United Airlines will begin offering direct flights from Kalispell to Los Angeles next summer.
Glacier Park International Airport Director Rob Ratkowski announced the expanded air service will take flight June 7, 2018.
The flight is scheduled to depart daily from Kalispell at 12:55 p.m. Mountain Time with an estimated arrival time of 2:52 p.m. Pacific Time into LAX. The flight originating from LAX will leave daily at 8:28 a.m. PST, landing at Glacier Park International at 12:25 p.m. MST. The flights will run through August. Flight schedules are subject to change.
“This direct service provides significant advantages, both to those who live in the valley and guests wishing to visit the Flathead,” Ratowski said. “Not only does this direct flight drastically reduce travel time to the West Coast, the flight’s arrival times will make it possible for travelers to easily catch same-day connections out of LAX. It really opens up travel options for residents and tourists.”
The addition of direct service to Los Angeles comes on the heels of a record-setting summer at Glacier Park International Airport. The growth was aided in part by United’s increased market offerings in 2017, including direct summer service from San Francisco and increased capacity on flights to Chicago and Denver.
“We continue to focus on making United the first choice for customers when planning their travel to the Flathead Valley,” said Grant Whitney, United’s vice president of Domestic Network Planning. “Our new service from Los Angeles will provide more customers with convenient access to enjoy beautiful Montana.”
Area tourism and business groups are encouraged by the addition of another direct flight to a large market. Dylan Boyle, who serves as both the executive director of Explore Whitefish and board chair of Glacier AERO (Airline Enhancement and Retention Outreach), believes the addition is another positive sign of future business and tourism growth in the Flathead Valley.
“Glacier AERO is thrilled by the announcement of the new summer daily service on United to Los Angeles,” said Boyle. “United continues to have confidence in our market by adding new and expanded air service to Glacier Park International Airport. Additionally, from a tourism perspective, California always ranks as a top destination in our visitor surveys in Whitefish year in and year out.”