Need to get to LA? You can’t fly from SLO as airport suspends more routes
Flights to two major California destinations out of San Luis Obispo have been suspended, and a third to a new Oregon hub has been postponed.
United Airlines has suspended its flights between Los Angeles and SLO, and Alaska Airlines has suspended its service between SLO and San Diego due to the economic impact of coronavirus on air travel, said Kevin Bumen, the airport’s director.
A third, planned new flight to Portland out of SLO, intended to start in June, has been postponed by Alaska Airlines until the fall.
Bumen said the Portland flight could now launch in September or October.
Airport travel is down to 5% of normal out of the SLO airport, which is still offering service to five destinations — San Francisco, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix and Seattle, Bumen said.
“We know air travel will come back in some form,” Bumen said. “But right now, we’re seeing anywhere from 3% to 7% of the travel we’d normally see on a given day.”
The airport’s contracts with airlines make up part of the facility’s revenue stream, which include landing fees and other financial arrangements, Bumen said.
“When airlines are not operating, fees go down dramatically,” Bumen said.
SLO County Airport revenues impacted by flight decline
The airport also brings in money through parking fees, which can bring in $200,000 to $250,000 per month, which is now down to as little as about $2,000 per month.
Bumen said airport officials will closely monitor public health guidelines and ways to accommodate best practices when air travel increases as restrictions are lifted.
“Right now, it’s fairly easy for airlines to accommodate physical distancing on flights because of the low numbers of travelers, and we’re not exactly sure how that might work when flights get busier, but we think there are some things that can be done,” Bumen said.
A Contour Airlines flight between San Luis Obispo and Las Vegas was canceled at the end of March, and Bumen is unsure when or if it might come back.
“Las Vegas already has its own challenges with gaming (economic impact),” Bumen said. “We’re a small market, and likely we’d have to see (Contour Airlines) flights return at larger markets like Denver to Vegas before we’d get that flight back. But it was very successful from SLO, and I was pleased by that before the pandemic hit.”
The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport announced last week that it received a $20 million stimulus grant to help it recover from lost revenues due to a massive decline in air travel.
The funding comes as part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (C.A.R.E.S.) Act Airport Grant Program.
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