LA/Ontario International Airport , (formerly Ontario International Airport) is a public
airportAn airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located east of the
central business districtA central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city...
(CBD) of
OntarioOntario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 170,373. It is the home of LA/Ontario International Airport and the Ontario Mills. It is also the former home of the Ontario Motor Speedway...
, a city in
San Bernardino CountySan Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2000 census, the population was 1,709,434. As of 2007, the population was estimated by the California Department of Finance to have grown to 2,028,013...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
,
USAThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This airport is owned and operated by the
Los Angeles World AirportsLos Angeles World Airports or LAWA is the airport oversight and operations department for the City of Los Angeles, California, United States.This department owns and operates three airports:...
, an agency of the
City of Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
. In 2008, 6.2 million passengers used the airport, a decline of 13.5 % compared to 2007.
The airport is dominated by Southwest Airlines who carried 49.38% of passengers in 2007. The other four airlines in the top five were United Airlines/United Express (8.64%), Delta Air Lines (7.93%), US Airways (7.08%), and American Airlines (6.18%).
UPS- Science, technology and medicine :* Ubiquitin proteasome system* Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy* Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy* Uninterruptible power supply* Universal Polar Stereographic coordinate system* Ups...
uses the airport as their gateway for packages to and from Southern California. Expressjet formerly operated a hub at the airport.
History
The airport was originally built by one of the first flying clubs in southern California, The Friends of Ontario Airport, and dates back to 1923, when a landing field was established east of Central Avenue (three miles west of the current airport) on land leased from the
Union Pacific RailroadThe Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest and oldest operating railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
. The airfield was named Latimer Field in honor of an orange-packing company located next to the airstrip. In 1929 the city of Ontario purchased a tract in the southwest corner of the present airport for $12,000 and established the Ontario Municipal Airport.
In 1941 the city purchased surrounding the airport and approved construction of new runways, which were completed by 1942. On February 27, an
Army Air CorpsThe United States Army Air Corps was the predecessor of the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1926-41, which in turn was the forerunner of today's U.S. Air Force , established in 1947...
plane made the first landing. By 1943, during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the airport was earmarked as an Army Air Corps P-38 training base and P-59 operating base.
In 1946, Ontario Municipal Airport was renamed "Ontario International Airport" because of transpacific cargo flights originating from the facility.
In 1967, the City of Ontario and the City of Los Angeles entered into a joint powers agreement, making Ontario International Airport a part of the Los Angeles regional airports system.
In 1974, Ontario was the only Riverside-San Bernardino Area airport to host the
ConcordeThe Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde aircraft was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
supersonic aircraft as it made its promotional around-the-world flights in October of that year.
In 1981, a new, second east-to-west runway, 26L/8R, was built, necessitating the removal of the old northeast-to-southwest runway, 4/22. Remnants of the former 4/22 runway are still visible in the present-day taxiways. With the completion of the new east-to-west runway, the existing Runway 27/9 was renamed to 26R/8L.
In 1985, the City of Los Angeles acquired Ontario International Airport outright from the City of Ontario.
In 1987, Runway 26R/8L was extended to the east so the runway's thresholds could be corresponding to runway 26L/8R thresholds in order for aircraft to fly higher over neighborhoods. This also made 26R/8L the main departing runway and 26L/8R the main arrival runway.
In 1998, the airport's new terminal complex opened.
In 2005-2006, Runway 26R/8L was repaved, got storm drains, strengthened, and more proficient runway lighting including centerline lights were added. Taxiways D, S, R, U, and W were widened, and better taxiways and runway outlines were also added.
In 2006, Ontario International Airport became LA/Ontario International Airport. The "LA" portion was added to make Ontario Airport geographically relevant to Los Angeles and to avoid confusion with Ontario, Canada.
Present-day operations
The airport covers and has two
runwayA runway is a strip of land at an airport on which aircraft can take off and land and forms part of the maneuvering area. Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .By extension, the term has come to mean, in addition, any long, flat, straight area, such as that used in fashion...
s. It is the second major
airportAn airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in the area after
Los Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, the second-most populated metropolitan area of the United States. It is often referred to by its airport code LAX, with the letters usually pronounced individually...
(LAX) and slightly ahead of
John Wayne AirportJohn Wayne Airport is an airport in an unincorporated area in Orange County, California, with its mailing address in Santa Ana, hence the International Air Transport Association airport code. Other nearby cities include Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and Irvine...
SNA. LA/Ontario International Airport is typically less crowded than LAX; according to
Forbes.com it is one of the five best alternate airports in America. It is the West Coast air and truck hub for
UPSUnited Parcel Service, Inc. , commonly referred to as UPS, is the world's largest package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the world...
and is a major distribution point for FedEx Express. LA/Ontario International Airport was a hub for the independent operations of
ExpressJet AirlinesExpressJet Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline based in the Greenspoint area of Houston, Texas.Although an autonomous business entity since its divestiture from Continental Airlines, Inc., it continues to operate as Continental Express for Continental Airlines from hubs at George Bush...
, which began service to 14 destinations in April 2007. This service ended on September 2, 2008.
Thanks to Ontario's long runways (runway 8L/26R is longer than any of those at LAX), it is often used as an alternate landing site for large aircraft when LAX is inaccessible due to weather conditions or other reasons. It is a particularly important alternate airport since there are many trans-Pacific flights headed to LAX which may not have enough fuel left after the long journey to reach other major airports. However, due to Ontario's relatively small customs facilities and limited options for connecting flights, such rerouted flights typically do not disembark passengers in Ontario. Instead, the airport is usually used to refuel the aircraft, which then take off again for a short flight to LAX once landing conditions there have improved.
The airport is located approximately east of Downtown Los Angeles, west of
downtown San BernardinoDowntown San Bernardino is the central business district of San Bernardino, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered city is such that its downtown core is often considered a separate district. It is home to the city and county...
and northwest of downtown Riverside. Motorists can either use the
San Bernardino FreewayThe San Bernardino Freeway is a named freeway in the U.S. state of California in the Greater Los Angeles area. It refers to the following two segments:...
(Interstate 10), Ontario Freeway (Interstate 15), or the Pomona Freeway (State Route 60) to access the airport. It is also served by
OmnitransOmnitrans is the largest transit operator within San Bernardino County. The agency was established in 1976 through a Joint Powers Agreement and today includes 15 cities and portions of the unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County. In addition to the southwestern corner of San Bernardino...
bus route 61, and by private shuttles, though most passengers drive or are picked up at the airport.
By the end of 2006 Ontario International Airport was renamed to
LA/Ontario International Airport in order to entice travelers from the already over-trafficked
Los Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, the second-most populated metropolitan area of the United States. It is often referred to by its airport code LAX, with the letters usually pronounced individually...
and also to reduce confusion with Ontario, Canada. LA/Ontario Airport is owned by the City of Los Angeles (LA World Airports)
Noise restrictions
LA/Ontario has few noise restrictions/abatement rules unlike other Southern California airports such as
John Wayne AirportJohn Wayne Airport is an airport in an unincorporated area in Orange County, California, with its mailing address in Santa Ana, hence the International Air Transport Association airport code. Other nearby cities include Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and Irvine...
,
Bob Hope AirportBob Hope Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Burbank, a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
, and Long Beach Airport which all have very strict policies. The airport is allowed to operate 24/7 but during the hours of 10pm through 7am all aircraft must arrive from the east on runway 26L and take-off to the east on runway 8L unless the weather has heavy winds blowing in the opposite direction or there is construction occurring that results in one runway not being able to be used. All aircraft must also depart from the very ends of the runway allowing aircraft to fly higher over neighborhoods.
Terminals
LA/Ontario International Airport has three terminals. The terminal numbering scheme is designed to accommodate future growth. The airport's master plan calls for five terminals to be spaced adjacent to and in between the existing Terminals 2 and 4. The "international terminal" (which is a small building designed primarily to segregate arriving international passengers to clear
customsCustoms is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country. Depending on local legislation and regulations, the import or export of...
) would be razed and be part of the new Terminal 1. One terminal would be dedicated exclusively to
Southwest AirlinesSouthwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline. Southwest is the largest airline in the world by number of passengers carried per year . Southwest, the 6th largest U.S. airline by revenue, maintains the third-largest passenger fleet of aircraft among all of the world's commercial airlines....
and the other to
United AirlinesUnited Air Lines, Inc., trading as United Airlines , is a major airline of the United States. It is a subsidiary of UAL Corporation with corporate offices in Chicago at 77 West Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop. United's largest hub is O'Hare International Airport, where it has more than 550 daily...
, while the other airlines would share the remaining terminals.
Terminal 2 has and 12 gates (201 - 212). Terminal 4 has 265,000 square feet and 14 gates (401 - 414). The International terminal has 2 gates.
The old Ontario Airport had two terminals: the main terminal and a small terminal for
Delta Air LinesDelta Air Lines, Inc. is a United States airline based and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Delta operates an extensive domestic and international network, spanning North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Australia...
and
SkyWest AirlinesSkywest Airlines Pty Ltd is a regional airline company based in Perth, Western Australia, Australia; servicing key towns in the state of Western Australia and Darwin, Northern Territory; as well as charter flights to Bali, Indonesia.-History:...
. The old terminals are west of the current terminals and are visible when landing. The old flight control tower is still used as an auxiliary tower. The previous design was of the traditional walk-up type with only one jetway gate; the new terminals use the more modern
jetwayA jet bridge is an enclosed, movable connector which extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, thereby enabling passengers to board and disembark without having to go outside...
system. The old terminals currently house the administration and the USO, and are currently used to shoot airport scenes in movies and on television. They were used as an interior stand-in for the Los Angeles airport on the
LAXLAX is a television drama set at the Los Angeles International Airport and draws its name from the airport's IATA airport code, "LAX".-Synopsis:...
TV series, and used for a key plot development on the fifth season of the series
2424 is an American serial action/drama television series. Broadcast by Fox in the United States and syndicated worldwide, the show first aired on November 6, 2001, with an initial 13 episodes...
. The interior and exterior of Terminal 1 and the adjacent parking lot were used to portray a 1960s version of
Miami International AirportMiami International Airport , also known as Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the Miami Metropolitan Area. The airport is located eight miles northwest of the central business district of Miami, in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States...
in
Catch Me If You CanCatch Me If You Can is a 2002 comedy-drama crime film based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor and Louisiana attorney and parish prosecutor...
. Other film productions utilizing the original airport buildings and locations include Blow (2001),
The Best Years of Our LivesThe Best Years of Our Lives is an American drama film about three servicemen trying to piece their lives back together after coming home from World War II....
(1946),
Back StreetBack Street is a 1961 film made by Universal Pictures, directed by David Miller, and produced by Ross Hunter. The screenplay was written by William Ludwig and Eleanore Griffin based on the novel by Fannie Hurst. The music score is by Frank Skinner...
(1961),
The Counterfeit Killer (1968), and
ZodiacZodiac is a 2007 American film directed by David Fincher and based on Robert Graysmith's non-fiction book of the same name. The Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros...
(2007). The old terminals will be torn down when the new Terminal 1 is constructed.
There is discounted parking located outside the old terminal and at a remote location on the west end of the airport. On the east end, a ground transportation center is provided that consolidates all the rental car companies serving the airport in one central location. A circulator bus circles the airport and provides connections to each of the other terminals, rental car and remote parking lots, and the public transit stops.
General aviation is located at the south side of the airport, although most general aviation pilots tend to use a number of nearby airports:
RedlandsRedlands is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 63,591.- History :...
Airport,
Chino AirportChino Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located three miles southeast of the central business district of Chino, a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States...
,
Cable AirportCable Airport is a non-towered public-use airport located two miles northwest of the central business district of Upland, a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is privately-owned by the Cable Land Company.-History:...
in
UplandUpland is a city in San Bernardino County, California with an elevation of . As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 68,393. It was incorporated on May 15, 1906, after previously being named North Ontario.-History and culture:...
, or
Rialto Municipal AirportRialto Municipal Airport , originally called Miro Field, is a general aviation airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of the city of Rialto, in San Bernardino County, California, USA....
.
Airlines and destinations
Cargo Operations
The airport caters to four cargo airlines,
UPS Airlines{Infobox_Airline |airline=UPS Airlines|logo=UPS logo.svg|logo_size=96|fleet_size=262|destinations=200 Countries|IATA=5X|ICAO=UPS|callsign=UPS|founded=1988|website=http://www.ups.comparent=United Parcel Service Inc.|headquarters=Louisville, Kentucky||hubs=...
, FedEx Express,
AmeriflightAmeriflight is an American cargo airline based in Burbank, California, USA. It is the largest United States FAA Part 135 cargo carrier, operating scheduled and contract cargo services to destinations in 30 US states, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean...
, and
ABX AirABX Air, Inc., formerly Airborne Express, is a cargo airline headquartered at Airborne Airpark in unincorporated Clinton County, Ohio, United States, near the City of Wilmington. ABX operates scheduled, ad hoc charter and ACMI freight services, including overnight express small-package services and...
. Ontario is a major southwestern gateway hub for UPS.
Popular culture
- In 1946, an airplane "graveyard" located at the airport, containing surplus and retired aircraft from the recent war, was used for a memorable scene in the Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn was an American film producer, and founding contributor executive of several motion picture studios.-Biography:...
film The Best Years of Our LivesThe Best Years of Our Lives is an American drama film about three servicemen trying to piece their lives back together after coming home from World War II....
, starring Myrna LoyMyrna Loy was an American actress. Trained as a dancer, she devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. Originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a vamp or a woman of Asian descent, her career prospects improved following her portrayal of Nora Charles...
, Fredric MarchFredric March was an American stage and film actor. He won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1932 for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and in 1946 for The Best Years of Our Lives.-Early life:...
and Dana AndrewsDana Andrews was an American film actor.-Early life:He was born Carver Dana Andrews on a farm just outside Collins, Covington County, Mississippi, the third of nine children of Charles Forrest Andrews, a Baptist minister, and his wife Annis...
.
- In 1961, the exterior terminal building portrayed "Lincoln Airport" in the film Back Street
Back Street is a 1961 film made by Universal Pictures, directed by David Miller, and produced by Ross Hunter. The screenplay was written by William Ludwig and Eleanore Griffin based on the novel by Fannie Hurst. The music score is by Frank Skinner...
starring Susan HaywardSusan Hayward was an American actress.After working as a fashion model in New York, Hayward travelled to Hollywood in 1937 in the hope of playing the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind . Although she was not selected, she secured a film contract, and played several small supporting...
and John GavinJohn Gavin is an American film actor and a former United States Ambassador to Mexico...
.
- In 1968, the airport's terminal was seen in the film The Counterfeit Killer starring Jack Lord
John Joseph Patrick Ryan , best known by his stage name Jack Lord, was an American television, film, and Broadway actor. He was best known for his starring role as Steve McGarrett in the American television program Hawaii Five-O from 1968 to 1980...
and Shirley KnightShirley Enola Knight is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, in 1960 for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs and in 1962 for Sweet Bird of Youth.-Career:Knight's feature films include Sidney Lumet's The...
.
- The interior and exterior of Terminal 1 and the adjacent parking lot were used to portray Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the Miami Metropolitan Area. The airport is located eight miles northwest of the central business district of Miami, in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States...
in the 2002 film Catch Me If You CanCatch Me If You Can is a 2002 comedy-drama crime film based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor and Louisiana attorney and parish prosecutor...
and the 2001 Johnny Depp movie Blow.
- The interior and exterior of Terminal 1 and the adjacent parking lot were used in the 2003 film Confidence
Confidence is a 2003 film starring Edward Burns, Dustin Hoffman and Rachel Weisz, directed by James Foley, and written by Doug Jung- Brief overview :...
.
- The airport was used in Kanye West
Kanye West is an American singer/rapper. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, and his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008. His first three albums have received numerous awards and critical acclaim...
's 2004 music video All Falls Down"All Falls Down" is the second single from Kanye West's debut album, The College Dropout. The song was produced by West and features Grammy-nominated singer Syleena Johnson. It was released in June 2004 and entered the UK Singles Chart at number ten and peaked at number seven on the US Hot 100 on...
.
- The airport was used as a stand-in for Chicago's O'Hare International Airport
O'Hare International Airport , also known simply as O'Hare Airport or O'Hare Field or O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop. It serves as the primary and largest hub for United Airlines and as a hub for...
in the 2004 film Meet the FockersMeet the Fockers is a comedy film and a sequel to Meet the Parents starring Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, and Teri Polo. Both are directed by Jay Roach, previously known as the director of Austin Powers films...
.
- Ontario International Airport was used in the 2005 film Red Eye
Red Eye is a 2005 thriller film directed by Wes Craven and starring Rachel McAdams as a hotel manager ensnared in an assassination plot by a terrorist while aboard a red eye flight to Miami. The film score was composed and conducted by Marco Beltrami. This is Cillian Murphy's second role of 2005...
.
- In 2005, LA/Ontario Airport was featured in a Season 2 episode of HBO's hit show Entourage
Entourage is an American comedy-drama that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004. The series was created by Doug Ellin and chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase, a young A-list movie star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they navigate the unfamiliar terrain of Hollywood,...
, depicting the airport in Utah at which the guys arrive to attend the Sundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in the state of Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the U.S. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as the Sundance Resort, the festival is the premier...
.
- In January 2006, LA/Ontario Airport was featured, by name, in Season 5
Season Five, also known as Day 5 of the television series 24 premiered on January 15, 2006 and aired its season finale on May 22, 2006.The Season Five storyline starts and ends at 7:00 a.m. It is the same time frame as the previous season....
of the television drama series 2424 is an American serial action/drama television series. Broadcast by Fox in the United States and syndicated worldwide, the show first aired on November 6, 2001, with an initial 13 episodes...
, in which terrorists took control of the airport (then known as Ontario Airport) and took several hostages.
- LA/Ontario Airport was featured in a 2006 commercial for Hyundai's Santa Fe SUV.
- The airport and its original terminal building were featured in the final scenes of the 2007 film Zodiac
Zodiac is a 2007 American film directed by David Fincher and based on Robert Graysmith's non-fiction book of the same name. The Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros...
.
- The airport's interior was used in a 2007 Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box is an American fast-food restaurant founded in 1951 in San Diego, California, where it is still headquartered today. In total, the chain has 2,100 locations; primarily serving the West Coast of the United States. Most of the outlets are in California , followed by Texas , Arizona ,...
breakfast commercial.
- The airport's old Delta Air Lines terminal was used in the 2008 movie College Road Trip
College Road Trip is a 2008 film directed by Roger Kumble and starring Martin Lawrence, Raven-Symoné, Brenda Song, Margo Harshman and Donny Osmond...
.
- LA/Ontario Airport was featured in Season 4, Episode 12 of Prison Break
Prison Break is a drama television series created by Paul Scheuring, which premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company on August 29, 2005. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an elaborate plan to help his...
in November 2008.
- The airport served as the interior for the airport scene in the 2008 Jim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and stand-up comedian. Carrey is best known for his performances as multiple characters in the sketch comedy show In Living Color, as the title character in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, as the unlucky TV...
movie Yes ManYes Man is a 2008 American comedy film directed by Peyton Reed, written by Nicholas Stoller, Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel and starring Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins and Rhys Darby...
.
See also
External links