Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Fresno Ticket Sales 'Off the Charts' for Southwest Airlines
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 4 years ago on
April 23, 2021

Share

Souhtwest Airlines’ ticket counter. Check.

Baggage claim. Check.

Gate 17 numerical standing position signs. Check.

GVWire took a tour with Fresno Yosemite International Airport Director of Aviation Kevin Meikle and spokeswoman Vikkie Calderon on Friday morning ahead of Southwest’s official launch on Sunday. April 25.

“The ticket sales have been off the charts.” – Fresno Yosemite International Airport Director of Aviation Kevin Meikle 

Southwest Airlines employees were busy training and preparing in areas throughout the airport. One employee told GVWire the signs at the gate letting people know where to stand were went up at 4:30 a.m. Friday.

“We’ve been working with Southwest for this day that’s coming up on Sunday for a number of years,” said Meikle. “The ticket sales have been off the charts.”

The launch of service from California’s Central Valley to Denver and Las Vegas offers substantial connectivity to more than 50 airports.

“This is huge for Fresno,” said Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer during Thursday morning’s city council meeting. “It is a game-changer for the City of Fresno — not only for leisure travel — but for business, and being able to attract business to our community.” Dyer plans to be there on Sunday morning for Southwest’s “maiden launch,” as he calls it.

The first flight leaves at 11:20 a.m. to Las Vegas.

Number stands were set up at 4:30 a.m. Friday outside Gate 17, where Southwest Airlines will operate. (GV Wire/Jim Jakobs)

Long on Southwest’s Radar

Fresno was the largest metropolitan area in California previously not served by Southwest.

“Fresno long has been on our radar,” Southwest Airlines spokesperson Brad Hawkins told GVWire by email. He says the airline is approaching 20 years of operation in California, and the Fresno Yosemite International Airport will be the 13th airport it serves in the Golden State.

Hawkins touts the airline’s baggage policy as one of its biggest selling points.

“We let everyone check two bags for free (weight and size limitations apply) and we’ve never charged a change fee in 50 years of Southwest history,” said Hawkins.

GVWire asked him if the airline had an announcement about future routes for Fresno.

“We have a long history of this — when travel patterns illuminate a path for us to add time-saving nonstop service to address trends in travel in our (even newly) established cities, we will add service. I’m simply not able to speak to things either would be in development or unannounced,” answered Hawkins.

Gate 17 is where people board Southwest Airlines flights. (GV Wire/Jim Jakobs)

Airline Competition Heating Up

Meikle says any time you add additional travel options, it creates healthy competition.

“That’s exactly what we’re seeing. We’re excited to see that other airlines have stepped up. They’ve added flights, they’ve added frequency and larger aircraft,” says Meikle. “Allegiant (Airlines) is going to Vegas now more than ever.”

He says an online search of flights out of Fresno reveals that airline price wars are underway.

Fresh paint on the tarmac shows where Southwest Airlines will park. Note the “737” in the photo. (GV Wire/Jim Jakobs)

Parking Structure & Future Plans

The first thing many travelers may notice, especially if they haven’t flown in a while, is the large new parking structure out in front.

“This 917 spot four-level parking structure is going to open up in October,” says Meikle. He says the parking “pinch point” will be alleviated by the end of the year.

He says the longer-term project of a new terminal will break ground in early 2022 and will take a couple of years for completion.

Another project well into the future would include linking FAX bus service to a High-Speed Rail station in downtown Fresno.

“I anticipate that when High-Speed Rail does come online, that we will have that direct and convenient connectivity,” said Meikle.

Pandemic Recovery

The airport director said that Fresno’s passenger volume hits or eclipses pre-pandemic levels some days — even before Southwest’s launch.

“We are really recovering that quickly. The majority of it is leisure travel,” Meikle said. “People just need to get out, see their family, see their friends.”

[activecampaign form=25]

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Israel Says Attacks on Iran Are Nothing Compared With What Is Coming

DON'T MISS

Military Parade Barrels Through Nation’s Capital With Tanks, Troops and 21-Gun Salute

DON'T MISS

Authorities Still Searching for Suspect in Shooting of 2 Minnesota State Lawmakers

DON'T MISS

Caitlin Clark Returns and Leads Fever to Upset Win Over Unbeaten Liberty

DON'T MISS

Iran Fires Another Round of Missiles at Israel, and Explosions Are Heard in Tehran

DON'T MISS

Stephen Miller’s Former High School Classmate Challenges His Deportation Policies

DON'T MISS

‘We Will Kill You Dead’: Florida Sheriff’s Stark Warning to Demonstrators

DON'T MISS

Trump Says ‘War in Israel-Iran Should End’

DON'T MISS

Trump Curbs Immigration Enforcement at Farms, Meatpacking Plants, Hotels and Restaurants

DON'T MISS

Fresno Protesters Rally Against Trump Administration on ‘No Kings Day’

UP NEXT

Fresno Protesters Rally Against Trump Administration on ‘No Kings Day’

UP NEXT

Does Merced County Need an Independent Commission to Draw Board of Supervisors Districts?

UP NEXT

Fresno Arts Council Debuts Gallery on Fulton for July ArtHop

UP NEXT

Vacant Fresno Restaurant Heavily Damaged in Early Morning Fire

UP NEXT

Madera County Inmate Arrested After Chase and Crash With Kids in Car

UP NEXT

Fresno Shooting Leaves Man Dead Near Griffith and Hughes

UP NEXT

Man Found Dead in Bass Lake, Cause Under Investigation

UP NEXT

US Marines Carry out First Known Detention of Civilian in Los Angeles, Video Shows

UP NEXT

Tensions Boil Between Arias and Dem Congressmembers

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Allan Saly

Israel and Iran Bombard Each Other, Trump Says He Can ‘Easily’ End Conflict

18 hours ago

Trump Vetoed an Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

18 hours ago

Newsom Wanted To Fast-Track the Delta Tunnel Project. The Legislature Slowed the Flow

19 hours ago

Five Weeknight Dishes: Seven Ingredients or Fewer, Because Summer

21 hours ago

Big Fresno Fair Unveils Second Wave of 2025 Concert Acts

22 hours ago

Israel Says Attacks on Iran Are Nothing Compared With What Is Coming

1 day ago

Military Parade Barrels Through Nation’s Capital With Tanks, Troops and 21-Gun Salute

1 day ago

Authorities Still Searching for Suspect in Shooting of 2 Minnesota State Lawmakers

1 day ago

Caitlin Clark Returns and Leads Fever to Upset Win Over Unbeaten Liberty

1 day ago

Iran Fires Another Round of Missiles at Israel, and Explosions Are Heard in Tehran

1 day ago

Fresno Man Arrested in Fatal DUI Crash on Trimmer Springs Road

A man is dead and three others are injured following a rollover crash Saturday evening on Trimmer Springs Road that investigators say was ca...

16 hours ago

16 hours ago

Fresno Man Arrested in Fatal DUI Crash on Trimmer Springs Road

Mourners pray during the funeral of a Palestinian killed in what the Gaza health ministry says was Israeli fire near a distribution center in Rafah, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
16 hours ago

Israeli Military Kills 41 People in Gaza, Medics Say

Bullet holes mark the front door of Minnesota state Senator John Hoffman, who was shot alongside his wife, Yvette, in what is believed to be an attack by 57-year-old suspect Vance Luther Boelter, who is also the lead suspect in the shooting deaths of senior Democratic state assemblywoman Melissa Hortman and her husband, Marc, in Champlin, Minnesota, U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Tim Evans
17 hours ago

Manhunt for Gunman Who Shot Two Minnesota Lawmakers Enters Second Day

Israelis take shelter at the side of a highway as siren sounds following missile attack from Iran on Israel, in central Israel June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Oren Ben Hakoon
18 hours ago

Israel and Iran Bombard Each Other, Trump Says He Can ‘Easily’ End Conflict

President Donald Trump speaks as he attends a military parade to commemorate the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday, on the day of his 79th birthday, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
18 hours ago

Trump Vetoed an Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

19 hours ago

Newsom Wanted To Fast-Track the Delta Tunnel Project. The Legislature Slowed the Flow

21 hours ago

Five Weeknight Dishes: Seven Ingredients or Fewer, Because Summer

22 hours ago

Big Fresno Fair Unveils Second Wave of 2025 Concert Acts

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend