Kentucky is famous for its bourbon whiskey, rolling hills, lakes, rivers and horse farms that have bred many a Kentucky Derby winner. But visiting the state from the West Coast has often demanded an excruciating series of connections. That is, until American Airline’s new non-stop service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Louisville (SDF) was announced this month.
The new service includes a non-stop flight from Louisville every morning, and a red-eye return to the Bluegrass State each night. Currently American is committing an Airbus A319 with 128 seats plus WiFi and in-seat power to the run. “American adding Los Angeles service is a vote of confidence in the region and SDF,” said Dan Mann, Executive Director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority. The flight will provide Kentucky businesses and travelers access to more than 40 connecting options to cities in the western U.S., Hawaii and Asia.
We live in an era of point-to-point flights, a reality that helped kill the ultimate jumbo jet aimed at hub airports, the Airbus A380. But even in this more convenient brave new world, not every city pair gets direct, non-stop flights. When a city like Louisville does, it’s a sign that, like getting its own sports team, the city has indeed “joined the big leagues.”
That’s one reason why a non-stop flight from mega-hub Los Angeles International (85 million passengers in 2018) to Louisville, is a cause for celebration throughout Kentucky. With a population of over 630,000, Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky (population 4.4 million) and the 27th largest city in the United States. In 2018, Frontier, Allegiant and Southwest were among the airlines adding flights to Louisville, according to www.FlyLouisville.com. In total airlines added an additional 195,000 seats to Louisville’s flight schedule, an 8.5 percent capacity increase.
Growth in the state may also be measured by a different metric. The airport has been renamed Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport after one of the state’s most famous residents. The former heavyweight world champion was long controversial as a Vietnam War draft resister. Today, tourism officials note that Muhammed Ali and Colonel Sanders are buried in the same Kentucky graveyard.
It's no wonder the state is pitching itself as an authentic and affordable destination, with Bourbon tours, music and mint juleps to tempt Millennials and others. And for outdoor recreation, tourism officials say the state possesses more shoreline in Kentucky lakes than Florida has along its coast.
Still, smaller cities can have difficulties getting or retaining airline service. Memphis, (MEM), a similarly-sized city to Louisville with a population of 652,000, was recently named one of the lowest-rated cities for business travelers due to a lack of flights and airport amenities. A former local hub for Northwest, Memphis lost many flights when Delta bought the airline and instead focused on Atlanta, now the busiest airport in the world.
Nonetheless, Louisville and Kentucky as a whole see the new air service from LA as both validation of Kentucky’s growth and proof of its potential.
The state sees the new air service as important for raising its profile in film and television production, as well as for key industries like horse racing, bourbon distilleries and tourism. Californians and those linking through LAX will be able to enjoy tours of distilleries and bars featuring the beverage, as well as music festivals aimed at the alternative and country crowd. While questions have been raised about the future of horse racing, particularly in the wake of recent deaths at Los Angeles's Santa Anita racetrack, Kentucky horse farms and horse experiences also attract tourists.
Like many states and countries, Kentucky is dreaming big of the benefits that non-stop point to point air travel can bring. But as Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development Secretary Terry Gill noted in the announcement of the brand-new West Coast non-stop service, “The major airlines are closely watching this flight’s success. To best leverage this opportunity, businesses in Kentucky and Indiana, as well as leisure travelers, must lend their full support by taking advantage of this flight.”
Because what the airlines giveth, they can also take away.
