I live in between LAX/ONT on the LA side. Before UA/CO merged, 25% of my flights are out of ONT on CO.

In the last 3 years, I only flew out of ONT couple times. The reason? ONT is more expensive. After Jetblue cut ONT, the airfares from ONT went up a lot compared to LAX or SNA.

I like the convenience of ONT (short lines and easy parking), but it's hard to justify the fare differences. To save ONT, LAWA or whoever is taking over needs to offer incentives to get airlines fly there again. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area has more than 1.9 million people, more than Cleveland or Cincinnati. ONT deserves a better owner/management team.