"NOW BOARDING TO L.A./Ontario INT. AIRPORT"

[ReDSPork02]

NEW NAME FOR A LOCAL AIRPORT! :cheers:

Going to L.A.? Ontario says it's close enough
Mason Stockstill, Staff Writer
Article Launched:12/05/2006 12:00:00 AM PST


ONTARIO - In a vivid reminder that Ontario International Airport's fate is determined in Los Angeles, the airport's overseers altered its name on Monday, adding "L.A." in an effort to improve its marketability.
The newly rechristened L.A./Ontario International Airport is the result of negative feedback from airlines and business travelers based outside Southern California, who have told airport marketing managers for years that Ontario isn't the best moniker for the airport.

In addition, the fact that the city shares a name with the Canadian province means the California location "is typically either unknown or confusing" to business travelers and tourists, the report states.

Ontario Mayor Paul Leon said he wholeheartedly backed the change.

"What this does for us is it puts us on the map as a primary alternative gateway to Southern California," Leon said. "It's great for business, it's great for our economy. ... When somebody's looking for a flight to Los Angeles, we will automatically come up."

[DJM19]

Well, its an alternative, though somewhat misleading, like "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim"

[ChrisLA]

Its was really no different than Islip, NY. Now tell me how many people know this airport is in the metro NYC area?

Both are far away from the city, but I think Islip maybe slightly further out from NYC and Ontario from LA. You're better off using Long Beach (which is really close) or even John Wayne for that matter. Unless you're specifically are heading to the Inland Empire, Victorville, or the San Gabriel Valley I can see using it as an alternate.

[rs913]

I'd imagine JetBlue loves this move, as they've aggressively pushed Ontario, Burbank, and Long Beach as alternatives to LAX (where they don't fly).

But with the L.A. area being so widely dispersed, unlike NYC, it doesn't seem too outlandish for other airports to adopt the L.A. moniker. Ontario is the closest airport to a big swath of Inland Empire points that are still considered part of the L.A. area. None of those points (specifically Ontario) are particularly well-known on their own, though, which is why they probably felt the need to add L.A. to the name.

[Damien]

Inland Empire Int'l Airport not good enough for them?

[solongfullerton]

Apparently Meth Capitol of the World Airport didn't fit the bill either?!?!?!?!?

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

A couple of years ago, I heard somebody talk about Ontario Mills Shopping Mall. I must admit that I thought he was talking about some place in Canada.

So I can understand why people are thinking the same.

[ocman]

whatever spreads the passengers out to try the airports that are sooo underutilized.

[ReDSPork02]

Ontario is owned by the city of LOs Angeles and part of Los Angeles World Airports. I REad that the MTA Expands the Foothill LIne (GOLD LINE) it will Probably end at the Airport. I LOve the idea!!! Besides Forbes named "L.A./Ontario International "
http://www.forbes.com/2003/03/11/cx_ld_0311airports.html
Number 1 of 5 best alternate airport in the Country!!http://www.forbes.com/2003/03/10/cx_ld_altairportslide.html?thisSpeed=20000

[Buckeye Native 001]

Well yeah. 90% of the time I fly out of Ontario there's hardly anyone there.

How about Riverside County-Ontario Intl Airport?

[Damien]

Extending the line to Ontario Airport would actually make it more of a regional project than as it is currently designed. Still LRT with stops every 2 miles, through low density cities with 20 minute off-peak service that goes that far out? It should be EMU in my opinion.

[Wright Concept]

Ontario courts Gold Line extension
By Mason Stockstill Staff Writer
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

ONTARIO - Though the city's western border is more than a mile from Los Angeles County, Ontario wants a piece of its big neighbor's transit system.

The city has joined a coalition of municipalities working to build an extension of the Metro Gold Line from Pasadena to this area.

More importantly, the city's leaders are pushing to locate the light-rail line's final station at LA/Ontario International Airport, rather than the currently proposed Montclair Transit Center.

"It makes a lot of sense for transportation corridors to have a main place they're going to," said Mayor Paul Leon. "Isn't it much better to say `I'm going to Ontario Airport' ... rather than just saying we're going to head east until the rail line ends?"

As it now exists, the Gold Line runs from downtown Los Angeles to east Pasadena.

When it was first proposed, the extension through the San Gabriel Valley on the old Santa Fe right-of-way was going to end in Claremont. But officials in San Bernardino County lured planners into Montclair, saying the transit center there made a natural terminus for the line.

Since then, the idea of going still farther into San Bernardino County and ending at the Ontario Airport gained traction among officials heading the charge.

"Because there's been interest from our board, we're going to sit down with folks in a preliminary way," said Susan Hodor of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Authority. "It will set the groundwork for what we need to do, should this be an idea that San Bernardino County would embrace."

The move by Ontario to join the Gold Line authority's board, approved by the City Council on Tuesday, comes at a momentous time for the rail project, whose existence depends on a strategic plan being developed in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates several light-rail transit lines, as well as a single subway and thousands of buses.

In order to qualify for federal funding, the Gold Line Foothill Extension needs to be listed as a high-priority item on the MTA's long-range plan, which is under development.

But the Gold Line is just one of several transit projects that could qualify for that money, several of which are becoming more politically popular.

For example, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - who controls four seats on the MTA's 13-member board - promised during his 2005 campaign to work toward extending the Red Line subway in Los Angeles.

Carol Inge, the MTA's executive officer for planning, said the long-range plan will be updated next spring.

"At that time, this project, along with other projects, will be presented to the board for funding consideration," Inge said.

With transportation funding dollars scarce, the dueling proposals and political alliances have thrown the Gold Line project for a loop.

Still, the Gold Line extension has powerful allies.

Rep. David Dreier, R-Glendora, has said the project is a virtual done deal, though he's had to play "hard ball" with local leaders in Los Angeles over federal funding.

Additionally, the Gold Line extension is further along in its planning and environmental review process than the subway extension or other transit projects being considered, Hodor said.

"All the right-of-way is purchased. We have resolutions of support from all of these cities," she said. "We're really poised to begin construction as soon as these issues are resolved."

mason.stockstill@dailybulletin.com

(909) 483-9354

[JRinSoCal]

Damn, Ontario Airport is probably gonna get the Gold Line to it before LAX gets the Green Line to connect to it. Is that even still in the works?

[BrandonJXN]

Well yeah. 90% of the time I fly out of Ontario there's hardly anyone there.

How about Riverside County-Ontario Intl Airport?

Because Ontario is in San Bernadino County.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Because Ontario is in San Bernadino County.

And I completely forgot about that until just now :(

Okay, okay, my bad: San Bernardino-Ontario Intl. Airport.

[ReDSPork02]

Well yeah. 90% of the time I fly out of Ontario there's hardly anyone there.

How about Riverside County-Ontario Intl Airport?

UMMM The Airport is in San Bernardino County about 37 miles east of Downtown L.A.

oops someone already said that! sowy


http://images.forbes.com/images/2003/03/10/01_altairport.jpg

Distance From City: 35 miles
Rental Car Agencies On Site?: Yes
Number Of Airlines: nine major carriers, four regionals
Parking: 8,700 spaces
Passengers Served Annually: 6 million

There are several alternatives to LAX, which serves over 60 million annually, but we like Ontario because it's a bit closer to downtown L.A. than John Wayne Airport. Long Beach Airport is closer by ten miles but has only three carriers.

[tujunga]

Los Angeles owns the Ontario airport therefore it gets the name Los Angeles / Ontario.:tup:

[WesTheAngelino]

A Gold Line extension to ONT??????

That has got to be the most asinine thing I've ever heard. It makes no sense at any level. No one is going to ride a light rail that far to downtown L.A. (how long would that freakin take???). One could make the argument that it would be used primarily by people travelling within the IE, like from ONT to Pomona per example, but I cry bullshit on that. Only if someone lived within a few blocks of a station and worked a few blocks from another station would I ever imagine them using it. We're talking one of the most autocentric areas of the metro where existing transit service which would be used to connect those who don't live within walking distance of a station is totally sub par.

That this would get serious consideration before a rail link to LAX is perverse

[Wright Concept]

A Gold Line extension to ONT??????

That has got to be the most asinine thing I've ever heard. It makes no sense at any level. No one is going to ride a light rail that far to downtown L.A. (how long would that freakin take???). One could make the argument that it would be used primarily by people travelling within the IE, like from ONT to Pomona per example, but I cry bullshit on that. Only if someone lived within a few blocks of a station and worked a few blocks from another station would I ever imagine them using it. We're talking one of the most autocentric areas of the metro where existing transit service which would be used to connect those who don't live within walking distance of a station is totally sub par.

That this would get serious consideration before a rail link to LAX is perverse

Actually the majority of the stations along the Gold Line were part of the original 2-3 story city/town centers when the Red Cars ran through.

In terms of them getting it before LAX does, there could be a possiblity especially considering how our current Mayor is emphasizing regionalization of the airport system, this is a mechanism that they could use for their advantage and get additional $$$ to build it. Also there's less FAA/LAWA bullshit associated with Ontario as supposed to LAX.

In terms of ridership most of the riders that will use this service along the Foothill corridor, the Western most boundary is Pasadena. But this line in my mind shows that Metro should look at a zone based fare system for their busway and rail corridors. Where within a 12 mile distance or radius the fare is a base fare and for every additional zone an increase of 50-75 cents should be added. So that a rider traveling from Downtown to USC shouldn't have to pay more than a person traveling from Santa Monica to Montclair.

[solongfullerton]

LA need not feel insufficient because of our lack of airport to city transit. I've been to many cities in the US, Europe, and China, and the system that serves our airport is not that bad. For example, JFK has a monorail type train that connects to a subway line, but even with no tranfers, this trip is well over an hour, trust me i did it. ive also flown into Newark and taken the train into the city, which is also atleast an hour from terminal to Penn station. In Europe, getting into london from Heathrow is a minimum of an hour on the tube (unless you take the direct train that cost something like 17 pounds or $30 US). Athens just built a light rail to city from its new airport, and thats definitely no shorter than an hour. What im trying to get at, is that even though its nice to have the option to not drive, most of the time, its not wise to use trains, especially if youre on any kind of time schedule. Taxis are usually a much more efficient way of traveling to airports, especially if theres more than one person traveling (which obviously keeps the cost per peson down). Otherwise, direct limited service busses are also a good idea, ala Flyaway.

The only place ive been with efficient city to airport transit is Shanghai, with the 250+ mph maglev. however, even with the maglev, the station in the city is not in the center of the city, so you still have to take much slower transit to get there, then wait for your maglev train to get into the station.

Dont get me wrong, i would love to see a metrolink line that ran on the Harbor Subdivision past LAX and into the south bay communities, but i think this is more important to serve daily commuters rather than travelers. I think the best option for ontario airport is to have a shuttle that runs to the nearest metrolink station like in oakland. you get on a bus like those at lax, and they drive you to the coliseum a few miles away where you hop on a train about an hour away from the city. the only problem with ontario is that the nearest station is on the riverside line that doesnt run on weekends and has limited service during the week compared to the parellel san berdoo line just to the north.

[rs913]

Well, L.A. (and Ontario) certainly shouldn't feel insufficient, but I wouldn't say direct airport-to-city rail links are dogs. They let travelers avoid unpredictable rush-hour traffic and are still usually more economical for solo travelers than long-haul taxi rides or driving and parking at airports. You definitely don't want something like Oakland's AirBART bus. Half an hour on average, including wait time, to go three miles (from the terminal to the BART platform). It's the worst.

It's interesting that so many European and Asian cities have direct airport-to-shuttle rail links, but from something I read recently, there are only 5 US airports (JFK, Newark, DC-National, Atlanta, SFO) with direct terminal access by rail, i.e. you can get there without setting foot in a wheeled vehicle. I think the article said most of these rail links have had more than enough ridership to justify their existences.

Edited to add - the list is actually at least 12 airports, including O'Hare, Midway, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Portland. Who knew?

[Buckeye Native 001]

I took the CTA Blue Line from O'Hare to Downtown Chicago last summer. It was about a 45 minute trip, and for whatever reason, we crawled along the rails at the same pace as rush-hour traffic on the Kennedy (or whatever freeway that was)

[cookiejarvis]

solongfullerton, newark has the monorail. JFK has the airtrain light rail connection, which didn't open until 2002.

[Wright Concept]

http://www.sgvtribune.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=4816333&siteId=205

SGV Tribune (Sister Newspaper to LA Daily News)

To Ontario and beyond

THERE's something missing from the light rail lines and the Metrolink commuter trains criss-crossing Southern California. With one exception, none go to an airport.

It's a glaring oversight most associate with the Green Line and Los Angeles International. The light-rail trolley line runs the length of the Century (105) Freeway from Norwalk to Aviation Station, stopping well short of LAX. Was it bad planning or the taxi unions that killed the airport leg? The answer doesn't matter.

What does matter is that now there is an opportunity to do right by regional riders wishing to leave their cars behind to catch a plane for another destination. A proposal has surfaced to build the Gold Line Foothill Extension clear out to L.A./Ontario International Airport, beyond the planned terminus at the Montclair Transit Center.

Already, the 23.6-mile Gold Line extension planned from east Pasadena through the foothill cities to Montclair should be a No. 1 funding priority for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Connecting commuters to job centers and students to colleges (Claremont Colleges, Azusa Pacific University, Citrus College, Pasadena City College, Mt. Sierra College) will relieve congestion on local freeways and reduce air pollution. Adding a trolley stop at an airport elevates the project to a new level by adding a destination - providing air travelers a convenient and inexpensive way to reach Ontario Airport and fly to points beyond.

"It makes a lot of sense for transportation corridors to have a main place they're going to," Ontario Mayor Paul Leon told our staff writer, Mason Stockstill. "Isn't it much better to say `I'm going to Ontario Airport' ... rather than just saying we're going to head east until the rail line ends."

Hold on to your train strap: Common sense has entered the mass transit conversation in Southern California.

Other California cities have solved this no-brainer long before Los Angeles began thinking about it. In the Bay Area, BART connects to Oakland Airport and now, after a recently completed extension, goes right into San Francisco Airport (SFO). Bay Area residents can take the train to either airport and leave their car at home without worrying about long-term parking or scheduling a return shuttle. Air travelers to SFO can ride the BART directly to their destination.

About the closest we get to car-less air travel in the San Gabriel Valley is a 20-minute Gold Line ride to Union Station followed by a FlyAway bus directly to LAX. Going to Long Beach Airport requires a car and long-term parking or an airport shuttle. And Metrolink connects with Burbank Airport but costs a lot more than riding light-rail, and trains are not as frequent.

The Ontario City Council signed onto the idea Tuesday by joining a coalition of cities working for the extension of the L.A.-to-Pasadena trolley. Going to Ontario Airport originated, as far as we can tell, with Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas, who began talking about an ONT stop back in September.

Might the added stop build momentum for federal funding for the $1 billion foothill extension? We don't have the answer to that one. It may make way too much sense for regional transit regulators to sign off on.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Its was really no different than Islip, NY. Now tell me how many people know this airport is in the metro NYC area?

Both are far away from the city, but I think Islip maybe slightly further out from NYC and Ontario from LA. You're better off using Long Beach (which is really close) or even John Wayne for that matter. Unless you're specifically are heading to the Inland Empire, Victorville, or the San Gabriel Valley I can see using it as an alternate.


I flew into Islip, NY with Southwest and it was definitely a long, yet "fun" trip. You have to take a shuttle/taxi to the LIRR, then another hour-long ride on a really old train into Penn Station. It was interesting that while I was on the train, I heard a group of businessmen discussing real estate about LA! One of them said he worked out of the Library Tower and the other two, from Tennessee, listened attentively! haha :frog:

[solongfullerton]

solongfullerton, newark has the monorail. JFK has the airtrain light rail connection, which didn't open until 2002.

I know, ive been on both. My point wasn't that these airports lacked this connection, it had more to do the fact that just because these connections are there, doesnt mean its an efficient form of transportation between the city and the airport. The coolest airport to city connection ive ever seen is the helicopter from JFK to midtown or downtown manhattan. i think that this is a little too expensive for most of us.

[SSLL]

It makes sense, similar to Manchester/Boston and Gary/Chicago