Frontier boosts nonstop flights out of San Jose
SAN JOSE >> Frontier Airlines on Tuesday announced three new nonstop flights serving Mineta San Jose International Airport, marking 50 nonstop destinations out of San Jose — an all-time high for nonstop service from the Bay Area’s largest city.
Atlanta, Cincinnati and Colorado Springs, Colorado are the latest cities to which Frontier has announced nonstop service connecting San Jose.
Three low-cost air carriers — Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Frontier — have all begun to scramble to add new nonstop connections at San Jose airport.
“With the addition of three new low-cost, nonstop options, travelers in the South Bay and Silicon Valley area will now have access to seven (Frontier) nonstop destinations in the spring,” said Daniel Shurz, Frontier Airlines’ senior vice president, commercial.
Frontier had previously announced plans for nonstop service connecting San Jose and Denver, Las Vegas and the Texas cities of Austin and San Antonio. The fares will be priced as low as $39 each way.
“I greatly appreciate the Frontier team for their confidence and continued investments in San Jose,” Mayor Sam Liccardo said Tuesday.
In March, Alaska Airlines announced that San Jose would be getting daily flights serving Los Angeles; Tucson, Arizona; and Austin, Texas.
On Aug. 28, Southwest Airlines unveiled plans for San Jose nonstop flights connecting Cabo San Lucas in Mexico; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Boise, Idaho; Houston-Hobby; New Orleans; Orlando, Florida; Spokane, Washington; and St. Louis.
“The community support for our low-fares product has been great, and that’s why we are announcing three new cities,” Frontier’s Shurz said.
The first Frontier flights connecting to San Jose are due to begin Oct. 5 with service to Denver. Then on Nov.
1, service to Las Vegas will begin. Frontier intends to serve the remaining cities that have been announced so far by sometime in early April, 2018.
“Frontier’s news today takes San Jose airport to a new flight level as the addition of nonstop service to three more cities marks 50 nonstop destinations served from San Jose,” the city’s director of aviation, John Aitken, said Tuesday.
Starting with the Alaska Airlines announcements in March, airlines have added at least 18 new nonstop routes serving San Jose.
“It’s the strong economy and a recognition of San Jose,” said Jonathan Vaden, a spokesman for San Jose airport.
The 50 nonstop destinations for San Jose mark a service pinnacle for the South Bay airport. For the first time ever, San Jose is served by nonstop connections to at least 50 different airports, Vaden said, citing records that go back to 1990.
“We have been making the case to airlines for a number of years now that there is a huge demand in the South Bay for increased air travel,” Vaden said.
The opening of a new terminal in 2010 has spurred interest in San Jose airport from air carriers and travelers.
“Airlines are now able and willing to add capacity,” Vaden said. “Airlines see San Jose is underserved and are catching up with the curve.”