A Utah-based passenger airline announced Tuesday, March 8, it will begin offering daily flights out of San Bernardino International Airport in August – the first scheduled commercial passenger flights out of the former Norton Air Force Base.
Breeze Airways, launched last summer by JetBlue founder David Neeleman, plans to offer nonstop service to San Francisco International for $49 one way. The airline on Tuesday also announced new flights from Los Angeles International Airport to cities in Rhode Island, Virginia and Georgia.
In a news release, Colton Mayor Frank Navarro, president of the San Bernardino International Airport Authority, which oversees aviation operations at the airport, called Tuesday’s announcement “a monumental moment for our inland Southern California region and our communities that have supported the base reuse effort for many years, invigorating the resurgence of true travel options for our residents, businesses, and friends and family.”
“As this airline plants its seed here, nurtures it and starts expanding routes,” he added in an interview, “that’ll bring more people to fill the seats.”
WELCOME, BREEZE AIRWAYS! ✈️💙: BIG news! 1st ever scheduled passenger service at @SBDAirport announced by Breeze Airways. Daily, nonstop flights to SFO begin 8/4. Intro fares as low as $49 one-way. Book your seat today. Visit https://t.co/bb9nOcBuQb to learn more. #SBDAirport pic.twitter.com/3luc6WKkRQ
— FlySBD – San Bernardino International Airport SBD (@SBDAirport) March 8, 2022
Tickets are on sale for Breeze Airway’s inaugural Aug. 4 flight from the San Bernardino airport. The first aircraft – an Embraer E195 – will seat 118 passengers.
The San Bernardino airport’s maiden foray into commercial air travel is expected to infuse the region with up to $57 million annually, said San Bernardino Mayor John Valdivia, who serves alongside Navarro and other area leaders on the airport board.
Dozens of new hires will be made in the coming months, officials said.
“This is just the beginning,” Valdivia said. “It takes a pioneer, a trailblazer mentality, and we’re grateful for Breeze Airways to drop down and join us in this partnership.”
San Bernardino International Airport, or SBD, has served charter flights since 2010, but last sold tickets for commercial flights in April 2017, when a low-cost Mexican carrier planned trips to and from Guadalajara, Mexico, out of a $20.5 million international arrivals terminal.
Those flights were ultimately delayed and canceled, however.
SBD has become a logistics mecca in the years since, with industry giants UPS, FedEx and Amazon setting root in eastern San Bernardino.
Such exponential growth in a region where every day thousands travel to Los Angeles to fly lured Breeze to the former base, said Eric Fletcher, the airline’s director of legal and corporate affairs.
“Success breeds success, and SBD certainly is a testament to that,” Michael Burrows, executive director of the airport board, said Tuesday. “The strategic investments our commission and board have made are finally paying off, and getting that awareness out is a big part of why today is today.
“Each of these chapters we go through … gets us exposure in the industry, but also in the community,” Burrows added. “We’ve got 5 million people in the Inland Empire and giving them other options is our job, it’s our responsibility.”
Breeze Airways couldn’t be a better foundational partner, Burrows added.
“Their product fits our product so nicely,” he said.
More than 4.5 million air travelers flew into and out of Ontario International Airport last year, but Burrows said Tuesday SBD isn’t looking to take commercial flights from other Southern California airports.
“We want to strengthen the Inland Empire economy,” he said, “not compete with our cousins, friends and neighbors.”
The first flight is scheduled to depart SBD at 8 a.m. Aug. 4 and arrive in San Francisco at 9:30 a.m. A return flight is scheduled for 10:10 a.m., with an 11:40 a.m. arrival in San Bernardino.
If early response is good, Fletcher said, more destinations could be added.
“The reality is the entire Inland Empire region is underserved from an air service standpoint,” said Mark Gibbs, SBD aviation director. “We’ve had great support from all the community leaders who have been a part of this project for so many years and who recognized how important this has become for people who want more choices in air travel.
“We’re super excited to deliver a great experience for them.”
