Departing Disneyland, Arriving Home
The newly renovated Ogden-Hinckley Airport offering flights to Orange County, California will soon have a restaurant
NEWS
Interior and exterior of the Ogden Airport. Photos by James Gordon
This article was first published in the June print edition of The Ogdenite newspaper.
When walking through the recently renovated Ogden-Hinckley Airport, it’s easy to see a strong sense of community pride. Murals from local artists depict downtown, Mount Ogden, Weber State University, and Ogden Pioneer Days. Guests are immediately greeted with photos of Disneyland when walking into the lobby, supplied by local travel agency Get Away Today. A car from Young Subaru is parked inside, advertising the rental cars they offer for $39 a day. The lobby houses a painted horse sculpture just like the ones found throughout downtown Ogden in the summer. Soon, a local restaurant — picked through a recent application process and to be announced shortly — will serve airport guests and locals alike.
Even when landing at the airport, guests are greeted with a view of the Wasatch Mountains and the “W” behind Weber State. It is a warm welcome to O-Town, which is exactly what Airport Marketing and Business Recruitment Manager KC Sanders wants it to be.
Sanders said that the airport’s renovations, including a new indoor baggage claim, are aimed at making the space a more welcoming avenue for leisure travelers. Anyone will be able to visit the restaurant, and even watch the planes take off, in an outdoor seating section. With shorter waits for checking bags and going through TSA, the goal is to make boarding a flight a smoother process for guests — 70% of which currently are families traveling to Disneyland, according to Sanders.
Breeze Airways started flying out of Ogden to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, in 2024, following the loss of Allegiant Airlines in 2022. Flights are offered Thursdays and Sundays, but Airport Director Brian Condie hopes to see flight options increase with time.
While the majority of the airport’s customer base is leisure travelers, this route is convenient for those with connections to California like Angel Elliott. Elliott splits her time between Orange County and Ogden, traveling with her dog, Rambo. She said there’s a clear difference in community between Ogden-Hinckley and other airports.
“Every time I leave and every time I get back there, they say hello, and I just feel like I know the people now. And even at the Breeze check-in, it’s the same two ladies,” Elliott said. “It’s a community feeling that you don’t really get anywhere else, but you’re still on a commercial flight, so it’s a cool combo.”
The airport’s renovations take its history into account. Condie was able to reuse blue letters spelling “Ogden” that originally hung on top of the old control tower, and there is even a display commemorating the scenes from “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers” that were filmed inside the airport.
According to Condie, guests heading to California can expect a 20-minute wait through TSA at most, compared to the standard two-hour recommendation for other airports. Expanding this convenience and ease is a major goal of the renovations, as well as keeping the airport uniquely Ogden. Travelers can find more info about the airport on Ogden City’s website.