Monday, January 10, 2005
Passenger traffic at Ontario International Airport could see record numbers
The Associated Press
ONTARIO, Calif. – Ontario International Airport’s passenger numbers for 2004 could set a surpass pre-September 11th levels and even set a record for the facility. Official numbers are not yet known, but airport officials say they expect to announce the good news by the end of the month.
If the airport did at least as well in December as it did in the same period a year ago, it will have served more than six-point-nine (m) million passengers in 2004.
Los Angeles International Airport is expected to close the year with 61 (m) million annual passengers — still below its 2000 level of 67 million.
Officials attributed the growth in Ontario to consumer confidence and a one-point-five (m) million dollar marketing and advertising campaign.
The recent expansion of low-cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways, traffic congestion around Los Angeles, and the reputation for longer security lines at Los Angeles International Airport also were cited as reasons for Ontario’s growth.
