SLO County airport set to receive its largest plane to date. Where will it fly to?

San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport will get its largest plane on a regular route this fall when Alaska Airlines begins flying a Boeing 737 on the flight linking SLO to Seattle.

Alaska Airlines will operate the Boeing 737-800 between the Central Coast and the Pacific Northwest starting Oct. 1.

The daily flight will depart from Seattle at 12:08 p.m., arriving in San Luis Obispo at 2:34 p.m. The outbound flight will depart at 3:26 p.m. and arrive in Seattle at 5:54 p.m., according to deputy director of airports Courtney Pene.

Pene said that the main benefit of having such a large aircraft is increased capacity. The Boeing 737-800 can seat 162 passengers, versus other Alaska aircraft, which have a maximum of 78 seats.

The current largest commercial aircraft serving the SLO County airport is an Airbus 319 with a total of 124 passengers, Pene said.

Pene said that as of now, this is the only local route that will use the Boeing 737-800.

“SBP is thrilled with our continued partnership with Alaska Airlines,” Pene said in an email to The Tribune.

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Also, she said this is a mainline aircraft, which means it’s shielded from any cancellations due to regional pilot shortages.

Pene said that since the pandemic, the SLO County airport has “continued to soar and experience a tremendous passenger growth,” with this May setting a new monthly record at 66,655 passengers.

As for whether the new plane will bring additional noise, Pene said that typically new, larger aircraft are quieter. She said the added plane is similar to the Airbus 319.

“I would expect the same noise level as residents experience now,” Pene said.

Pene said the airport continues to remind passengers to arrive two hours prior to their flight to have plenty of time to board.

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