▶️ RDM Adds New Alaska Air Flights to LAX, SFO & San Diego

The Golden State is about to be more accessible to Central Oregonians, just in time for the heart of winter.

Alaska Air announced Wednesday new flights from Redmond’s Roberts Field to Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.

The LAX flights begin in early January while flights to SFO and San Diego begin in mid-March.

Tickets for the flights are already on sale.

RDM officials want to assure passenger that even with the additional flights, the airport will continue to maintain its small-town convenience.

“We want to keep this airport the regional airport, but at the same time we want to be able to offer our customers a lot of great destinations,” said Airport Director Zachary Bass. “A lot of frequency. A lot of great options to get out of Central Oregon without having to drive over the mountains to PDX and get involved in all that traffic.”

Bass said the airport has been growing fast – passenger numbers have increased 100 percent in the last six years.

And with the new flights it’s expected to increase another 10 percent.

Along with the new flights, the airport is working on some other projects like a third TSA Precheck line, more parking and a new operations building.

“We’re growing quickly and it’s part of our job to make sure that infrastructure keeps up,” he said. “The feel is what it has been and will continue to be.”

United currently offers service out of Redmond to Los Angeles and San Francisco while American Airlines offers service now to LA.

With the addition of new flights to San Diego, RDM now offers direct flights to 10 markets including Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Chicago, Denver and Salt Lake City.

Alaska also announced additional flights to LAX and SFO from Boise, Missoula and Spokane.

“We’re excited to offer even more nonstops between vibrant Pacific Northwest communities and our growing hubs in California,” said Brett Catlin, Alaska Airlines managing director of capacity planning and alliances. “Whether it’s travel for a weekend getaway to Missoula or a day trip to San Francisco, we’re proud to offer nearly 600 daily flights between West Coast cities.” 

According to the airline, “A majority of the new routes will be served by the Embraer 175 jet, an aircraft with only window and aisle seating – no middle seats. On all of the new routes, guests will enjoy award-winning service in a three-class cabin that includes First Class and Premium Class; a fresh, seasonal food and beverage menu; Most Free Movies in the Sky with hundreds of movies and TV shows available for viewing on personal devices; free texting on most flights; and Wi-Fi connectivity for purchase.”

 

 

 

Flights Touch Down in Redmond After Two-Day Closure

After winter weather and damaged equipment closed Redmond Airport the first flights in two days touched down and took off from Redmond this morning. While more delays and cancelations are expected as winter storms continue, the airport is up and running.

Central Oregon Daily’s Anyssa Bohanan checked in with some travelers who were able to get back to Central Oregon this morning.

Damaged Equipment Keeps Redmond Airport Closed Tuesday

The Redmond Airport remained closed on Tuesday after the latest round of a winter storm damaged vital equipment used to help pilots land when there are no visual references for them to use on approach.
Central Oregon Daily’s Anyssa Bohanan looks at the problem and why airport officials are hoping to reopen by Wednesday morning.

Holiday Travels

If you’re traveling for the holidays, either by plane or by car, officials are sending the same message – leave early and prepare for delays. With more people traveling and snow in the forecast Central Oregon Daily’s Anyssa Bohanan checked in with officials from Oregon Department of Transportation and RDMRedmondAirport to see how this year’s holiday travel season is shaping up.

Longer Wait Times Expected at Redmond Airport

Redmond Airport is asking anyone flying between Wednesday and Friday to arrive at least two hours prior to departure time to clear the TSA screening process due to a temporary x-ray machine outage.

Security manager Nicole Jurgensen said the broken machine means TSA is down to just one line for security screening and it could lead to passengers experiencing wait times of up to 45 minutes until it’s fixed.

To accommodate for the potential back up, airline ticket counters will open at 3:15 a.m. with passenger screening beginning at 3:30 a.m. for the rest of the week.

While this week’s longer wait times may be due to malfunctioning equipment, Redmond Airport officials say they’ve seen more passengers and longer wait times before now.

With the newest addition of the 737 Seattle flight and future construction taking place next year to expand the airport’s air carrier ramp, Redmond Airport’s growth is showing no signs of slowing down. That means those longer lines could eventually be here to stay.

737 Flights Come to Redmond

Fifty flights go in and out and Redmond Airport everyday but Friday’s flight from Seattle was a special one.

The first 737 landed at Redmond Friday afternoon and is the largest commercial to operate out of the airport in its history. Up till now most of the flights operating out of Redmond held only 76 passengers. The 737-800 planes almost double that.

The flight, operated by Alaska Airlines, will run daily from Redmond to Seattle, which is the number one market for RDM.

The daily inbound flight will depart from Seattle at 12:30 p.m., arrive in Redmond at 1:40 p.m. and the outbound flight will head to Seattle at 2:35 p.m. For now the flight will run seasonally with plans to expand in the future.

While Alaska Airlines is currently the only airline operating 737s out of Redmond, the airport homes to see more airlines bring in larger planes in the future.

 

Police Dogs Undergo Training at Redmond Airport

We all know how loyal man’s best friend can be. For K-9 units across the country, these pups also make for great partners in crime.

Central Oregon Daily’s Anyssa Bohanan got an up close look at the fur-rocious training K-9 units from across the state took part in Tuesday to prepare for real world drug busts.