TRAVERSE CITY — For the first time in history, northern Michigan residents will have nonstop access to the West Coast with flights out of Cherry Capital Airport.
The Northwest Regional Airport Authority signed a contract with United Airlines to bring nonstop service to both Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) starting June 19, 2027.
The new flights were approved after $1 million in federal and local grants were accepted to ensure the airline would remain profitable during the startup, and with promotional support of Traverse City to the new destinations. Traverse City becomes the only Michigan airport that has direct access to all seven United Airlines hubs.
“This is huge,” said Cherry Capital Airport CEO Kevin Klein.
The schedule will start with a Saturday flight and expand to Wednesdays and Saturdays. They will operate as seasonal flights, running from June 19 through Sept. 8, 2027. Klein said Traverse City is viewed as a strong growth market. He believes the early flight schedule will expand.
“You’re going to see this grow. I think these are two prime cities that will grow for us in the future,” said Klein. “You’ll see that eventually grow into daily in the summer and then, in the future, hit those ‘shoulder’ months and continue to grow.”
Business leaders said the new flights can create opportunities with aerospace manufacturing, IT, and professional service firms.
“A lot of people don’t realize we already have a very significant aerospace and defense manufacturing base here in northern Michigan. A lot of companies right here in Traverse City and around the region are already active in that industry,” said Traverse Connect CEO Warren Call.
Agriculture and culinary businesses could also get a boost from the flights, according to Traverse City Tourism CEO Trevor Tkach.
“There’s already connectivity between the wine industry of northern Michigan and the wine industry of California,” Tkach said. “We’ve established ourselves as a hub for the Midwest for all things that are good related to agriculture.
“It just accelerates what’s already been here. I also believe that there’s an appreciation for the great outdoors, outdoor recreation, conservation, and preservation that our two states really share.”
Klein said many of these travelers will come to the region for an entire week.
“They stay, and they spend money in Airbnbs and hotels. They go to our restaurants. They buy souvenirs. They attend our events. They golf at our golf courses.”
The new flights will start as the airport works to complete an expected 2028 grand opening of the $120-million expansion of Cherry Capital Airport. Klein said that expansion should be a catalyst to help United succeed.
“They’ll have two jet bridges with the option for three. It’s going to give them the infrastructure to really handle these flights and grow the frequencies in these flights,” Klein said.
Easy access to the West Coast will open easier access to other worldwide markets, according to a statement from United Airlines.
“These flights open up convenient access to the West Coast and destinations around the world through one-stop connections from our hubs in SFO and LAX,” said Mark Weihofer, managing director of domestic network planning at United.