Ontario International Airport Opens Terminal Dining, Shopping to Non-Travelers

Visiting the airport these days means you’ve either booked a flight or you’re simply dropping someone off or picking them up. However, as part of a new initiative from Southern California’s Ontario International Airport, travelers and locals can visit the airport’s terminals to dine and shop without need of a ticket. The new initiative also allows friends and family members to spend more time with travelers before their flights depart.

The program is christened ONT+ and those who wish to participate are required to register for a visitors pass online no more than seven days before heading to the airport. Registration includes an online application process and, once approved, visitors receive their ONT+ pass via email (printed passes are not accepted).

Once at the airport, the approved visitors pass acts the same as an airline ticket, permitting visitors to head behind security lines to access the terminals. Participants are held to the same security standards as any traveler and TSA-prohibited items are still not allowed in the terminals, regardless of whether or not a visitor to the airport is flying. Visitors are, likewise, still required to provide a TSA-approved photo ID at security checkpoints.

ONT+ was created in collaboration with TSA and is the first program of its kind in the United States.