Spirit Airlines preferred Los Angeles instead of Ontario when initiating service

Spirit Airlines flights preferred to initiate service from Los Angeles in recent years instead of Ontario, said Ontario Councilman Alan Wapner recently.

He highlighted this fact while speaking at the Assembly Select Committee on Inland Empire Transportation Issues when it met at the former Norton Air Force Base.

The meeting dwelt at length and discussed issues confronting the Ontario International Airport. Fears are being expressed over the bad performance here and its lurking failure.

Wapner said that apart from Spirit Airlines, other budget carriers like Allegiant Air and Virgin America, which normally operate out of secondary airports like Ontario, chose Los Angeles instead of Ontario when initiating service in recent years. This is in itself a matter of great concern over the functionality and sustainability of the airport.

Among other concerns expressed at the meeting were that the passenger volumes at Ontario International airport have sunk to 1987 levels, although the population served by the airport has grown by 600,000.

According to statistics, the number of passengers at Ontario is not expected to rebound to 6.4 million (the pre-9/11 level) until 2030, while at Los Angeles, the numbers are expected to top their legal limit of 78 million by 2018 and overflow to 108.6 million by 2030.