NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL EVENT

Impact Napa

Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 8-10:45 a.m., Napa Valley Marriott, Napa

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Horizon responds to desire for air service to Las Vegas

SANTA ROSA, Jan. 23, 2008, updated at 12:25 p.m. -- Last March, Horizon Air CEO Jeff Pinneo said it wasn’t “on the radar.” Last May, airport manager Jon Stout called it a “long shot.” But on April 24, Horizon will launch daily air service between Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport and Las Vegas.

Studies conducted by the airport show Las Vegas to be the most popular destination for North Bay travelers, and local officials have lobbied aggressively for direct flights serving that city.

Horizon, which announced the new flight this morning, initially resisted serving Las Vegas because the airline doesn’t have a major presence there, focusing instead on Los Angeles and hubs such as Seattle and Portland. Airline officials said that new market research, the availability of more aircraft and requests from passengers convinced the airline to reconsider.

“Since bringing air service back to Sonoma County, we’ve been flooded with requests for flights to Las Vegas,” said Dan Russo, Horizon’s marketing director.

Also helpful in selling the Las Vegas flight to Horizon was the interest of a second airline in serving the route, according to Mr. Stout. He characterized the other carrier as a startup and said he much prefers Horizon.

“Horizon would definitely be a stronger carrier for us,” Mr. Stout added. “The other carrier would not have had the connection opportunities at this point.”

Local tourism officials are hoping the Las Vegas flight will make Sonoma County a more attractive destination for travelers connecting from other cities.

“While it will be mainly an outbound market, were hoping to get people into Sonoma County from the East Coast,” said Keri Hanson, manager for the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau. “Any additional flights we can get into Sonoma County help to raise our profile with leisure travelers and business travelers. The more accessible we can become, hopefully the greater number of people we can have coming in to visit.”

The new flight will also be a help for business, both as a hub for connections to other markets and as a major meeting and convention destination, said Ben Stone, director of the Sonoma County Economic Development Board.

“We’ve hit the jackpot in terms of opening up new economic opportunities for businesses here,” Mr. Stone said.

“It will help with our wine business and our tech business. It’s a boost to the local economy,” he said.

Las Vegas will become the fourth city with direct flights to and from Santa Rosa, following Horizon’s launch of service to Seattle and Los Angeles on March 20, and the addition of Portland flights on Oct. 28.

Horizon will serve the new route with its Bombardier Q-400 turboprop planes, the same aircraft used for its other Santa Rosa flights. The two-hour flight will depart Santa Rosa at 7:35 p.m., and leave Las Vegas at 10:15 p.m. Tickets are available now, priced from $69 to $89 each way when booked at least two weeks in advance.

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