Round trips more than $400
United Airlines announced on Monday, Feb. 27 that it would be adding 17 flights to new destinations in its domestic and international service, as well as expanding existing service. One such new destination will have the distinction of being United’s shortest flight, from Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport to San Francisco International Airport.
The flights are scheduled to arrive into Sonoma County Airport (STS) at 1:30 p.m., 4:40 p.m., and 11:15 p.m. and depart daily at 6 a.m., 2:05 p.m., and 5:20 p.m. from STS to SFO.
“United Airlines is proud to offer three daily flights between Santa Rosa and our San Francisco hub to connect people to the places and moments that matter most,” said Anthony Toth, United’s managing director of sales. “Business and leisure travelers now have conveniently timed flights to San Francisco and multiple opportunities to connect passengers to other cities throughout the Western U.S. and beyond.”
In an internal memo obtained by The Windsor Times, United’s president Scott Kirby said the airline had been too complacent, shrinking instead of expanding in recent years.
Kirby said that the domestic U.S. flying market had gone from an historic money loser to one of the most profitable markets in the world, and leveraging small regional jets to feed into larger hubs would be a key strategy to boost United’s business performance.
“While United has spent several years shrinking and being a docile competitor, starting this summer, we’re going back on offense!” Kirby wrote. “Regional jets play an incredibly important supporting role in our network, because they help us serve small destinations profitably and feed traffic we wouldn’t otherwise have into our hubs. The key is using them in the right markets.”
Apparently, United believes that Sonoma County Airport is one such important regional airport.
The 39-minute flight between STS and SFO is already on sale from united.com starting at around $298 one way for flights on June 8.
