When the airport flight board displays flight number 471 arriving from Dallas/Fort Worth or flight 2112 arriving from Mexico City, Chicago, Phoenix or Seattle, we know that when the cabin door swings open and passengers begin their departure, for many this will be the first time arriving at Ontario International Airport in Ontario California. The pace may be quick or slow; rolling in a wheel chair, pushing an infant stroller, carrying a military issue duffel bag or simply striding leisurely to the escalator down to the Baggage Claim area. Passengers look around for the familiarity of other airports they have visited. These events are reenacted at nearly every airport, every hour, every day around the world. Until recently, I never really thought about the numbers of people who come to our airport for the first time.
Welcome to Ontario International Airport! For nearly 100 percent of the flying guests or waiting families that approach the Traveler's Aid information desk, this is their first visit. With this new experience comes questions, anxiety, expectations and concerns.
As with everything else in life, first impressions count! The first few words, spoken with a smile, "Welcome to Ontario International Airport" mean more to a traveler than simply, "Hello."
I have traveled to nearly a hundred airports around the world and which of those do I remember? I remember the beautiful spacious Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok and the art exhibits and museum spaces in Amsterdam. I remember the crowded and sometimes confusing excitement at Heathrow in London and the hot humid terminal space with broken water fountains in Mount Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania. I remember Charles deGaulle Airport in Paris and Ministro Pistarini in Buenos Aires. However, those places where I encountered a friendly personal "Welcome" and an authentic desire to help are the places that make me smile. There was the friendly information ambassador in Aukland, New Zealand directing us to a "Flyer Coach" to downtown, saving us considerable time, money and anxiety. There was the SATA airport employee at the tiny modern airport in the Azores Islands that asked if everything was alright when she noticed we were the last passengers out of the terminal. When the lights were being lowered in one wing of the Heathrow terminal, an airline employee from British Airways, came by to see if we needed anything. When our flight was canceled in the mid west and we were told that there were no more flights until the following day, a Southwest Airline employee managed two seats on a flight to an airport reasonably close to our original destination. When I arrived at Los Angeles with a broken leg a day out of surgery, we were greeted warmly by the gate personnel and wheel chair attendant. As we traveled the globe, there were many other instances when we were "Welcomed" as first time visitors.
During early ocean cruises and air travel to the Hawaiian Islands, each arriving passenger was greeted with a flower lei and warm "Aloha". Now, thousands of first time vacationers stream off airliners to quickly search for their baggage, shuttle to their rental cars, check into their hotels, secure their places on the beach, apply sun screen and "enjoy" paradise. What happened to that first island impression?
So, when our first time visitors arrive in Ontario, California, we want them to have a positive first experience. (As everyone says, it's all about the "experience!") Traveler's Aid Volunteers greet each guest with a genuine smile and an authentic "How may we assist you?" Many of the volunteers go one step further and ask, "Is this your first visit to Ontario International?" With a signal of affirmation, the red vested Volunteer continues with "Welcome to Ontario, California (not to be confused with Canada!) We hope you have a nice visit."
We care about every new guest that exits the aircraft and sets foot in our modern sparkling terminal, often recognizable from movies and television commercials such as AT&T, Capital One, Comcast, Microsoft, etc.
Ontario International Airport is located in the Inland Empire about twenty-five miles from downtown Los Angeles and sixty miles from world famous desert resort of Palm Springs. The airport is situated within view of the San Gabriel Mountains to the north, San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. The Pacific Ocean is about forty-five minutes away. During the Winter, snow can often be seen capping each of these lovely ranges. The Inland Empire was once thriving agricultural land but is now mainly suburban housing, recreation, fan-based sports, convention venues, light industry and distribution. It has a convention center, a sports complex, baseball stadium, universities and colleges, a motor speedway, great restaurants and shopping. It also has a rich history of indigenous peoples, early explorers, Spanish Land Grants and it's own western development.
Today, Ontario International Airport is considered to be a critical economic engine to this area. We want visitors to feel like they have arrived where people care. We want them to smile.
Traveler's Aid volunteers desire to share our airport and this slice of Southern California with new visitors and hope they will have a wonderful experience whether they are here for pleasure, business or in transit.
In 2015, some eighty Traveler's Aid volunteers of Ontario International Airport offered a warm, first time "Welcome" to some 90,000 new visitors to our airport and the community from six in the morning until nine at night, seven days a week. That's a lot of smiles and new friends. We're confident this first "Welcome" will translate into a return for a second visit.