SLO County airport launches new flight to San Diego this week
A new flight from San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport to San Diego will begin Tuesday, serving college students, business representatives, tourists and more. The Alaska Airlines, daily, nonstop service, will take just over an hour.
The flights are currently scheduled to depart from SLO at 2:10 p.m. and arrive in San Diego at 3:17 p.m. Flights to SLO leave San Diego at 12:15 p.m. and arrive here at 1:27 p.m.
The service will be operated by SkyWest Airlines as AlaskaSkyWest, on a Embraer E175 jet, typically consisting of 76 passenger seats, according to airport officials.
Costs for the flight currently range from about $150 to $400, but vary depending on day of the week, according to Alaska Airlines’ website.
“This will be a great new opportunity for a number of college students and their families to avoid a six- to seven-hour drive to get to SLO County from San Diego, depending on the time of day,” said Craig Piper, the airport’s assistant director. “And it’s an opportunity to attract tourism to the area as well. We’re excited about the new service.”
Three classes of seating will be offered: first class, premium and economy. Also, with the airline’s Wine Flies Free program, guests can check a case of wine with no baggage fee.
Alaska first launched a direct SLO flight to Seattle in 2017 and will begin daily service to Portland starting June 18.
“We are excited to expand our service to the San Luis Obispo area and further our commitment to the West Coast,” said Annabel Chang, Bay Area vice president of Alaska Airlines, in a statement. “In the air, Alaska guests will receive award-winning service and West Coast-inspired food and beverage. On the ground, they can experience California’s Central Coast bountiful food, wine and outdoor scene and even bring home a piece of their trip with our Wine Flies Free program.”
The flight will be the airport’s eighth destination offering daily, nonstop flights, including Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Denver and Portland.
A flight to Las Vegas also currently operates four days a week, Piper said.
The airport worked in coordination with local tourism marketing organization Visit SLO Cal to initiate the new service.
Visitor growth has increased 10.2 percent in the county over the past five years, according to the organization, which has helped to secure 10 new flights to six new markets in the last three years.
“Tourism is the second-largest industry in San Luis Obispo County, putting 20,680 industry professionals to work throughout the county each day,” Visit SLO Cal officials said in a recent statement announcing its new chief marketing officer Lisa Verbeck.
“Our air service development partnership with the airport and the county over the past three years has yielded incredible results,” said Chuck Davison, president and CEO of Visit SLO CAL, in a statement. “This new San Diego flight is a great example of the progress made when local government,non-profits and private business galvanize around a common goal.”
Based on a recent economic impact study conducted by the airport, commercial air service helps (the airport) contribute more than $85 million to the regional economy each year, officials said.
“We are thrilled to increase our connectivity within California, and are so excited to offer our region this direct link to San Diego’s beaches, businesses, and universities,” said Kevin Bumen, the airport’s director.
Tickets are now on sale for flights at alaskaair.com.
This story was originally published January 6, 2020 at 2:35 PM.
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