Us Airways Ontario Airport - Ont in Ontario, California

Us Airways at Ontario International Airport (ONT) — Ontario, California

Ontario International Airport (IATA: ONT, FAA: ONT) sits at 2500 East Airport Drive in Ontario, California, approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the heart of San Bernardino County's Inland Empire region. During its operational years, Us Airways maintained a notable presence at ONT, connecting Inland Empire travelers to its extensive domestic network with convenient non-stop and one-stop routings through its primary hubs at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).

ONT opened in 1923 and grew substantially through the postwar era as Ontario and surrounding communities — Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Chino, and Upland — expanded rapidly. The airport sits at an elevation of 944 feet above sea level and operates two parallel runways: Runway 26L/8R at 12,198 feet and Runway 26R/8L at 10,200 feet, making it fully capable of handling wide-body commercial aircraft. Its location roughly equidistant between Los Angeles and Palm Springs made it an attractive alternative to the congested Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and Us Airways capitalized on that positioning to attract Inland Empire business and leisure travelers who preferred avoiding LAX's traffic and parking challenges.

Us Airways operated out of Terminal 2 at ONT, which was designed to handle mid-sized carriers efficiently. The carrier offered connecting service to East Coast destinations such as Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) — a route that proved popular with government contractors and federal employees working at nearby March Air Reserve Base and the Loma Linda University Medical Center complex. Frequent flyers enrolled in Us Airways' Dividend Miles program could earn and redeem miles on all ONT departures, and the carrier participated in the Star Alliance network, allowing seamless connections to international partners including Lufthansa, United Airlines (prior to the 2013 merger completion), and Air Canada.

The Inland Empire's population of over 4.5 million residents in San Bernardino and Riverside counties represented a large catchment area for Us Airways at ONT. The airport draws travelers from communities including Corona, Riverside, San Bernardino, Redlands, Victorville, and the High Desert corridor via Interstate 15 and State Route 60. Ontario itself, with a population of approximately 185,000, is the fourth-largest city in San Bernardino County and a major logistics and distribution hub, home to major warehouse operations that generated significant business travel demand on Us Airways routes.

Us Airways' presence at Ontario International was part of a broader western strategy that also included service from Los Angeles International Airport, John Wayne Airport in Orange County, and San Diego International Airport. The carrier's ONT routes provided Inland Empire passengers with alternatives when LAX-based flights were overbooked or when ground transportation to LAX was impractical — a journey that could exceed 90 minutes in freeway traffic. The Ontario Convention Center, just minutes from the airport, hosted trade shows and corporate events that regularly filled Us Airways' business-class cabins on routes to Charlotte and Philadelphia.

Ontario International Airport is managed by the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA), which assumed control from Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) in 2016. The airport covers approximately 1,800 acres and features modern facilities including a consolidated rental car facility, multiple ground transportation options, and easy freeway access via Interstate 10 and Haven Avenue. Nearby airports serving the region include LA/Ontario area's smaller general aviation fields — Chino Airport (CNO) 8 miles south and Cable Airport in Upland — though neither offered commercial service comparable to ONT's scheduled airline operations.

For passengers who flew Us Airways through ONT, the airport offered a notably smoother experience than LAX: shorter security lines, easier parking at rates significantly below LAX, and a terminal layout that typically allowed travelers to move from curb to gate in under 20 minutes. Us Airways' ONT operation reflected the carrier's strategy of serving secondary markets that offered loyal customer bases with less competitive pressure from legacy carriers, even as American Airlines and Southwest Airlines also maintained service at Ontario during overlapping periods.