County considers resuming flights to Mexico through Meadows Field

Oct. 2—Rising air traffic out of Meadows Field Airport has rekindled Kern County's hopes for adding new destinations for local commercial travelers — including the possibility of resuming flights to and from Mexico.

County Airports Director Ron Brewster said Monday year-over-year increases in commercial passenger volume out of the airport have prompted the county to begin an analysis of the feasibility of restarting service to Guadalajara, which was suspended in 2008 about a year after it was initiated by Mexicana Airlines.

"It's not something that's going to happen tomorrow but it is something that we're looking to see if the service is ripe and ready to bring in back to the community in this area," Brewster said.

Separately, the county is considering trying to expand Meadows Field's list of domestic destinations from four to perhaps five or more by possibly adding Houston or Salt Lake City, even Seattle — assuming a carrier can be found to operate the service.

Weighing in favor of such a move is a general upswing in U.S. air travel, including in Kern. Passenger volume on commercial flights out of Meadows Field showed 43% increases year over year in August and July, up from 37% in June, according to the county.

On the other hand, rising oil prices and their correlation with the cost of jet fuel could ground such ambitions, as happened 15 years ago when a series of flights was canceled and some carriers pulled out of the city altogether.

President Ray Watson at Uniglobe Golden Empire Travel on Camino Media said he suspects airlines will be able to weather the fuel price spike, as long as it doesn't last more than a year. His take was that the Bakersfield area has enough air travelers to support expanding options for flying from Meadows Field rather than relying on service out of Los Angeles International Airport.

"The demand is there for travel out of Meadows Field," he said, adding that his comments relate to domestic flights and that he has little familiarity with demand for the county's deliberations about adding services to Guadalajara or Mexico City.

The county's chief economic development officer, Jim Damian, said by email the traveling public in California's ninth most populous city, in a county with almost 1 million residents, wants and deserves more flight choices.

"We know that the demand for international flights (i.e., Mexico) is strong and, as we execute on expanding domestic air travel options, international options will also take shape," Damian wrote.

Brewster emphasized much work remains to be done before even approaching an airline about the possibility of adding flights to and from Meadows Field. In addition, a decision would have to be made on whether international service would best be routed through the airport's William M. Thomas Terminal, or Meadows Field's still-idle International Air Terminal.

There would have to be considerable investment to launch such service, he said, and not only in equipment: Federal personnel would have to be stationed at the airport for customs and immigration reviews.

"It does require a lot of dollars on the airport's part in order to have those services available," Brewster said.

Calling his department's efforts a "fact-finding mission," he noted the county is working with consultants on the question of whether to try to add new destinations. Additionally, he said the county is looking to survey residents on their appetite for service to and from Mexico.

Prior to beginning service to Mexico last time, the county spent $7 million to build a customs area, plus $1 million to renovate the airport's former domestic terminal for international travel. Kern's Board of Supervisors also agreed to spend $150,000 helping Mexicana advertise flights through Meadows, and it canceled up to $36,000 in landing fees the airline would have had to pay.

Watson, who said he supports Meadows Field as an option for people who would otherwise have to spend time, gasoline and parking money at LAX, predicted that prices for airline tickets out of Meadows Field would gradually decline if more people used the airport.

Flights to and from Houston would be easy to book, he said, and so would a destination in the Pacific Northwest.

"Something up north would be a great destination," he said, adding that serving Salt Lake City could also make sense.

American Airlines currently serves travelers to Dallas and San Francisco out of Meadows Field, while United Airlines flies to and from Denver and Phoenix.

(Editor's note: This story has been updated to add Damian's comments.)