Airlines bet on San Diego with new summer routes
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Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Summer travelers have dozens of new flight options to choose from, as long as they're willing to pay up for a ticket.
Driving the news: Airlines are betting on San Diego even as rising fuel costs send airfare prices soaring.
- Seven new nonstop flights are rolling out at SAN: Santa Rosa, Oakland, Dallas-Fort Worth, Raleigh-Durham, Santa Barbara and Boston.
- That's on top of more international flights and the return of seasonal destinations like Glacier National Park.
"Airlines are going to put their airplanes where they believe they'll make money," industry analyst Henry Harteveldt told Axios. "San Diego is one of those cities."
Between the lines: These expansions are data-driven and calculated, even more so with the higher cost of fuel, Harteveldt said.
- San Diego's perennial popularity for summer vacations and business travel, plus its military presence, factor into airlines' decisions, he said.
- Alaska and Southwest battling to lead the market is another reason behind the slew of new flights, Harteveldt said.
The big picture: Despite industry experts warning the Iran war could disrupt summer travel, demand is going strong.
- Airlines are confident that passengers will pay higher ticket prices, and still expect a record-setting season even with flight cuts.
The bottom line: "Clearly, there's a certain degree of resiliency in the San Diego market," Harteveldt said. "It appears consumers are willing to pay those prices."