What's in a name?

The Board of Airport Commissioners voted yesterday to change the name of the Ontario International Airport to the LA/Ontario International Airport. They also changed the name of the Palmdale Regional Airport to the LA/Palmdale Regional Airport. While this might seem minor, it will provide a major boost to the marketing of these two airports.

The new names help travelers understand that LA/Ontario and LA/Palmdale (once service restarts there) serve Los Angeles. They are not simply destinations on their own; they are gateways to Los Angeles and to Southern California. These are not the first airports to use their names to expand their markets. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Raleigh/Durham (RDU) and Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) all do the same thing. In fact, we even have a more local inspiration - the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Clearly we can't simply rename the airports and declare that we're regionalized. However, the renaming of the airports is a small, but effective step towards enhancing their visibility and viability. Congratulations to the Board for taking this step.


-Bill