Ontario International Airport has launched a program to open the airport’s shops, restaurants and terminals to non-travelers.
The ONT+ Visitor Pass Program allows those who aren’t traveling to fill out a virtual visitor pass that acts like a boarding pass, letting them enter federal Transportation Security Administration checkpoints and the airport’s terminals for the first time in about two decades.
“I remember when I was a kid I would go to the airport and either plane watch or people watch or wait for relatives to fly in,” said Dean Brown, the airport’s public safety administrator. “Back then it was a cool thing to do … . We are in an era where we can provide that same experience in a safe manner using technology that is fully integrated into the TSA database.”
With the new program, guests can greet family members at their gate, wait with family or friends before their flight and check out other Ontario airport amenities such as restaurants and shops.
“Now there is a safe way to actually do it (open up to terminals) where the non-traveling public will be vetted the same way that an airline passenger would,” Brown said. “It is fully automated and integrated into TSA’s database.”
The terminals have been restricted to non-travelers for more than 20 years. Ontario is one of the first airports in the country to use the program.
Previously, Ontario and other airports had used a paper visitor’s pass, which was filled out and verified at the airport.
Brown said he worked with TSA over a one-year period to create a fully-automated program that is integrated into the TSA database.
Visitors planning to check out the airport will go online and fill out an application with their personal information that will be verified through Secure Flight, a pre-screening program the TSA created in 2009. The program verifies that visitors are not on a prohibited list and are free to fly, or in this case, to visit terminals.
Once cleared, non-travelers receive a virtual pass they can check at the ground-level queue before continuing to the TSA checkpoint on the airport’s second level.
Visitors can make a reservation up to seven days before their planned trip or they can fill out the online application on the spot. According to Brown, the process should take three minutes to finish once guests have submitted their information.
There will be a limit on reservations made each hour, based on TSA’s ability to screen people safely.
TSA’s “primary focus is screening how many passengers can get on a plane,” Brown said. “But if they have the capacity and can do it safely they have allowed us a certain number an hour of non-flying persons to go through a screening.”
According to Brown, new businesses already are entering the airport and they will enhance the visitor experience. X-Brewery and a second Dunkin’ are expected to open in the airport as well as other shops and restaurants.
“Certainly it benefits Ontario by economically bringing more visitors into the city and creating more jobs in the area,” said Alan Wapner, an Ontario city council member and president of the Ontario International Airport Authority board. “So this is just one more amenity that we can add to economic development.”
Non-traveling visitors can visit the Ontario airport website to fill out a visitor pass.
