Southwest launches first Santa Barbara Airport flight — with balloons, water cannon salute

Missy Olson was exuberant Monday as she prepared to board the first Southwest Airlines flight from the Santa Barbara Airport to Las Vegas.

“I am so excited. I feel amazing,” she told Noozhawk. “Me and my two friends are getting out of town finally. We got our vaccinations, and we’re taking advantage.”

The 44-year-old Santa Barbara resident, who runs her own wellness company, said she was a regular visitor to Las Vegas prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and she’s ready to return.

“I’m excited about being on the first flight,” Olson said. “It’s going to be something new, and I’m excited to be a part of that.”

After the Dallas-based airline’s California One Boeing 737 aircraft — with its distinctive state flag livery — touched down with its first load of Las Vegas passengers, it was provided a water-cannon salute by the airport’s two firefighting crash trucks.

Inside the terminal, Day One of Southwest’s service locally brought a party-like atmosphere.

An arch of balloons in the airline’s colors — red, blue and gold — marked the entrance to the jetway, and arriving and departing passengers were met by applause and airport employees handing out cookies and bags of goodies.

There were 100 passengers booked on the first outbound flight on an aircraft that generally seats about 140 people, according to Deanna Zachrisson, airport business development manager.

Southwest, the nation’s largest domestic carrier, is starting in Santa Barbara with daily flights to Denver and Oakland, in addition to Las Vegas.

Airport officials say the airline is poised to become the dominant player in the Santa Barbara market.

This story was originally published April 12, 2021 at 3:31 PM.