TSA PreCheck usage at Ontario International Airport has doubled in two years, rising from 13% to 26% of all departing passengers — and hitting nearly 50% during peak periods in Terminal 4 — after the airport installed onsite Trusted Traveler Program enrollment kiosks in both terminals.
For hospitality operators, hotel groups, and travel-dependent food and beverage businesses serving Southern California's Inland Empire, the shift matters. Faster security throughput translates directly into more dwell time in terminal dining and retail, a dynamic that airport concession operators have long tracked as a leading indicator of per-passenger spend. As checkpoint queues shrink, travelers arrive at gates — and concession counters — with more time and less stress.
Facility Upgrades
Beyond the kiosk program, the airport recently completed an expansion of its Terminal 2 screening checkpoint to six lanes, adding a lane primarily dedicated to PreCheck travelers. A comparable dedicated lane is set to open as part of a Terminal 4 checkpoint expansion. Atif Elkadi, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority, called the TSA partnership "grounded in mutual trust and a shared vision of providing a safe, secure and seamless passenger experience," adding that the improvements aim to create "one of the most convenient airport journeys in Southern California."
Enrollment is handled in partnership with CLEAR, an authorized TSA PreCheck provider, with kiosks in both terminals operating on a walk-in basis — no appointment required. Existing members can also renew on site regardless of their original enrollment provider, lowering friction for frequent business travelers who represent a core hospitality segment.
Broader Traveler Services
The airport also hosts a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Global Entry Enrollment Center, one of only six in California, extending its appeal for international itineraries. Nationally, TSA reports that approximately 99% of PreCheck members wait 10 minutes or less at security. Members may keep shoes, belts, and light jackets on and leave laptops and compliant liquids in carry-on bags — a material convenience for road warriors moving through the airport multiple times a week.
ONT serves more than 7 million passengers annually with nonstop service across the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and Taiwan. The airport's investment in frictionless screening aligns with a broader industry pattern, explored in airport hospitality and foodservice trends, in which midsize airports compete with major hubs partly by delivering a faster, lower-stress passenger flow. For restaurateurs and concession holders operating in airport environments, that flow is the foundation of revenue — something restaurant operators in travel venues have increasingly built their unit economics around.
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.
