A small San Francisco airline will begin daily flight service Tuesday for El Paso, Carlsbad and Albuquerque.
Boutique Air, which operates 33, eight-seat turboprop airplanes, decided to start service to El Paso because of requests from people in Carlsbad, where it’s provided service since 2015 under the federally subsidized Essential Air Service Program, said Brian Kondrad, Boutique’s vice president of business operations.
The airline also saw a demand for flights between El Paso and Albuquerque, Kondrad said.
The new flights come as the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially reduced flights and passenger traffic at the El Paso airport. Passenger traffic declined 58% through November, compared to the same 11 months in 2019, show the latest airport data.
Sam Rodriguez, El Paso’s director of aviation, said in a news release that Boutique Air not only provides new flights for the airport, but also will enhance connectivity for this region.
More: El Paso airport traffic continues COVID-19-tied plunge in slow summer travel season
Fastest flight to Albuquerque
Kondrad said Boutique will be the fastest way to fly commercially to Albuquerque. Currently, El Paso airline travelers need to go through Phoenix, Dallas, or Denver to fly to New Mexico's largest city, he said.
The indirect flight to Albuquerque will take about two hours and 20 minutes with a stop in Carlsbad.
The direct flight to Carlsbad will take about 40 minutes.
Driving from El Paso to Carlsbad, takes about three hours. Driving to Albuquerque from El Paso takes about four hours.
Carlsbad was a hot spot for oil and natural gas drilling before the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the industry. It also has the popular Carlsbad Caverns National Park, which is limiting the number of daily visitors due to the pandemic.
The oil industry connection should become important again as the pandemic subsides, Kondrad said. The new flights should draw not only business travelers, but people getting medical care, or just traveling for pleasure, he said.
More: More: Marathon oil refinery in East-Central El Paso seeks to renew state air permit for 10 years
Boutique will have two departures and three arriving flights daily at the El Paso airport, according to a city of El Paso news release. However, only one of those arriving flights will be from Albuquerque.
Tickets range from $98 to $396
A roundtrip flight to Carlsbad costs $98 for a nonrefundable ticket, and $198 for a refundable ticket. The roundtrip cost to Albuquerque is $196 for a nonrefundable ticket and $396 for a refundable ticket.
The airport's Rodriguez said Boutique Air will allow El Pasoans to "experience flying on a private(-like) plane without the cost of one."
Kondrad said Boutique’s slogan is “fly private for the cost of commercial.”
The airline has agreements to connect its flights with United and American airlines. Flights can be booked through Boutique Air's website, or through United and American, if connecting to those airlines, Kondrad said.
Boutique, which has offered commercial flights since 2014, serves 34 cities across the country, including two cities being added in coming weeks, Kondrad said.
“We connect smaller communities to major hubs” under the Essential Air Service program, Kondrad said.
However, last year, the airline began expanding flights outside the program to serve other cities, as it’s doing with the El Paso flights, he said.
Boutique saw openings to other markets as major airlines reduced flights due to the pandemic, Kondrad said.
Boutique’s passenger revenue has decreased during the pandemic, but “we’re financially supported by the government, so it’s easier (for us) than the majors (big airlines),” he said.
Vic Kolenc may be reached at 546-6421; [email protected]; @vickolenc on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Boutique Air to offer daily flights from El Paso to Carlsbad and Albuquerque
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