The Out-of-Towners : Business Brisk for Oxnard’s Air Shuttles

Despite the weak economy, business has been brisk this summer for the two shuttle services operating out of Oxnard Airport, airline officials said Friday.

While final figures are not available for the number of passengers who flew American Eagle and United Express between May and September, officials from both airlines said Oxnard Airport was exceeding their expectations.

“It has been a very strong market for us,” said Al Becker, a spokesman for American Airlines. “I’d say that in the last year Oxnard has become one of our most consistent and strongest airports in California. Traffic continues to go up, even with the addition of a second airline.”

The second airline, United Express, began flying out of Oxnard in April under the operation of New Mexico-based Mesa Airlines Inc.

“We had record traffic numbers in July,” said Gus Carbonell, director of planning and scheduling for Mesa Air. “This service was profitable right from the first month and the numbers continue to go up.”

Both airlines report that flights out of the airport are, on average, 50% full. That, they said, is a particularly encouraging figure because 95% of the passengers who fly out of Oxnard connect to other flights on American or United.

Only a small number of people end their journey in Los Angeles because the round-trip fare on both airlines, at its lowest, is more than $125, said Has Simm, who manages the Airport Travel Agency.

According to the agency, which operates out of Oxnard Airport, the two airlines charge passengers only about $10 if they add the Oxnard leg to flights connecting through Los Angeles on the theory that the convenience of flying from close to home will inspire residents of Ventura County to choose their airlines.

“This service puts the entire country at the doorstep of the local community,” Becker said. “Oxnard makes a natural air transport gateway.”

Passengers at the airport Friday confirmed that theory, saying the hassle-free nature of Oxnard airport lured them there.

“I live only five minutes away from Dulles Airport (near Washington, D.C.) and if I fly here my total travel time on the ground is 10 minutes,” said Gary Civilikas, after arriving in Oxnard on Friday. “It’s convenient, and you get a nice view of the countryside as you fly up from L.A.”

The Los Angeles-to-Oxnard flight takes only 15 minutes. According to United Express pilot John Kelsheimer, the plane often spends more time on the ground at LAX than in the air.

Camarillo resident Anna Pavin said she was flying out of the airport for the first time Friday. “It’s definitely more convenient then driving down to L.A.,” she said. “Now that I know about it, I’ll probably fly out of here more often.”

That, said travel agent Simm, bodes well for the airport and the airlines.

“It has been busier this summer than I can ever remember it,” said Simm, who has worked at the airport for 12 years. “The more difficult it gets to fly out of L.A., the more we’re going to be attracting business right here to Oxnard.”