The $301 average domestic itinerary – which includes all flights including connections for trips originating in Fresno – was tied for second with Charleston, South Carolina, and behind only the $302 cost at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Data from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics for the third quarter of 2020 indicates that Fresno Yosemite International Airport had one of the highest prices for an average domestic itinerary among the top 100 airports in the U.S. The high cost of flying from Fresno has long been a frequent complaint of passengers in the region. Houston Santa Barbara and Jackson, Miss.īoth Wasserman and Kevin Meikle, aviation director for the city of Fresno, said they expect Southwest’s entry into the Fresno market will spur greater competition in pricing and result in generally lower fares for passengers. Sarasota/Bradenton, Fla Savannah/Hilton Head serving Georgia and South Carolina Colorado Springs, Colo. In 2020, the carrier added service to Hilo, Hawaii Cozumel, Mexico Miami Palm Springs and Steamboat Springs and Montrose (Telluride), Colorado.īesides Fresno, the airline will commence service in the first half of 2021 to Chicago, Ill. cities and 10 foreign countries, and has been expanding its network.
The service is expected to begin with 143-seat jets, with the opportunity to grow into larger 175-seat versions if demand warrants. Southwest will fly its own mainline Boeing 737 jets for the two routes rather than partnering with a regional airline. In addition to the ticket pricing specials, Southwest allows each passenger to check two bags at no charge, and does not charge change fees for its tickets – “those are longstanding policies of which we’re quite proud,” Wasserman said. Wasserman said the service will launch with introductory promotional prices starting at $69 per person one way to Denver and $39 per person for a one-way ticket to Las Vegas. “All of these are cities we’ve looked at over time, but we just didn’t have the aircraft,” Wasserman added. … Rather than furlough people and park aircraft, we can use them in new markets like Fresno.”įresno is among several cities where Southwest is starting new services. “This allows us to redeploy aircraft and people into new markets. “Right now we find ourselves with excess aircraft (because) the pandemic has reduced demand for air travel,” he said. “This (pandemic) just pulled it forward.” “We probably would have done this at some year in the future,” Wasserman told The Bee. Wasserman said Fresno has been a possible market for expanding the airline’s service for several years, but the global coronavirus pandemic actually served to help accelerate the move as a means of keeping otherwise idle aircraft and flight crews in service.
“It’s a difficult drive from Fresno, but it’s an easy flight.” It also represents an opportunity for Fresno passengers to connect to flights to 50 other destinations.Īdditionally, “Las Vegas is a popular destination no matter where you live,” he said. Southwest will fly one daily round trip between Fresno and Denver, and three daily round trips between Fresno and Las Vegas.Īndrew Wasserman, Southwest’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said the two cities were selected because the airline already has a significant presence in each city. The airline, which has long been coveted by Fresno city officials and Valley travelers, officially unveiled its plans Thursday, about a month after initially announcing its intention to begin flights to and from Fresno Yosemite International Airport. Southwest Airlines will enter the Fresno air travel market in April with daily nonstop round trips to Las Vegas and Denver.
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