline 30% in the fourth quarter over the year-earlier period, estimates Kevin C. Murphy of Morgan Stanley, and PKF Consulting estimates that room revenue at hotels in major urban centers will be down 17.5%. Other travel-dependent firms, from airline caterers to airport concession owners, have also been hit hard.