The combined Continental Airlines/United Airlines will resume twice-daily non-stop flights between Bakersfield and Houston, the airline holding company and county airports department announced Thursday afternoon.
The 31/2-hour flights will begin in April and connect Meadows Field with George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The airline will use 66-passenger CRJ 700 jets.
Flights will leave Bakersfield every day at 12:05 p.m., arriving in Houston at 5:35 p.m., Central Time. Six-day-a-week morning flights, at 6:15 a.m. will arrive in Houston at 11:45 a.m. Central Time every day except Sunday.
Flights from Houston leave at 9:40 a.m. Central Time, arriving in Bakersfield at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Another leaves Houston at 8:45 p.m. local time, and arrives in Bakersfield 10:45 p.m. every day except Saturday.
The fare will be $278 one way, plus taxes, or $494 roundtrip.
United Express will operate the flights after the Continental-United Airlines is fully implemented, a Continental spokesman said.
It’s the second big announcement of new air service in the last month. On Sept. 29, the Airports Director Jack Gotcher announced Allegiant Air was starting non-stop three-days-a-week service to Las Vegas.
The significance of the connections is greater than their first-stop destinations suggest. Each city is its airline’s hub. That means passengers can fly to dozens of major eastern destinations by flying to the hub and transferring to other cities. It makes driving to Los Angeles International unnecessary in many flights.
The Continental fights were a regular service between Bakersfield and Houston until a few years ago.
A news release on the Continental Airlines website said:
"One of the key benefits of our merger is the ability to create a network that gives our customers more flight options," said Greg Hart, United's senior vice president network. "Numerous communities will gain service as we begin to capitalize on the opportunity to use our combined fleet more efficiently."
Continental will add new flights between Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport and Bakersfield and Palm Springs; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Grand Junction, Colo.; Hobbs, N.M.; Montreal; and Reno, Nev. From Cleveland Hopkins International, Continental will begin flights to Cincinnati, Ohio, and from New York/Newark Liberty, the carrier will begin service to Des Moines, Iowa.
United plans new service from Washington Dulles International Airport to Louisville, Ky.; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Salt Lake City; Tulsa, Okla. and Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands, subject to government approval. United will also start new service from Denver.
