Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (KFLG) to add Los Angeles flight

Pulliam Airport Director Barney Helmick stands on the apron at the airport.

The Flagstaff Pulliam Airport will begin offering a nonstop flight to and from Los Angeles International Airport on May 5, 2018.

The route will only fly Saturdays and will be a seasonal addition for American Airlines to determine if the Flagstaff market can support the additional flight, city spokeswoman Jessica Drum said in a press release.

The flight will utilize American Airlines’ 70-seat plane, which includes a first-class section.

The flight will depart from LAX on Saturday at 2 p.m. and arrive in Flagstaff at 3:30 p.m. It will then depart Flagstaff at 4 p.m. and arrive in Los Angeles at 5:43 p.m., Drum said.

Airport Director Barney Helmick said he and the city have been working to add a flight to L.A. for the past seven years. Horizon Air previously offered a flight to Los Angeles from Flagstaff, but it had a stop in Prescott, which made the flight less popular for travelers and more costly for the airline, Helmick said.

“L.A. is a great connection for some of our international visitors,” Helmick said. “This gives them another option instead of having to connect through Phoenix or take a bus. It’s time and money for tourists and our industry people.”

The airport has nearly doubled in users in the last 10 years, Helmick said. In 2007, about 38,000 passengers departed from the airport. This year, Helmick estimates more than 70,000 people will depart from Flagstaff.

So far, American Airlines has scheduled the test service to run from May through September 2018, Helmick said. The airline needs to fill 75 percent of the seats to consider making the flight a permanent addition, he said.

“It is critical for us to prove that we are a market that deserves more,” Helmick said.

Economic Vitality Director Heidi Hansen said the city has been working to market the airport locally by encouraging people to “fly Flagstaff first.”

“It started to instill confidence in the community that the service in Flagstaff is reliable and time-saving,” she said.

Since the marketing campaign began, Hansen said the airport has seen a 6 percent increase in enplanements.

Growth in the city, university and the business community make Flagstaff a prime city for more flights, Hansen said. California is Flagstaff’s second-biggest target audience for tourism, following cities within Arizona.

Hansen said the Los Angeles flight is just the beginning of some service expansions at the airport, which have included discussions with various airlines about adding service to other major cities in nearby states.

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