LA/Ontario International Airport

Infobox Airport
name = LA/Ontario International Airport


IATA = ONT
ICAO = KONT
FAA = ONT
type = Public
owner = Los Angeles World Airports
operator =
city-served = Ontario, California / Inland Empire, California
location = Ontario, California
elevation-f = 944
elevation-m = 288
coordinates = coord|34|03|22|N|117|36|04|W|type:airport_region:US
website = [http://www.lawa.org/ont/welcomeONT.cfm www.lawa.org/ont]
r1-number = 8L/26R
r1-length-f = 12,197
r1-length-m = 3,718
r1-surface = Concrete
r2-number = 8R/26L
r2-length-f = 10,200
r2-length-m = 3,109
r2-surface = Concrete
stat-year = 2006
stat1-header = Aircraft operations
stat1-data = 136,410
stat2-header = Based aircraft
stat2-data = 25
footnotes = Source: Federal Aviation AdministrationFAA-airport|ID=ONT|use=PU|own=PU|site=01986.*A, effective 2007-12-20]

LA/Ontario International Airport Airport codes|ONT|KONT|ONT, (formerly Ontario International Airport) is a public airport located two miles (3 km) east of the central business district (CBD) of Ontario, a city in San Bernardino County, California, USA. This airport is owned and operated by the Los Angeles World Airports, an agency of the City of Los Angeles. There were 7,049,904 passengers in 2006. [http://www.lawa.org/ont/passengerCount.cfm]

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 Airlines (7.93%), US Airways (7.08%), and American Airlines (6.18%). Expressjet 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 Railroad. 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 30 acre tract in the southwest corner of the present airport for $12,000 and established the Ontario Municipal Airport.

In 1941 the city purchased convert|470|acre|km2|0 surrounding the airport and approved construction of new runways, which were completed by 1942. On February 27, an Army Air Corps plane made the first landing. By 1943, during World War II, 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 Concorde 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 thesholds 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 [ [http://www.pe.com/business/local/stories/PE_Biz_D_airtraffic12.a792bd.html Passenger growth at Ontario airport stagnant | Business | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California ] ] .

Present-day operations

The airport covers 1,700 acres (6.9 km²) and has two runways. It is the third major airport in the area after Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and John Wayne Airport 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 UPS and is a major distribution point for FedEx Express. LA/Ontario International Airport also serves as a hub for the independent operations of ExpressJet Airlines, which began service to 14 destinations in April 2007. This service ended on September 2, 2008. [http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUKN0832534520080709?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0]

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 38 miles (61 km) east of Downtown Los Angeles and convert|22|mi|km west of downtown San Bernardino. Motorists can either use the San Bernardino Freeway (Interstate 10), Ontario Freeway (Interstate 15), or the Pomona Freeway (State Route 60) to access the airport. It is also served by Omnitrans 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 Airport 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 Airport, Bob Hope Airport, 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, airlines and destinations

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 customs) would be razed and be part of the new Terminal 1. One terminal would be dedicated exclusively to Southwest Airlines and the other to United Airlines, while the other airlines would share the remaining terminals.

The old Ontario Airport had two terminals: the main terminal and a small terminal for Delta Air Lines and SkyWest Airlines. 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 jetway system. The old terminals 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 "LAX" TV series, and used for a key plot development on the fifth season of the series "24". The interior and exterior of Terminal 1 and the adjacent parking lot were used to portray a 1960s version of Miami International Airport in "Catch Me If You Can". Other film productions utilizing the original airport buildings and locations include Blow (2001),"The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946), "Back Street" (1961), "The Counterfeit Killer" (1968), and "Zodiac" (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: Redlands Airport, Chino Airport, Cable Airport in Upland, or Rialto Municipal Airport.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 has 265,000 square feet (25,000 m²) and 12 gates (201 - 212). The following airlines serve from this terminal:
* Aeroméxico Gates 208, 209 (Guadalajara, Mexico City) [departures only]
* Alaska Airlines Gates 205-206 (Portland (OR), Seattle/Tacoma)
** Horizon Air Gate 205 (Portland (OR))
* Continental Airlines Gate 207 (Houston-Intercontinental)
* Delta Air Lines Gates 212 - 213 (Atlanta, Salt Lake City)
** Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines (Salt Lake City)
* Great Lakes Airlines Gate 201a (Merced, Prescott, Visalia)
* United Airlines Gates 201 - 203
** United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines (San Francisco)
** Ted operated by United Airlines (Denver)

Terminal 4

Terminal 4 has 265,000 square feet (25,000 m²) and 14 gates (401 - 414). The following airlines serve from this terminal:

* American Airlines Gate 410 (Dallas/Fort Worth)
* Southwest Airlines Gates 401 - 403, 405 - 408 (Las Vegas, Nashville, Oakland, Phoenix, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, San Jose (CA))
* US Airways Gates 411, 412 (Phoenix)
** US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines (Phoenix)

International terminal

The International terminal has 2 gates and serves the following airlines:
* Aeroméxico (Guadalajara, Mexico City) [arrivals only]

Cargo Operations

The airport caters to four cargo airlines, UPS Airlines, FedEx Express, Ameriflight, and ABX Air. 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 film "The Best Years of Our Lives", starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March and Dana Andrews.

* In 1961, the exterior terminal building portrayed "Lincoln Airport" in the film "Back Street" starring Susan Hayward and John Gavin.

* In 1968, the airport's terminal was seen in the film "The Counterfeit Killer" starring Jack Lord and Shirley Knight.

* The interior and exterior of Terminal 1 and the adjacent parking lot were used to portray Miami International Airport in the 2002 film "Catch Me If You Can" 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".

* The airport was used in Kanye West's 2004 music video "All Falls Down".

* The airport was used as a stand-in for Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in the 2004 film "Meet the Fockers".

* Ontario International Airport was used in the 2005 film "Red Eye".

* In January 2006, LA/Ontario Airport was featured, by name, in Season 5 of the television drama series "24", 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".

* The airport's interior was used in a 2007 Jack in the Box breakfast commercial.

* The airport's old Delta Airlines terminal was used in the 2008 movie "College Road Trip".

*LA/Ontario Airport was featured in Season 2 episode of HBO's hit Show Entourage being depicted as the airport in Utah when the guys arrive in town for Sundance

ee also

* California World War II Army Airfields

References

External links

* [http://www.lawa.org/ont/welcomeONT.cfm LA/Ontario International Airport] (official site)
* [http://www.ontmasterplan.org/ LA/Ontario International Airport Master Plan]

* [http://www.flyontario.com/ Fly Ontario]
*FAA-diagram|00965
*US-airport|ONT
*WAD|KONT