Ontario International Airport (flyOntario.com) earned a score of 705 in the JD Power 2026 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, landing No. 2 among all medium-sized airports in North America for the second consecutive year. The airport trailed the top-ranked airport by just seven points — and outright led the medium-sized category in two dimensions: Arrival/From Airport Experience and overall level of trust.
For food, beverage, and retail operators with concessions at ONT, the back-to-back result is more than a trophy. The JD Power methodology explicitly scores the food, beverage, and retail experience as one of seven satisfaction dimensions, meaning tenant operators directly shape the airport's competitive standing in the study. A high aggregate score signals that the guest experience — including dining and beverage options — is meeting or exceeding traveler expectations at a facility now on track to serve more than 7 million passengers annually.
Growth Fueling Opportunity
Passenger volumes at ONT have risen 75% since the airport returned to local ownership in 2016, a trajectory that has steadily expanded the addressable market for concessionaires. That growth rate outpaces many legacy hub airports and has made Ontario an increasingly attractive footprint for foodservice brands and hospitality operators evaluating airport expansion. For context on how airport F&B programs influence broader satisfaction metrics, restaurant and hospitality industry analysis shows that speed of service, local menu relevance, and digital ordering integration are now primary satisfaction drivers in the airport channel.
Atif Elkadi, Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority, framed the recognition in terms of sustained operational culture rather than a single-year performance. "Passengers are telling us they trust ONT, they value the experience we provide and they feel the difference when they travel through our airport," he said. "Ranking No. 1 in both passenger experience upon arrival and level of trust speaks volumes about our people and the culture we have built here."
What Operators Should Watch
Elkadi also signaled that expansion is coming. The airport is preparing what he described as "the next generation" of facilities, and he was explicit that growth in passenger volume and new destinations must not compromise the experience travelers have come to expect. For prospective and incumbent F&B and hospitality partners, that framing suggests capital investment in terminal infrastructure is on the horizon — and that brand selection for new concession cycles will likely prioritize operators who can maintain quality at scale.
The competitive airport concessions landscape has intensified in recent years as beverage and foodservice brands increasingly view travel retail as a high-margin, captive-audience channel. Ontario's demonstrated satisfaction trajectory and its Southern California catchment area — drawing from the Inland Empire, a region with one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S. — position it as a market worth serious attention for operators planning their next airport bid cycle.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
