The Santa Barbara Airport announced Monday that it will be adding Minnesota routes with service from Sun Country Airlines starting later this week.
Sun Country Airlines’ direct Minnesota service to Minneapolis/St. Paul begins Aug. 16, when the carrier will launch a schedule of flights on Thursdays and Sundays.
Roundtrip fares will start at $196, according to the airport, and flight details are available online here.
The airline will operate its service on its Boeing 737-700, with capacity for 126 passengers.
“The low-cost direct flight option to MSP opens up significant travel opportunities for our outbound travelers,” Santa Barbara Airport Director Hazel Johns said in a statement.
Visit Santa Barbara is promoting the new service to Minnesota, and believe the direct service from the Midwest will play a part in the robust recovery of Santa Barbara’s tourism industry in the wake of the Thomas Fire and Jan. 9 Montecito debris flow disasters.
“Not only does Minneapolis offer a vibrant and dynamic destination in its own right, Sun Country Airlines’ service offers Santa Barbara residents great one-stop, low fare options to New York and Boston,” Johns said.
Sun Country Airlines’ new direct flight service underscores SBA’s passenger growth over the last two years, with a 16-percent passenger count increase in June 2018 compared to June 2017.
In 2017, SBA served nearly 711,000 passengers, and it’s the 13th largest airport in California.
The new Sun Country Airlines route follows the news that Frontier Airlines service is coming back to the airport with flights to Denver, Colorado starting Aug. 21.
The airline will offer the nonstop service from the Santa Barbara Airport to Denver International Airport with flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, according to SBA officials.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
