United Airlines to return to this California airport after 11 years
While the two major airports in California are LAX and San Francisco International (SFO), the state is also home to more than two dozen smaller commercial airports serving different corners of California, which is both the most populous state and the third-largest by territory. One of these is the ...
While the two major airports in California are LAX and San Francisco International (SFO), the state is also home to more than two dozen smaller commercial airports serving different corners of California, which is both the most populous state and the third-largest by territory.
One of these is the McClellan-Palomar Airport (CLD), serving the northern part of San Diego County. A 40-minute drive north from the much larger San Diego International (SAN), McClellan-Palomar serves both the 114,00-person city and various regional communities located in the southern part of the state.
Outside of charter and general aviation flights for things like emergency services and crop dusting, the airport is served by commercial airlines American Airlines through its regional American Eagle brand, JSX, and Advanced Air to certain nearby cities.
New city to play "vital role in connecting communities," United Airlines says
United Airlines, which had pulled its LAX flight out of Carlsbad in 2015 due to lack of sustainable traffic and the retirement of the EMB-120 turboprop plane, is now set to once again join that list of carriers.
In March 2026, the airline will start running twice-daily flights out of McClellan-Palomar to Denver International (DEN) and San Francisco (SFO) on its United Express regional branch.
"With the addition of Carlsbad, United now serves more cities in California than any other airline," United's Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning & Alliances Patrick Quayle said in a statement first reported by local outlet 9 News.
"Airports like Carlsbad play a vital role in connecting communities and nurturing United’s pilots of tomorrow."
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The new route is set to start running from March 30. According to aviation website Live And Let's Fly, United's return to Carlsbad comes as a growing number of business and leisure travelers seek to bypass the busier San Diego airport and the ability to carve out a unique market due to lack of competition.
American Eagle has been flying exclusively to Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) since 2024, while JSX flies to Las Vegas, Oakland, and Scottsdale. Photo by moein rezaalizade on Unsplash
New flight from Carlsbad gives United unique market opportunity, passengers
"The airport also benefits from recent runway and terminal improvements that allow for larger regional aircraft and more reliable scheduling (though it will still be quite tight, with the passenger terminal often referred to as a 'glorified bus stop')," Matthew Klint wrote for Live And Let's Fly.
The Embraer E175 plane used to run the flights will offer 76 seats with both economy and premium-fare classes. While few details regarding the routes have yet been confirmed or revealed by United, the flights are set to run twice daily, with morning and evening departures.
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In a somewhat cryptic Instagram story, Quayle confirmed the route by saying United was "adding a new dot" to its map with the flight to "beautiful Carlsbad, CA."
The announcement immediately generated excitement among California's North County residents, who will now have one more option for starting their flight directly out of Carlsbad rather than driving down to San Diego or even farther to LAX.
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