The four airports serving Los Angeles County saw just over 6 million passengers go through their gates in February, up a slight 0.6% from last year.

But their performance was mixed. Two of the airports – Los Angeles International and Ontario International – saw increases in passenger tallies of 0.9% and 6.3% respectively. The other two airports – Hollywood Burbank and Long Beach – saw drops of 6.5% and 3.1%, respectively.

Passenger tallies in February 2025 were impacted by the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires as some tourists postponed trips or chose other destinations. That left significant room for improvement in this February’s passenger counts.

Yet the overall gain remained very slight, perhaps due in part to delays at some airports across the nation due to the start of a partial government shutdown that impacted the parent agency of the Transportation Security Administration.

The shortage of TSA agents became much more acute in March. Also, airfares soared due to aviation fuel spikes brought about by the U.S. and Israel’s joint attack on Iran and the resulting closure of the Persian Gulf. How much of an impact these factors will have on the March passenger numbers remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, air cargo tonnage showed hefty gains in the neighborhood of 10% in February at both LAX and Ontario.

Ontario biggest gainer

Passenger traffic at Ontario International rose 6.4% in February compared with the same month last year, by far the biggest gain of the two airports in positive territory.

Ontario airport authorities attribute this in part to stepped up marketing over the last several years after ownership of the airport returned to local control in 2016. (From 1967 to 2016, Los Angeles World Airports, which runs LAX, also ran Ontario’s airport.)

“As we approach 10 years of local ownership, (Ontario International Airport) has evolved into a gateway that reflects the energy and growth of the Inland Empire and greater Southern California,” Atif Elkadi, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority, said in the authority’s release of the February statistics.

“Our focus on accessibility and ease of travel continues to resonate with passengers and airlines alike, and we’re proud to play a central role in connecting this dynamic region to the world.”

As has been the case in recent months, the passenger increase at Ontario was primarily driven by a huge 55% gain in international passengers off a much smaller base a year ago. Domestic passenger traffic grew at a much more modest 2% clip.

LAX: A trend reversal?

While the percentage increase was bigger at Ontario, the 0.6% increase at LAX – the second consecutive year-over-year increase – appears to signal a trend reversal for the beleaguered airport. Through all of 2025, monthly passenger totals at LAX fell year-over-year for every single month, leaving the airport about 18% below pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Among the country’s major airports, LAX has lagged the most by far in the effort to recover fully from the Covid-19 pandemic. Most of those other airports have either recovered in full or have come very close to doing so.

Several factors may have contributed to declining passenger counts at LAX last year, including the fires, its lack of a major airline hub and a softening of the Asian travel market.

In February, though, both domestic and international passenger tallies showed gains in the neighborhood of 1% compared with February of last year.

Burbank posts biggest drop

On the flip side, passenger traffic was down considerably at both Hollywood Burbank and Long Beach airports, though for different reasons.

Hollywood Burbank recorded the bigger passenger count drop of 6.5%, mostly due to the impacts of restructuring two airlines.

Dania Beach, Florida-based Spirit Airlines Inc. has endured a bankruptcy and restructuring after a failed merger attempt with New York-based JetBlue Airways. As a result, the airline has sold hundreds of planes and cut scores of routes across the country. And Houston-based Avelo Airlines Inc.  announced last year that it was closing its West Coast hub at Burbank, exiting the airport entirely.

The combination of these restructurings has cost the airport tens of thousands of passengers each month.

The picture should brighten for Hollywood Burbank Airport later this year as five airlines – Seattle-based Alaska Airlines Inc., Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air, Cottonwood, Utah-based Breeze Airways, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. and JetBlue – have previously announced a total of 11 added flight routes.

Long Beach: As Southwest goes…

Meanwhile, Long Beach Airport remains tied to the fortunes of its dominant airline, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co., which accounts for nearly 90% of passengers at the municipal airport.

Over the past year, Southwest has instituted major changes – such as the end of open seating and new fees on checked baggage – that have prompted many travelers to drop their loyalty to the airline.

The result is that for most of the second half of last year and into this year, Long Beach Airport has experienced year-over-year drops in passenger tallies. February’s drop was 3.1%.

Cargo up at LAX and Ontario

Total cargo tonnage at the four airports rose 9.7% in February to 242,000 metric tons compared with the same month last year.

About 98% of the cargo flows through LAX and Ontario. LAX saw a 9.4% gain in air cargo tonnage, while Ontario beat that with a 10.3% gain.

The gains at Ontario were due to a 13.3% increase in air freight. The airport is near major freight goods warehouses throughout the Inland Empire.

“As a top 10 air cargo hub with world-class facilities, we take pride in delivering the first-rate customer service our shipping partners demand when they need it,” Elkadi, the Ontario airport chief, said in the release.

Air mail tonnage at Ontario fell 5.5%, due to the hangover from a major contract Atlanta-based United Parcel Service Inc. received in late 2024 from the U.S. Postal Service to move air mail through that airport.