For some of us, the “left coast” brings to mind iconic gangster rap hits like “California Love” by the late Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre. For others, the peppy college rock sound of Coconut Records come to mind. Still others groove on the soulful seductiveness of Lana Del Ray – while some among us take it all the way back to the Eagles’ Hotel California.
Just not “the Dude …”
He hates the Eagles.
Anyway, whatever your vibe may be (we are all of the above, for the “record”) … if California is calling you, then Charleston International Airport can take you there.
Directly …
According to the airport, discount airline JetBlue will begin offering “daily nonstop service” from the Holy City to Los Angeles International Airport beginning on December 18, 2020.
“This will be the state of South Carolina’s first nonstop flight to California!” airport officials ebulliently tweeted.
Flights will leave Charleston at 6:00 p.m. ET and arrive in Los Angeles at 8:46 p.m. PT – a journey of five hours and forty-five minutes. Return flights will leave Los Angeles at 9:00 a.m. PT and arrive back in Charleston at 4:29 p.m. ET. That journey – which benefits from a tailwind – will last approximately four hours and thirty minutes.
JetBlue will service the new route with its fleet of Airbus A320 jets. This is the airliner that surpassed the Boeing 737 last fall as the highest-selling commercial jet in service.
The cost of a flight to California? It depends …
Holiday prices could top $300 for each leg, while prices in January could fall to a third of that total according to reporter Warren Wise of The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier.
Will this new route spark additional travel? Good question …
As disappointing data from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) clearly shows, Americans are still not flying at anywhere near the same levels they were a year ago thanks to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. According to Wise, passenger counts at Charleston remain 68 percent below where they were prior to the onset of Covid-19.
Assuming people can be convinced to return to the skies, Charleston is also dealing with any number of existential threats to its tourism economy – including elevated lawlessness and ongoing attempts to purge the city of its history.
-FITSNews
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to proactively address? We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
(VIA: GETTY IMAGES)