Ontario International Airport is inland Southern California’s gateway to travel and fun. Located right in the middle of the San Bernardino-Riverside metropolitan airport, its proximity, schedule and convenience make this a natural destination for local residents. Want the lowest fares on getting out of town? We’ve got some info on that.
Are Other Airports Really Cheaper?
If you’re looking for airline tickets on Kayak (our favorite) or other price comparison websites, you’ll find that Ontario is sometimes the cheapest. However, often, ONT, as the airline folks call it, is just a few bucks more.
When computing the real price of a ticket from Ontario, factor in the cost of driving to your next best option, whether it’s Santa Ana, LAX, Long Beach or Burbank. At the IRS rate of 55.5 cents per mile, you might not be saving as much as you think.
Savings Based on Driving: Ontario Airport v. Other Southern California Airports
| ONT | John Wayne | LAX | Long Beach | Burbank | |||||
| Example Home Cities | Miles | Miles | ONT Saves | Miles | ONT Saves | Miles | ONT Saves | Miles | ONT Saves |
| Riverside | 21.1 | 41.6 | $22.76 | 67 | $50.95 | 54.1 | $36.63 | 71.8 | $56.28 |
| San Bernardino | 21.8 | 54.1 | $35.85 | 76.6 | $60.83 | 66.6 | $49.73 | 67.3 | $50.51 |
| Rancho Cucamonga | 4.2 | 48.3 | $48.95 | 60.4 | $62.38 | 50.8 | $51.73 | 49.5 | $50.28 |
| Redlands | 25.3 | 57.6 | $35.85 | 76.6 | $56.94 | 70.1 | $49.73 | 75.2 | $55.39 |
| Temecula | 54.5 | 67.5 | $14.43 | 92.8 | $42.51 | 80 | $28.31 | 96.6 | $46.73 |
| Palm Springs | 68.8 | 96.5 | $30.75 | 122 | $59.05 | 109 | $44.62 | 119 | $55.72 |
(Savings computed based on a round trip drive to the various airports. Miles computed at the December 2011 IRS rate of 55.5 cents per mile.)
Parking: Saving You Time and Money
Parking at Ontario Airport will also save you time and money. Lot 5 is just $9 a day. At LAX, parking is $12 in Lot C, which requires a shuttle to the airport, and $30 in the Central Terminal Parking, which is as close as essentially of the parking at Ontario Airport. Although $3 a day may not sound like much, it adds up if you’re heading out of town for a while.
Proximity: Saving You Time
The entire point of air travel is that a car is much, much slower, so this puts Ontario as a big plus in our mind. Not only is Ontario closer to just about every location in the Inland Empire, with the exception of Palm Springs Airport for Coachella Valley residents.
Keeping your money in the Inland Empire
The economic impact of the Ontario Airport is immense. With jobs in short supply in the Inland Empire, the estimated 55,400 jobs provided by the airport’s economic impact are needed for our region. Millions are also provided through state and local taxes.
N
umerous Destinations
While the number and frequency of flights may be down from the mid 2000′s, you can take off from Ontario and be all over the West, Southeast and Mid-West in just a few hours. The destinations include:
- Atlanta
- Chicago-Midway
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- Denver
- Guadalajara
- Houston-Intercontinental
- Las Vegas
- Oakland
- Phoenix
- Portland (OR)
- Sacramento
- San Jose (CA)
- Salt Lake City
- San Francisco
- Seattle/Tacoma
According to RITA (Research and Innovative Technology Administration), a part of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the top destination from Ontario Airport are:
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Phoenix, Arizona | 400,000 | Southwest, US Airways |
| 2. | Oakland, California | 254,000 | Southwest |
| 3. | Sacramento, California | 233,000 | Southwest |
| 4. | Las Vegas, Nevada | 215,000 | Southwest |
| 5. | Denver, Colorado | 205,000 | Great Lakes Airlines, Southwest, United |
| 6. | Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas | 203,000 | American |
| 7 | San Jose, California | 145,000 | Southwest |
| 8 | Houston, Texas (IAH) | 144,000 | Continental |
| 9 | Seattle, Washington | 136,000 | Alaska |
| 10 | Salt Lake City, Utah | 88,000 | Delta |
Finding Cheap Airfare from Ontario Airport
If you want to find cheap fares out of Ontario, you can always check the usual sources, such as Kayak. However, the largest carrier at Ontario Airport (over 50%!) is Southwest, which does not share its pricing data with certain sites like Kayak. Thus, you should check Southwest.com for the latest fares for Ontario Airport.
Do you have any tips for getting the lowest fares or other info relating to Ontario Airport? Let us know at thingstodo@thingstodoinlandempire.com.
