MERCED, Calif. — Looking to take a trip without driving all the way to Sacramento International Airport or the San Francisco International Airport? There may be a closer option...
The Merced Regional Airport has 24 round-trip flights each week: 12 to Las Vegas and 12 to Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles. It's part of the federal Department of Transportation's essential air service program which provides fixed rates to both locations.
Levi Stockton, the founder and president of Advanced Air, says they were awarded the contract to service the airport. Advanced Air is a scheduled airline and an on-demand charter company based at Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Los Angeles.
The planes used on the flights between Merced to Vegas and Los Angeles are smaller and typically seat around eight people.
"The convenience is also significant over what we’d consider a major airport. Our prices are fixed, it's $145 one-way ticket for either option," said Stockton.
Service to Los Angeles switched from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and now flies into Hawthorne Municipal Airport as of April 1, about three miles from there. If you have a connecting flight at LAX, there's a planeside shuttle that can take you to your gate from Hawthorne.
The company serves other, smaller locations around California and New Mexico. Stockton says they are the only airline to Mammoth Mountain ski resort in the winter and summer seasons.
"It's key to get people to leave the area to get out and connect, but it's also important to bring people in. With Merced, it's close to Yosemite, the closest airport. It's bringing in tourists, bringing in people to the university. Students' parents and so forth, professors. Often it’s people needing to get out to maybe go to a specialist or doctor in L.A. or a getaway in Vegas," said Stockton.
Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto hopes more people will fly to and from the airport.
"It’s truly an underestimated resource. The more people use it, the better it’s gonna get, so we just encourage people to take advantage of it, look at it, and consider flying out of Merced," said Serratto.
The current terminal building is about 80-years-old and a new one is in the works with hopes it'll be complete by April 2024.
"The terminal project that’s coming forward, we’ve recently placed it out to bid, a multi-million dollar contract. The timetable is really aggressive; within a year, up and running, so a big nice new terminal. This building has been here since the 1940s and we're excited to have our new terminal service this community and the whole area," said Serratto.
Find out more about Advanced Airlines here, and click here to read more about Merced Airport.
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