Let’s look at six other medium size cities in northern California and southern Oregon to see what their commercial air service consists of. Bear in mind that each city is its own unique market – just because City A has XYZ Airlines doesn’t mean that City B should, too – but it’s useful to be aware of what else is around us. At the end of the post are links to Wikipedia articles about each airport.
REDDING (RDD)
Presently Redding has exactly the same SlyWest/United Express service that Chico does: Three flights each direction to San Francisco on the same Embraer turboprops that serve Chico. During the summer, (6 June-26 August) Redding will enjoy a fourth round-trip to San Francisco and then it’s back to three daily flights.
Last September Redding made a pitch to United for nonstop regional jet service to Denver but has yet to receive an answer. (Article from Redding Record Searchlight)
Up until two years ago, Redding had two carriers. Horizon Air, the regional subsidiary of Alaska Airlines served Redding for many years from Portland, using 76 passenger Bombardier Q400 turboprops. In 2005, Horizon added southbound nonstop service to Los Angeles (LAX) which was well-received initially. (The service was in conjunction with L.A. service from Eureka.) But after a change in strategy that eliminated Horizon flights to several cities, all service to Redding was dropped in April 2011, and Redding has found itself a one-airline town ever since. Rod Dinger, Redding’s long-time airport manager, is diligent in pursuing opportunities but Redding faces many of the same issues as Chico.
One big advantage Redding has that Chico does not, is already having in place the security and waiting room facilities to handle larger aircraft. It’s an attractive airport – I used it some years when flying from Redding to Portland on Horizon Air. It even has Peter Chu’s Skyroom, a Chinese restaurant on the airport’s second floor.
ARCATA/EUREKA (ACV) and CRESCENT CITY (CEC)
Like Redding, Eureka after the departure of Horizon Air in April 2011 found itself in the position of having just one commercial air carrier: SkyWest/United Express flying the Embraer turboprops. One significant advantage that Eureka has over Redding and Chico is its remoteness from major airports: a drive to either Sacramento or San Francisco is five hours.
Eureka has service to three cities: San Francisco, Sacramento, and Crescent City.
To San Francisco it currently has six round-trips daily, going up to seven in June. To Sacramento it has two round-trips daily. And to Crescent City it has one daily round-trip (one of the Sacramento flights either originates or terminates in Crescent City).
Little Crescent City has three daily flights in and out. Two nonstops each direction to San Francisco, and a flight to or from Eureka that terminates/originates in Sacramento. Crescent City is an “Essential Air Service” (EAS) city, which means that it receives an annual subsidy from the U.S. Department of Transportation for commercial air service.
As with Redding, when Eureka lost Horizon Air it lost both its nonstop flights to LAX as well as northbound service to the Pacific Northwest. The Horizon service to LAX was operated in round-robin fashion, meaning that flights might operate Eureka-Redding-LAX or LAX-Eureka-Redding.
Not very long ago (2009-2010), Eureka did enjoy summer season eastbound service on regional jets operated by SkyWest under the Delta Connection brand to Delta’s big hub in Salt Lake City, but the service was not renewed after 2010.
KLAMATH FALLS (LMT)
Like Chico, Redding, Eureka, and Crescent City, Klamath Falls is served only by SkyWest/United Express with Embraer turboprops. While they do have service to two destinations (Portland and San Francisco), only one one round-trip is operated per day to each city. To both cities flights leave in the morning, and then return fairly late at night. Horizon Air formerly served Klamath Falls with service to Portland, but left town in October 2008. SkyWest/United Express resumed service in the wake of Horizon’s departure after having previously served Klamath Falls in the 1990s.
MEDFORD (MFR)
Klamath Falls is roughly the same distance from Medford that Chico is from Sacramento. While Medford doesn’t have the array of service that a big city like Sacramento does, it has the most extensive by far of the airports I’m including in this post. Medford’s good fortune is that it is a 5 hour drive to either Portland or Sacramento, too far to be practical to drive under most circumstances. It must draw on a significant population base, too, because the number of enplanements (number of passengers boarded) is third in Oregon after Portland and Eugene.
Alaska Airlines (Horizon Air) operates five round-trips daily to Portland, two to Seattle, and one to Los Angeles (LAX).
SkyWest/United Express operates 6 to 7 round-trips daily (depends on the season) to San Francisco. Most flights are Embraers, but one or two can be on regional jet aircraft. United Express also has two regional jet round-trips daily to United’s big Denver hub.
Skywest/Delta Connection operates two round-trips daily on regional jets to Delta’s Salt Lake City hub.
Allegiant Air, a leisure-travel only airline, operates twice weekly round-trip flights (Thursdays and Sundays) on MD-80 jets to Las Vegas, Los Angeles (LAX), and Phoenix-Mesa (AZA).
SANTA ROSA (STS)
Santa Rosa is an interesting case and one I’ll refer back to in future posts. It lost all air service in October 2001 when SkyWest/United Express dropped the city in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.
After the cessation of service a long-term process began to restore commercial air service. It was led by Paul Kelley, a member of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. On 20 March 2007, the seeds planted years earlier bore fruit: Horizon Air began service with 76 passenger Bombardier Q400 turboprops between Santa Rosa and Los Angeles (LAX) and Seattle. (Side note: I rode on the very first flight to Los Angeles.)
The service was a success from the beginning, with Portland and Las Vegas later added as destinations. Las Vegas service was dropped last June, but Alaska Airlines (Horizon Air) replaced the Las Vegas flights with service to San Diego.
Santa Rosa is in the middle of a terminal expansion program and runway lengthening project at the conclusion of which they hope to be able to attract regional jet service to one or more of the western hubs of Salt Lake City (Delta), Denver (United or Frontier), or Phoenix (US Airways).
One of my favorite details about Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air’s service is that they have a provision for Santa Rosa that allows passengers to check as baggage up to a case of wine at no charge. For the airport in the heart of California’s wine country this is a valuable perk to passengers and a marketing arrow in the quiver for both the airline and the airport. Alaska Airlines recently added this benefit to passengers flying out of Walla Walla (ALW), in the heart of one of Washington’s premier wine regions.
Links to Wikipedia articles about these airports:
Redding
Arcata/Eureka
Crescent City
Klamath Falls
Medford
Santa Rosa
Air Service in Chico – navigational links
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