Cumulative passenger traffic at the four airports serving Los Angeles County came in flat during the first quarter of the year.

According to data released by the airport governing authorities, roughly 20.17 million passengers traveled through Los Angeles International, Ontario International, Hollywood Burbank and Long Beach airports from January to March. That tally rose less than 0.1% from the 20.15 million passengers that went through the airports during the same period last year.

For the first two months of the quarter, a recovery in air travel appeared to take hold, with slight gains in cumulative passenger traffic at the four airports. However, soaring jet fuel costs resulting from the war with Iran and Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages nipped the recovery in the bud.

“We were just starting to see some green shoots of added flights in January and February and then, ‘boom!’ the Iran war happened and jet fuel prices went through the roof,” John Ackerman, chief executive of Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that runs LAX, said in an interview with the Business Journal late last month.

The impacts of all these developments hit unevenly at the four airports. Ontario International stood out as the only major gainer in passengers during the first quarter, up 4.1% from the same period last year. LAX posted a slight gain of 0.5%. On the negative side of the ledger, Burbank and Long Beach fell 5.1% and 6.4% respectively.

Air cargo handling was a different matter. Cargo tonnages increased at all four airports during the quarter, resulting in a cumulative gain of 4.8% from the same period last year. A less dire picture on the tariff front and strong consumer demand in this country helped spur the gains.

Ontario biggest gainer during quarter

Ontario International Airport resumed its growth trajectory during the first quarter following a brief slowdown late last year.

In March, the airport bucked the larger regional trend and posted a 2.7% gain while the other three airports reported declines in passengers. That growth was entirely due to a 58% surge in international passengers during the quarter compared to the same period last year.

“Our continued passenger growth in March is a direct reflection of the confidence our airline partners and passengers have in (Ontario International Airport) and in our team’s commitment to delivering a high-quality experience every single day,” said Atif Elkadi, chief executive of the Ontario International Airport Authority, said in a statement.

Ontario has become one of the fastest-growing airports in the country, thanks in part to an aggressive marketing push since the Covid-19 pandemic. Last quarter, more than 1.6 million passengers went through the gates, jumping 29.3% from the same period in pre-pandemic 2019.

LAX ekes out slight gain

During the first quarter, 16.51 million passengers went through the terminal gates at LAX, up 0.5% from the same period last year. In a trend reversal, domestic passenger traffic rose nearly 1% during the quarter. International traffic continued its trend of slight declines, slipping 0.5%.

However, LAX is still 18% short of pre-pandemic 2019 passenger levels. It’s the only airport in the country with more than 60 million annual passengers that has lagged so far behind. Most of the other airports have either recovered fully or almost entirely.

Ackerman said one major reason is that the airport lacks a major airline hub, such as Delta Air Lines has on its home turf at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Burbank and Long Beach down

While LAX appears to have stabilized on the passenger front, Burbank and Long Beach airports continue to post drops in passengers.

In Burbank’s case, the 5.2% drop during the first quarter was mostly due to the impacts of flight cuts by two airlines.

Dania Beach, Florida-based Spirit Airlines Inc. was going through the final throes of bankruptcy and restructuring after a failed merger attempt with New York-based JetBlue Airways – the airline finally called it quits this month. And Houston-based Avelo Airlines Inc.  announced last year it was closing its West Coast hub at Burbank, exiting the airport entirely.

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.

Meanwhile, Long Beach Airport remains tied to the fortunes of its dominant airline, Southwest, 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. The first quarter drop of 6.4% was the largest of any of the four airports.

There may be some hope later this year at Long Beach. Earlier this month, Seattle-based Alaska Airlines Inc. announced it will return to the airport this fall after a decade-long hiatus. The airline plans twice daily flights to Seattle starting Sept. 8. Currently, only Southwest, Delta and Hawaiian Airlines serve Long Beach.

Cargo up, up and away…

While all four airports handle some air cargo, 98% of the total tonnage is handled at just two of the airports, LAX and Ontario. Both airports reported increases in the same month.

Ontario posted a 9.2% increase in air cargo tonnage for the first quarter, led by a 12.7% increase in air freight.

“The continued monthly double-digit growth in air freight activity is gratifying and bodes well for Ontario International’s growing contribution to the economic impact of our airport in the region,” Elkadi said.

LAX posted a 2.7% increase in air cargo tonnage during the quarter compared to the same period last year.