PBS “The Travel Detective” Highlights Success of SoCal’s Ontario International Airport

A new episode of the popular PBS program “The Travel Detective with Peter Greenberg” investigates the resurgence of Southern California’s Ontario International Airport (ONT).

Episode 6 of Season 6 will air and stream on PBS stations and websites in the coming weeks. Viewers should check local Public Broadcasting System schedules for air dates and times. (In Southern California it can be viewed on PBS SoCal 2 at 7 p.m. September 15, 2020.)

The segment, reported by Scott McCartney, travel editor and “The Middle Seat” columnist for The Wall Street Journal, explores the importance of secondary airports and ONT’s rise as a preferred regional airport in the metropolitan Los Angeles region since its transfer from the City of Los Angeles to local control under the Ontario International Airport Authority.

“Ours is a powerful story of perseverance and resurgence since the ownership change less than four years ago,” said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. “Ontario Airport’s comeback as an international aviation gateway for Southern California is a testament to all who believed it could again be an attractive low-cost alternative for airlines and an economic engine for the Inland Empire, while delivering a first-rate, hassle-free experience for customers.

Thorpe noted that although the episode was produced in the weeks leading up to the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic, it is particularly timely given the recent resumption of commercial air service from ONT to popular destinations including Atlanta, Chicago and Houston along with the forthcoming launch of new international service to Mexico City. As such, the Travel Detective episode notes, it can serve as a case study for other second airports across the U.S.

Greenberg, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and host of the program, is the CBS News Travel Editor. He appears regularly on CBS programs including “CBS This Morning” and the “CBS Evening News.” His website is a leading travel news resource for consumers and industry insiders alike.

Ontario was the fastest-growing airport in 2019, the second straight year it achieved the honor, with more than 5.5 million airline passengers.