Ontario International Airport (ONT) is poised to welcome more than 1.6 million air travelers this summer, an increase of 13.9 percent over summer last year.
Based on current flight schedules, an estimated 1,657,185 airline passengers will arrive and depart ONT from Friday, May 24, the start of the Memorial Day weekend, through the Labor Day holiday on September 2. Ontario handled 1,455,418 travelers during the same period in 2018, which was an increase of 14.5 percent over 2017.
“Travel demand is always brisk in Southern California, particularly so during the summer months, and passengers are increasingly choosing Ontario as their gateway airport,” said Mark Thorpe, CEO of the Ontario International Airport Authority. “We look forward to showing off all that our airport has become.”
Named the fastest growing U.S. airport by a leading travel publication, ONT will continue to add new flights over the summer months:
- Delta Air Lines, which began daily, non-stop service to its Atlanta hub in April, will add a second roundtrip in June.
- United Airlines announced it will launch daily, non-stop service from ONT to Houston, the carrier’s headquarters, beginning next month.
- Southwest Airlines will offer four new daily flights to San Francisco and expand its current service to Denver.
Ontario’s 13.9 percent growth in summer travel is more than four times the expected increase nationally. According to Airlines for America, the trade organization for leading U.S. air carriers, 257.4 million passengers – an all-time record – are expected to travel between June 1 and August 31, a 3.4 percent increase from last summer.
Airline passengers have plenty to look forward to as they travel through ONT. Since last summer, the airport completed a more than $8 million upgrade of its dining and retail concessions, which now include such popular brands as Einstein Bros. bagels, Rock & Brews restaurant, Wahoo’s Fish Taco and Wolfgang Puck’s WPizza. Travelers can also access premium Escape Lounges in terminals 2 and 4, which began welcoming guests earlier this year. Free, high-speed wireless internet service is available throughout the airport.
Security screening areas will be equipped with new, state-of-the-art SecureTray bins manufactured with antimicrobial technology to inhibit the growth of bacteria on the surface of the trays. The sleek, ergonomically designed trays provided by Florida-based SecurityPoint Media, with germ-resistant technology developed by North Carolina-based Microban International, enable security screeners to quickly and efficiently identify passenger belongings in need of closer inspection.
Passengers who drive themselves to ONT can pre-book and save on parking through the airport’s homepage at FlyOntario.com. The web site includes Spanish and Mandarin-language translations. Curbside valet parking is available immediately in front of the passenger terminals.
Meanwhile, popular app-based ride hailing companies Uber and Lyft continue to serve ONT along with taxicabs, shared ride vans and limousines. Another ground transportation option is Omnitrans with service to ONT every 15 minutes, 7 days a week.