The last time a new U.S. airline came to Ontario International Airport was a decade ago.
In the largest commitment of new air service out of Ontario since then, ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines announced Tuesday it will offer flights to Denver and Austin, Texas, starting in October. Service to Chicago"™s O"™Hare International Airport will begin in spring 2018, officials announced at a news conference in Terminal 2.
Tuesday"™s news helps fulfill a goal Inland leaders made to the region when taking back the reins of the airport from Los Angeles.
"Two of the hallmarks that we"™ve been looking for, and the demand that we"™ve seen from our customers, is more direct flights and lower fares. What better airline than Frontier to offer those two things," said Alan Wapner, Ontario councilman and president of the Ontario International Airport Authority.
Since the authority took control of ONT from Los Angeles World Airports on Nov. 1, passenger numbers have seen steady monthly increases.
Frontier spokeswoman Val Tyler said the carrier "had our eye on Ontario for a while," and was waiting to see if operating costs at the medium hub facility would decrease under local control…
