FAA figures show LAX handled 56.5 million passengers last year, down 5.5% from the year before. And traffic at Ontario dipped 9.6%. Analysts blame the downturn on high fuel prices and the recession. The nation's economic downturn continued to pound the Los Angeles airport system in 2009, causing LAX to shed millions of passengers while the number at Ontario International Airport fell to a level not seen in two decades.