TV Restaurants

Who Runs The Airliner Now? Bar Rescue Update (Los Angeles, CA)

New owners verified

As of September 2026, The Airliner operates under new ownership — confirmed via latimes.com, September 2023.

Primary source
latimes.com ·
Secondary source
la.eater.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: The Los Angeles Times (September 2023) and Eater LA (August 2023) both independently reported that the original Airliner closed by 2019 and that new owners reopened the same-name bar at the same address in fall 2023, with the bar's own current website confirming active hours and a menu.

  • Season / episode Season 6, Episode 16
  • Original air date
  • Address 2419 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90031

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What happened after Bar Rescue?

The Airliner, a century-old music venue and bar in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, was featured on the Bar Rescue episode "Not Cleared for Takeoff," which aired July 1, 2018. The episode depicted a storied venue that had fallen into disrepair under an owner who had lost his passion for the business, leaving the space run down and its live-music identity fading. Jon Taffer's team refreshed the bar and stage areas and rebuilt the drink and event program to bring back the venue's role as a neighborhood music spot; for the recon and grand reopening, the show brought in the band American Authors to perform. The bar's name was not changed as part of the relaunch.

Despite the rescue, the original iteration of The Airliner did not survive long term. According to Eater LA (August 2023) and the Los Angeles Times (September 2023), the bar had gone out of business by 2019, and the space sat closed for several years afterward. Both outlets reported that new owners, led by an operator named Nguyen and his partners, took over the space and reopened it in the fall of 2023 under the same Airliner name, with a substantially reworked pan-Asian bar-food menu, natural wines, and a renovated upstairs sound room.

Because two independent, dated news sources — Eater LA and the Los Angeles Times — both confirm the same-name reopening under new ownership, this record is coded as new_ownership with verified confidence. The bar's own current website lists active hours, a menu, and an events calendar at the same 2419 N Broadway address, and has been covered again since reopening by outlets including Resy and additional Eater LA features on notable new Los Angeles restaurants.

In short, according to Eater LA and the Los Angeles Times, The Airliner's Bar Rescue-era ownership had closed the business by 2019, but the name and the address survived: new owners revived it in 2023 as a still-operating bar and music venue carrying the same name the show featured.

Featured on Bar Rescue

Season / episode
Season 6, Episode 16
Original air date
Episode title
Not Cleared for Takeoff
What was featured
storied L.A. music venue in disrepair under disengaged owner
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
The Airliner

Frequently asked questions

Is The Airliner still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, The Airliner operates under new ownership — confirmed via latimes.com, September 2023.

What happened to The Airliner after Bar Rescue?

The Airliner, a century-old music venue and bar in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, was featured on the Bar Rescue episode "Not Cleared for Takeoff," which aired July 1, 2018. As of September 2026, The Airliner operates under new ownership — confirmed via latimes.com, September 2023.

What is The Airliner called now?

As of September 2026, The Airliner operates under new ownership — confirmed via latimes.com, September 2023.

Where is The Airliner located?

2419 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90031. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Bar Rescue featured The Airliner?

Season 6, Episode 16 of Bar Rescue, first aired July 1, 2018. The episode is titled “Not Cleared for Takeoff”.

Who owns The Airliner now?

As of September 2026, The Airliner operates under new ownership — confirmed via latimes.com, September 2023. We name individual owners only where a source we cite names them.

Did the makeover last at The Airliner?

The episode first aired July 1, 2018. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 8 years later —: As of September 2026, The Airliner operates under new ownership — confirmed via latimes.com, September 2023.

Is The Airliner still using the Bar Rescue menu or branding?

Both outlets reported that new owners, led by an operator named Nguyen and his partners, took over the space and reopened it in the fall of 2023 under the same Airliner name, with a substantially reworked pan-Asian bar-food menu, natural wines, and a renovated upstairs sound room. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
2419 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90031
Venue type
bar
Official website
barairliner.com

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Record br-149 · last verified .