Responding to demand in the Western U.S., ExpressJet Airlines announced it would start service from three new cities – Long Beach, Santa Barbara and Reno/Tahoe – on November 11, in time for the holiday travel/ski season. ExpressJet service to Long Beach Airport (LGB), Santa Barbara International Airport (SBA), and the Greater Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) will connect those cities to important destinations that do not currently have non-stop service prior to ExpressJet's arrival.
Its Long Beach to Reno/Tahoe, Fresno and Monterey, Calif. represents the first service introduction in five years. XJT will also link Santa Barbara to Sacramento and San Diego, providing quick access to both Northern and Southern California. From Reno/Tahoe, ExpressJet will service Long Beach, Ontario, Spokane and Tucson, three of the area’s top destination choices. ExpressJet also made additional updates to its fall schedule to better align service offerings with consumer demand as well as adding non-stop destinations from Spokane, Washington, Tucson, Arizona, and Omaha.
ExpressJet plans to hire 10 to 15 employees and invest more than $300,000 in airport facilities and equipment at each of the three new points. Adding service to Santa Barbara, Long Beach and Reno-Tahoe will bring the total number of U.S. markets with ExpressJet non-stop flights to 26.