Ontario airport expects high volume of travelers

ONTARIO, Calif. - More than 180,000 passengers are expected to pass through Ontario International Airport -- a popular alternative for Southland travelers -- during the Thanksgiving holiday period, a number airport officials said Thursday will nearly equal pre-pandemic volumes of Thanksgiving 2019.

Airport executives estimate 180,639 passengers will fly into and out of Ontario International Airport during the 11-day holiday travel period starting Friday and continuing through Nov. 29, based on airline schedules. That is just 1.2% fewer travelers compared to same period in 2019. The high point of travel is anticipated to be Wednesday, when more than 19,000 travelers are expected.

Airlines operating at Ontario International Airport are offering more than 209,000 seats, 2.8% less than the Thanksgiving holiday period in 2019, and more than 86% of those seats filled.

"We have been experiencing near pre-pandemic passenger volumes in recent months and we couldn't be happier to welcome our customers over Thanksgiving,"  Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority Board of Commissioners, said in a statement.

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Wapner added that airlines operating at Ontario International Airport are offering nonstop service to 25 destinations in 2021, six more than summer of 2019, and to cities such as Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Mexico City and San Salvador.

"As we return to near-normal travel routines, we look forward to delivering the same pre-pandemic hassle-free experience our customers had come to expect at Ontario," Wapner said.

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