Southwest Airlines announces daily flights from Santa Barbara, including Vegas



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SANTA BARBARA, Calif .– Southwest Airlines has announced the destinations it will serve from the Santa Barbara Airport, including several daily flights to Las Vegas.

The Southwest will begin SBA service on April 12, 2021. The initial schedule includes three daily departures to Las Vegas, one daily flight to Denver and one daily flight to Oakland.

“Obviously all markets are strong in themselves, but they are also major connection points within the South West network,” said airport spokeswoman Deanna Zachrisson, who said that Santa Barbara passengers will now have access to 50 other destinations in the Southwest via the new connections.

“We know we’ve been an attractive market for the Southwest, but it took the industry shake up in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide the momentum to enter the market,” said Airport manager Henry Thompson said in a statement. . “Whatever the reason, our region will benefit.”

Southwest’s network and reputation for low fares and zero baggage fees make it a popular airline.

“They just have such a large and loyal customer base,” Zachrisson said. “And that’s one of the reasons we’ve been chasing them for so long.”

Airport staff and other local organizations have been wooing the airline for at least five years.

The Visit Santa Barbara tourism group has been actively involved in these conversations. The organization is now committing $ 250,000 to support the new flights, including marketing campaigns to attract visitors to each of the new destination towns in the Southwest.

Once leisure travel is deemed safe again, the new airlines could help galvanize a significant rebound for Santa Barbara’s hotel industry and economy as a whole.

“Obviously, this is important for our very critical tourism industry, for the meeting and conference industry, for weddings,” said Kathy Janega-Dykes, President and CEO of Visit Santa Barbara. “The easier it is for people to get here, the more likely they are to consider a visit and, certainly, to become a regular visitor.

“We also know that air passengers stay in the region longer than those arriving by car or train. They also tend to spend more money in our community… And the pandemic has certainly highlighted how essential tourism is to our local community. “

Southwest flies Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 to all of its destinations and will also do so from Santa Barbara.

New flights can currently be booked on the Southwest website. Introductory fares start as low as $ 39 one way to Las Vegas.

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