Ontario Airport Proposed - Conceptual view of a high-speed rail station at Ontario Airport in Ontario, California; Credit: NC3D via Flickr
Ontario International Airport will once again belong to the city from which it gets its namesake.
Local officials along with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Ontario Mayor Pro Tem Alan Wapner will announce a deal today that will effectively turn control of ONT back to the City of Ontario.
The City of Los Angeles got the airport from Ontario 30 years ago on the condition that it would make an effort to bring airlines to the airport. A sharp passenger dropoff between 2007 and 2011 brought about a lawsuit, with Ontario alleging that L.A. had poorly managed the airport, violated agreements, and was to blame for the decrease in business. L.A. World Airport officials deny those claims, saying the dropoff was due to the economic recession.
The tentative deal would require Ontario to reimburse LAWA for the money it invested in the facility, settle the lawsuit Ontario had filed to regain control of the airport, and provide job security for the airport’s nearly 200 employees.
How can the city of Ontario make ONT a thriving travel hub again? If Los Angeles was unable to be successful at running ONT, what does the city of Ontario plan to do differently?
Guests:
Liset Marquez, reporter for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. She covers the Foothills and L.A./Ontario International Airport.
Brett Snyder, airline industry expert and author/founder of "The Cranky Flier blog" and "The Cranky Concierge" air travel assistance service. He’s held many jobs in the airline industry, including in operations, sales, pricing, and planning