Muristek
Santa Barbara Airport to add two nonstop routes this summer KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTOSA Southwest airline passenger jet rolls into Santa Barbara Airport. Southwest is adding a daily flight from Santa Barbara to Sacramento beginning June 5. The flight is scheduled to take off each day at 10 a.m.
Two new non-stop routes will take off from the Santa Barbara Airport this summer.
United Airlines is bringing back its seasonal service to Chicago-OHare (ORD) beginning June 3. This will be a red-eye flight — the first for the airport — with departures every night at 11:45 p.m. except for Saturdays.
Additionally, Southwest is adding a daily flight from Santa Barbara to Sacramento (SMF) beginning June 5. This flight is scheduled to depart daily at 10 a.m.
Airport officials are preparing for an increase in capacity for the current routes this summer. American Airlines is expected to increase capacity on its flights to Dallas (DFW) and Phoenix (PHX). United Airlines is increasing capacity on flights to Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO).
“At the Santa Barbara Airport, monthly passenger counts are expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels throughout the coming months as we anticipate a record year in 2022,” said Brain D’Amour, the interim airport director.“As an attractive domestic leisure destination, Santa Barbara has enjoyed a strong recovery following significant travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Santa Barbara Airport, monthly passenger counts are expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels throughout the coming months as we anticipate a record year in 2022,” Brain D’Amour, the interim airport director, said. “The Santa Barbara Airport is honored to be able to provide services that contribute to the economic vitality of our region.”
In a news release, the airport said it experienced a faster-than-predicted operational recovery in 2021.
The airport served more than 873,000 commercial passengers last year, a 129% year-over-year increase from 2020. The airport has served about 180,000 passengers so far in 2022, according to the airport.
The airport is planning special events in the summer to celebrate the launch of the two non-stop flights.
And the Santa Barbara Airport is beginning a nighttime remediation project this week that is expected to last until June. The project, which is removing and replacing contaminated soil from a 2019 crash, is not expected to impact normally scheduled airport operations.
Meanwhile, the Transportation Security Administration has extended its mask mandate on public transportation and transportation hubs — which includes planes and airports — until at least April 18.
Airlines for America’s Board of Directors recently sent a letter to the Biden administration urging the lifting of the pandemic regulations, including the federal mask mandate and international pre-departure testing requirements. Signatories included the leaders of Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others.email: kschallhorn@newspress.com
The post More flights added at SBA appeared first on Santa Barbara News-Press.