ONTARIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Click here to visit the ONT terminal in 2003



An artist's rendering of the new terminal building at Ontario Regional Airport, which was completed in 1962.

In the early 1960s, Ontario Regional Airport was a sleepy place, a former World War II training facility that saw limited use by local-service carriers such as Bonanza and Pacific Southwest Airlines. The Inland Valley area was still largely undeveloped, although suburban development was beginning to encroach on the orchards that surrounded the airport. Most airline passengers from the area had to make the long drive west to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

LAX's coastal location made it especially susceptible to fog, however - and on those days, Ontario was its savior. On foggy days, more than 20 diverted jet aircraft would touch down at ONT in the span of just a few hours. The hordes of jet passengers overwhelmed the modest terminal building, a former WWII barracks and movie theater that had been pressed into passenger service after 1945. With an eye towards the future, airport officials planned a larger terminal, one that could accommodate the occasional crowds and still handle Ontario's day-to-day needs.

When the building was opened in 1962, it consisted of a single block-style structure. A trellis-like 'screen' defined the front of the building architecturally. The interior was laid out very simply, with ticketing and baggage reclaim right alongside one another, and a covered boaring arcade stretching along the airside. The arcade opened up to an apron large enough to handle multiple jet aircraft on foggy days.


Four views of the ONT terminal from 1967. At upper left is the original departure lounge with the Sky Lounge restaurant in the background. At upper right, passengers observe a Western L188 Electra from the covered boarding arcade. Lower left shows the exterior of the terminal with its trellis design. At lower right, passengers deplane a Bonanza F27 in front of the original boarding arcade.Reprinted from 1967 Los Angeles World Airports annual report


Two aerial views of ONT from 1967. The second is a close-up of the terminal area. At upper center, the terminal stands in its original configuration. The white building on the right (adjacent to the control tower) was the passenger terminal from 1945-1962. Reprinted from 1967 Los Angeles World Airports annual report


The main entrance and boarding arcade of the Ontario terminal as they looked in 1968. Reprinted from 1968 Los Angeles World Airports annual report

With the development of more sophisticated ILS systems in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the jets were able to land at LAX more frequently and ONT saw less and less use as a diversionary field. The airfield began to develop its own passenger base, drawing from the fast-growing residential towns surrounding it. By 1970, American, Western, Continental and United were all serving Ontario, along with PSA, Air California and Hughes Airwest. The terminal building was enlarged in the early 1970s to include a second boarding arcade with additional gates, as well as more ticketing space.


Pages taken from the 1967 and 1968 Los Angeles World Airports annual report showing ONT and detailing plans for expansion.


A view of the ONT terminal in the mid- to late 1970s. On the apron are a Western 737, Hughes Airwest DC9 and TWA 727-100. Also visible is the expanded ticket wing (foreground).
Courtesy of Jim Kruggel

Ontario really boomed after deregulation in 1978. That year, a major expansion to the terminal building was undertaken - the cornerstone of which was an extension to the main lobby area with more seating and concession space for departing passengers. A futuristic stained-glass mural entitled "Space Sunset" was installed on a floor-to-ceiling glass wall in this new extension. The additions came just in time, as newcomers like Alaska, Republic, Delta, Southwest and TWA began flying to ONT. In 1981, a 10,000 foot parallel runway for widebody aircraft was built south of the existing runway.


A map of ONT as it appeared in 1981. From a United Airlines service guide courtesy of Tom Moore


An aerial view across the Ontario terminal area in early 1985. The new Delta terminal is under construction - mostly complete, but awaiting its two jetway gates. Also note the Eastern 757 parked at the end of the east concourse.


A view of the Ontario terminal area taken from what was then ONT's main control tower in 1986. The building in the foreground is the original 1962 structure, housing ticket counters. Baggage claim is at the far end of the facility. The 1978 lobby extension and "Space Sunset" mural are visible in the center of the building (the white and brown-brick taller section). In the distance, the then-new Delta terminal (with its loading bridges) can be seen, along with a Western 737 and TWA MD80. Additional gates and aircraft parking positions, as well as another boarding concourse, are located behind the photographer. Photo by Tom Moore


A series of pictures taken inside Ontario's ticketing hall in 1986 as the photographer walked from the main (east) lobby towards the secondary west lobby. Ticket counters at ONT were ordered, from east to west: Western, Republic, TWA, United, Alaska, PSA, Air Cal, and American. In the third picture, the hallway to the west lobby is visible. Photos by Tom Moore

As early as the late 1970s, airport officials were contemplating the construction of a new terminal complex to replace the existing one. Overcrowding in the main terminal led new entrant Delta to build its own satellite terminal in 1985 - a simple one-level structure that had Ontario's first jetway loading bridge. It was located slightly northeast of the main complex. A second outdoor baggage claim area, adjacent to the west lobby, was also added in the early 1980s.


A view inside Ontario's east lobby in 1986. The "Space Sunset" mural is at right. The terminal did not have individual gate holdrooms at this time; note the service desks (ordinarily located at each gate) at the left and right of the main hallway. Reprinted from 1986 Los Angeles World Airports annual report


Looking across Ontario's ramp from the control tower on an early morning in 1986. The west concourse runs across the center of the photo. The building at lower left is one of the baggage claim areas (note the corridor connecting it to the west concourse). Also visible are several United, American and AirCal aircraft. Reprinted from 1986 Los Angeles World Airports annual report.


Passengers deplane a United 737 parked on the east concourse in 1987. The east lobby and "Space Sunset" mural are visible at left. Reprinted from 1987 Los Angeles World Airports annual report


A diagram of ONT from 1987.
From the Airport Pocket Guide courtesy of Tom Moore


A Continental 727 parked on Ontario's west concourse in 1989. Note the ramp clutter.

Planning for a new terminal was well underway by 1990, but became bogged down in environmental issues and land ownership fights. In the meantime, flights to ONT were increasing. When PSA and Air Cal were purchased in 1987 and their route structures dismantled, Southwest Airlines moved in, quickly took over the California intrastate market, and became the airport's dominant carrier. Construction finally got underway on the new Ontario terminal complex in 1995-1996.


A great bird's eye view of ONT in the mid-1990s, showing the entire terminal complex and the site of today's terminals at top center. Enclosed holdrooms have been added at most gates; also noteworthy is the airport's sole jetway, attached to Delta's unit terminal.
Courtesy of Jim Kruggel


An aerial view and navigational map of ONT, both from the early 1990s. In the photo, the existing terminal area can be seen to the left, with the two new terminals under construction to the right.

The building was strained beyond capacity during its final years, both on the airside and landside. Enclosed air-conditioned "holdrooms" were constructed along the outdoor boarding arcades in an effort to remove passengers from the two public lobbies and expand the security checkpoints.


A closeup of the "Space Sunset" mural, taken from the 1997 ONT annual report.
Courtesy of Jim Kruggel


Boarding the old-fashioned way at ONT in 1997. United occupied the first gate holdroom off the east lobby. Delta was the only airline with jetways at ONT.
Courtesy of Jim Kruggel


Two photos of various aircraft at Ontario, taken in 1995 and 1997. In the first, one of the new holdrooms is visible beyond the nose of the America West 737. In the second, the jetway at Delta's unit terminal can be seen in the background. The second photo gives an idea of the cluttered conditions on ONT's ramp. Photos by Austin Holmes


An aerial view of the ONT terminal in 1998, just prior to its closure.


A postcard showing the old Ontario terminal (including the gate holdrooms and two Southwest 737s) in the mid 1990s, before the complex closed. Courtesy of Tom Moore

The airlines using Ontario - United, American, Delta, Continental, TWA, Northwest, Southwest, America West, and Reno Air - finally moved into twin new terminals in 1998. The old terminal complex was left largely intact. Officials plan to turn much of it into a cargo complex, although the idea of converting part of it into a permanent international arrivals facility is also being discussed.

In 2002, a portion of the original terminal was used in the Steven Spielberg film "Catch Me If You Can." In the film (set in the early 1960s), ONT is made up to be Miami's airport. Numerous shots of the curbside area, ticketing hall and east main lobby (including the "Space Sunset" mural) appear in the film. The producers even went so far as to put up signs for Eastern, TWA and Pan Am in the building.


A satellite view of the disused ONT terminal in 2001. The Delta satellite building is in the top right corner, although its jetways have been removed. Sixteen aircraft parking bays are visible. The parking lot is still used as a remote parking facility.

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