United Airlines Launches 175-Kilometer Route

United Airlines has restored flights between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Bakersfield’s Meadows Field Airport (BFL) after 12 years, bringing back the 175-kilometer domestic link.

The U.S. carrier last flew the service, operated by United Express, in August 2014; now, in the second week of August, the route resumed from United’s Los Angeles hub and is part of continued reconnectivity efforts.

Embraer E175 regional jets operate the route. Aeroroutes.com scheduling data shows UA4804 departs Los Angeles at 1043 and arrives in Bakersfield at 1140. The return service, UA4730, departs Bakersfield at 1403 and arrives in Los Angeles at 1505.

At around 175 kilometers, it is one of the shortest services on the domestic network. The published block times are close to an hour in each direction; however, the airborne portion is shorter, with taxi and congestion in Los Angeles accounting for a large share of the schedule, along with climb and descent.

United Airlines previously flew the Los Angeles-to-Bakersfield market until August 2014, when it axed the service. Now, with aircraft availability and demand studies, the carrier has seen enough support to warrant its return and remains committed to these short-haul regional services from larger hubs.

United Airlines Expands Bakersfield Network

Relaunching service from Bakersfield to Los Angeles represents United Airlines’ third destination with scheduled passenger flights, along with Denver International Airport (DEN) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Now, with Los Angeles added to the mix, passengers can access another vital gateway in the United Airlines network with domestic flights from Los Angeles, one component, but often outshone by the deep international connectivity offered from LAX across the Pacific.

The Embraer E175 deployment continues, with strong market demand justifying the regional type. With a two-class product aligned to the network, the regional jet is also considered internally as a way to support higher-yield passengers on short services.

Bakersfield, along with Los Angeles, is seeing restored direct access to one of the largest airline hubs, not just for United Airlines but for airlines globally in the United States and certainly Southern California.

The daily rotation adds another feeder route into United’s Los Angeles hub, where the connection can support the E175 deployment even on a short sector of less than an hour in the air.