Central Coast airport is losing flights to this desert destination. Here’s when

Flight schedules are changing at one Central Coast airport.

Santa Maria Airport will lose direct service to a popular desert destination in the spring, effectively halving its options for travelers.

However, local passengers still have other options to reach the Southwest city.

Here’s what to know:

When do direct flights to Phoenix end?

American Airlines will permanently discontinue direct flights from Santa Maria to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in early May.

Santa Maria Airport launched twice-daily nonstop flights to and from to the Arizona city in October, The Tribune previously reported.

“Whether it’s going to Phoenix for spring training or seeing family or connecting to the more than 100 destinations that American Airlines serves from Phoenix, this new service will help our residents’ quality of life,” Nash Moreno, president of the Santa Maria Public Airport District, said in an Oct. 15 news release.

Airport officials also said direct flights to Phoenix would be a “major boost to the entire region economically, allowing local businesses easier access to the national transportation system.”

Martin J. Pehl, the Santa Maria airport’s general manager, said that low demand played a role in the decision to end nonstop service to Phoenix.

“Unfortunately, the service did not meet the performance expectations required by the airline,” Pehl told The Santa Maria Times in March.

According to the American Airlines website, the last day to fly nonstop to and from Phoenix will be Wednesday, May 6.

On that day, there will be two flights departing from Santa Maria, at 5:03 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Only one flight will return from Phoenix on the same day, arriving at 3:33 p.m.

How much does it cost to fly nonstop to Arizona?

As of Monday, March 23, a one-way plane ticket to Phoenix started at $199.

You can book a flight online on AA.com or via the American Airlines mobile app.

Can I still fly nonstop to Phoenix from Central Coast?

As of Monday, two other Central Coast airports offered direct flights to Phoenix: San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport and Santa Barbara Airport.

American Airlines typically offers three nonstop flights from the San Luis Obispo airport to Phoenix each day.

However, the airline is reducing its daily direct service to Phoenix on May 3, The Tribune previously reported.

One-way nonstop flights from San Luis Obispo to Phoenix start at $406, with prices depending on the day, according to Google Flights.

Santa Barbara Airport also offers nonstop flights to Phoenix, and at a cheaper rate than the SLO airport.

Typically, there are three to five flights to the Arizona city per day.

Direct round-trip flights from Santa Barbara start $406, according to Google Flights.

Where else can I fly direct from Santa Maria?

The Santa Maria airport also offers direct flights to Las Vegas though Allegiant Air.

Once-a-day flights are available on Thursday and Sunday.

As of Monday, one-way tickets from Santa Maria to Harry Reid International Airport in Nevada cost as little as $44.

From Las Vegas, you can grab a connecting flight to Phoenix via Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines or American Airlines for $64 or more, according to Google Flights.

In contrast, it takes about eight hours to drive the roughly 530-mile route from Santa Maria.