American Airlines will offer direct flights again next summer from Durango to Los Angeles.
Flights will run every Saturday beginning June 3 through Aug. 19, similar to what was provided this summer during a test period for the airline.
“They’re going to invest resources in coming back here for a second year to further explore our market and get a feel for it as they continue to evaluate how it would fit into a long-term route for them,” said Tony Vicari, interim director of the Durango-La Plata County Airport.
A roundtrip ticket departing June 3 from Durango and returning June 10 from Los Angeles was being sold for $1,161 per person as of Monday, according to American Airline’s website. Vicari acknowledged the price is rather high, but he said it will likely come down significantly.
“Last year, the pricing was pretty competitive,” he said. “At one point it was under $300 for a roundtrip ticket through LA, so I suspect we’ll see a differential pricing populate over time.”
The number of seats sold were somewhat low in June, but load factors increased in July and August to about 70 percent, which compares to other seasonal flights, Vicari said.
American Airlines could have discontinued the route if it was dissatisfied with passenger numbers, he said, but instead it agreed to test the route for a second year.
Airport officials asked American Airlines to add more frequency to its seasonal flight by including weekdays, which would benefit business travelers, but the airline seems to view Durango as a leisure or tourist destination at this time, he said.
“Obviously, they’re interested in our market, but we don’t have enough proven demand to justify another day of the week at this point,” Vicari said.
Durango airport waived its landing fees for the route this summer – which is customary for new routes – but that is not expected to occur next summer. In fact, the airport does not provide revenue guarantees or subsidize any flights at this time, Vicari said.
“All the service that we have is basically organic; it is derived from our market, which is good,” he said.
It didn’t take much convincing to have American Airlines continue its LAX flight for a second year, he said.
“The route stood out to American as something that made sense to them,” Vicari said.
Airport officials plan to market the LAX flight among other flights to help spread the word in hopes of creating a strong start next year versus what happened this summer when ridership was low in June, he said.
In addition to providing seasonal nonstop service to Los Angeles, American Airlines operates daily departures to both Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) on a year-round basis.
shane@durangoherald.com
