Ontario Airport Travelers Up 6%

For the first time since the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes, the number of passengers using Ontario International Airport is on the rise, an increase that airport officials attribute partly to a new ad campaign touting alternatives to Los Angeles International Airport.

The gains are modest: an increase of about 6% or nearly 30,000 more passengers in February over the same month last year.

Part of the growth could be attributed to leap year’s extra day. But even when taking Feb. 29 into account, the passenger volume shows an increase of about 14,500 passengers, or 3%, over January.

The numbers for March have yet to be calculated. Airport officials hope the radio and billboard campaign is helping Ontario International Airport recover from the steep drop in travel following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

“This past February is the first sign that there is a recovery from all of that,” said Dennis Watson, a spokesman for Los Angeles World Airports, which operates LAX, Ontario, Palmdale and Van Nuys regional airports.

Airport officials say the growth could also be attributed to a rebounding economy and airline travelers’ increasing confidence. Passenger volumes at LAX also increased slightly in February over the same month last year.

“It’s partly the economy recovering and a psychological recovery from Sept. 11,” said Mark Thorpe, Los Angeles World Airport’s director of air service marketing.

The increase is a glimmer of hope for an airport that has had a run of bad news lately.

Hawaiian Airlines pulled out of Ontario at the end of February after two years because the airline could fill only about half the seats on its daily flight to Honolulu. Four years ago, Los Angeles airport officials invested $450,000 for an advertising campaign to promote a new service by Air Canada between Ontario International Airport and Toronto, Canada. But the service failed to attract passengers, and Air Canada pulled out of the airport after only 90 days.

The latest ad campaign, which was launched in early February for $650,000 and will continue through June, includes 60-second radio spots on six stations plus 10 billboards throughout the region.

In one of the ads, a business traveler describes how he has prepared himself like a marathon runner for the trek to the airport. The spot ends with the announcer suggesting: “Next time, fly Ontario.” The billboard ads promote Ontario International Airport as being conveniently located and having 706 flights weekly.

Before Sept. 11, 2001, passenger volume at Ontario had been growing steadily at about 6% per month over the previous year. But after the terrorist attacks, the passenger count dropped from 686,203 passengers in August 2001 to 522,607 in October 2001, or about 24%. The number dropped further, to about 500,000 passengers, in November 2001.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, passenger volume has remained fairly flat, growing at a rate of about 1% per month.

But that seemed to have changed in February.

Airport officials have yet to calculate the passenger numbers for March, but a spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines, the airport’s largest carrier, said she expects the March numbers to show continued growth.

“We were really busy in March,” said Cheryl Black, a Southwest station manager at Ontario. “I’m anticipating a busy summer.”

Ontario International Airport was rebuilt in 1998, with two spacious terminals capable of serving 10 million passengers a year. Twelve airlines operate out of the airport. If the airport attracts 10 million passengers annually for two consecutive years, airport officials plan to open a third terminal. But the airport has yet to serve more than about 6.7 million passengers per year, even during its busiest year.

Ontario’s biggest weakness is that it doesn’t offer as many nonstop flights and popular destinations as LAX. But airport officials say the airlines won’t increase service out of Ontario until passenger volumes justify the investment.

“It’s a circular argument,” said Watson.

Some travelers who use Ontario regularly say they are surprised more people don’t take advantage of the short lines and easy freeway access.

Bill and Ellen Callinan of Menifee said they prefer Ontario because they can move in and out of the airport with ease. Before flying to visit her son in Texas this week, Ellen Callinan said she spent only 10 minutes checking her luggage and clearing security. She said she spent as long as 45 minutes completing the same tasks at an airport in Wisconsin recently.

Several travelers who said they have the option of flying out of LAX or San Diego International Airport say Ontario has fewer crowds and delays.

Cecil Faircloth Sr. flew into Ontario from Baltimore this week to visit his son Cecil Jr. and his grandchildren, who live in Pomona. He said he avoids flying into LAX because of the crowds and traffic. “I don’t know why anyone would want to go through that place,” he said. “It’s a nightmare.”