Airport to offer new nonstop service to San Francisco
March 9, 2017
Nashville Post
Nashville International Airport officials announced Thursday that Alaska Airlines will begin daily nonstop service to San Francisco beginning Sept. 5.
Tickets are on sale now, with service to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), according to a release. A daily flight to and from Nashville International Airport (BNA) will be offered.
This will be the second nonstop flight to the San Francisco Bay Area for BNA. In December 2015, United Airlines announced it would connect SFO and the airport (with the service having started in May 2016).
The schedule is as follows (times are local): departs SFO at 12:55 p.m. and arrives BNA at 7:25 p.m.; departs BNA at 8:15 p.m. and arrives at SFO 11:25 p.m.
In 2014, BNA had no nonstop service to cities within the San Francisco Bay Area (and minimal West Coast service overall). At that time, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) created the Air Service Coalition and started courting airlines for nonstop flights to the area.
In December 2014, Southwest announced nonstop flights between Oakland and BNA to start in June 2015.
As noted, in December 2015 United announced nonstop flights to SFO.
Relatedly, Alaska Airlines in September 2015 began providing the first year-round, nonstop service to Seattle via BNA.
“Thanks in part to these nonstop flights, Nashville-area economic development groups have been able to recruit companies such as Eventbrite and Lyft to Nashville,” said Tom Jurkovich, a senior MNAA executive and a former executive director of the Metro Department of Economic and Community Development.
In December 2016, Alaska Airlines announced the acquisition of Virgin America. Alaska Airlines is now the fifth largest airline in the United States.
Rob Wigington, MNAA president and CEO, said Alaska Airlines’ providing BNA’s first year-round nonstop service to Seattle in 2015 provides some context to today’s announcement.
“This additional service to the Bay Area will be a huge added benefit for our business community, as well as for our leisure travelers,” he said in the release. “We look forward to Alaska Airlines continuing to grow and expand in the Nashville market.”
BNA is currently served by 12 airlines and offers 440 daily flights. Nashville International Airport provides nonstop air service to more than 50 destinations.