Dallas-Based Air Carrier JSX Starting Direct Flights from Love Field to Vegas, Pinehurst Resort
Dallas-based independent regional airline JSX is starting direct flights from Dallas Love Field to Las Vegas and North Carolina golf destination Pinehurst to help spur tourism to those destinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JSX, which sells tickets on charter-style planes, is starting the service to Las Vegas this Friday with return service on Sunday. Flights start June 25 from Dallas to Pinehurst, N.C., home of the iconic Pinehurst resort golf club.
“These are pop-up routes,” said JSX CEO Alex Wilcox. “For a lot of people, it will be the first time they’ve really left the house in months.”
JSX, which until recently was known as JetSuiteX, moved to Dallas two years ago with sister company JetSuite, a charter carrier. JSX flies short-haul flights, mostly through the Southern California region, but hadn’t yet started flights from Dallas. Wilcox said that was the company’s hope when it relocated to North Texas.
JSX’s parent company, JetSuite, filed for bankruptcy in April and stopped operating. But JSX is continuing to operate. JetSuite specialized in private charter flights, while JSX offers tickets to the public.
The Las Vegas and Pinehurst flights are both partnerships with destinations in those regions. JSX is partnering with Wynn Las Vegas Hotel, and the North Carolina flights are through the Pinehurst resort.
“The tickets are a little more expensive than regular airlines, but I think people will see the value,” Wilcox said.
Tickets for the Dallas to Las Vegas route start at $299 each way and flights will take place over the next five weeks. Bags are included in the price, Wilcox said.
The Pinehurst flights are only available by booking through the golf resort and require accommodations there.
While there are other airlines flying to Las Vegas and Pinehurst, JSX promotes the fact that customers can drive up to the company’s hangar at Dallas Love Field without going through the regular airport and security experience. Customers can show up as little as 20 minutes early, Wilcox said.
The company flies a fleet of Embraer EJR-135 and 145 planes, which carry as many as 30 passengers.
JSX will have plenty of competition from Love Field for flights to Las Vegas on Southwest Airlines, which has major operations at both locations. Southwest sells tickets for as low as $88 to Las Vegas, according to the company’s website, although one-way flights are selling for $133 to $214 on Fridays in July.
JSX doesn’t offer any other regular service out of Dallas, but there could be in the future.
“There were rumors we were going to start something out of Dallas this summer, but the coronavirus slowed down any plans we had,” Wilcox said. “But it will be nice to see our planes in the sky over Dallas.”
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