Stockton Airport Will Now Have Twice-Daily Flights To LAX
STOCKTON (CBS13) — Saving time and money, those are the two top priorities among travelers who fly to and from the Stockton Metropolitan Airport, which will now offer twice-daily flights to LAX with United Airlines.
"I picked Stockton because of the cheap flights," said Jennie Vega, whose flight returned from Las Vegas. "It's very convenient. It's super close and you don't have to drive there."
It's also among the reasons the airport wants to expand with new flights, new destinations and eventually a new terminal.
"We're at stage one of about 10,000 steps in this." said airport director Russell Stark.
Stark is trying to add more flights from Stockton to places like Seattle, Denver and Salt Lake City.
"That's kind of our plan, to hit the compass points at major hubs so that our public can go to any destination in the world," he says.
One airline has already expressed interest but Stark wouldn't say which one.
Right now, the airport offers daily service to Las Vegas through Allegiant Airlines, as well as two flights per week to San Diego and Phoenix.
On August 16 United Airlines will add twice-daily flights to Los Angeles. A quick comparison shows Stockton is the more affordable option when flying from northern California to Las Vegas in say August, but the most expensive destination to fly to LAX.
This isn't discouraging passengers from the Central Valley though. Those CBS talked with said they could save in other areas such as gas and parking fees by flying out of Stockton.
"Would you drive to another airport? No," said Vega. "I live in Stockton. It's super close. It takes like 10 minutes to get here."
Officials said this will be the first time since 2003 that the community has had daily service to a large hub, international airport.
