United launches ultra-short flight from LA, charging $200 for 57-minutes in the air

For a flight with less than half an hour in the air, United Airlines’ revived California route comes with a sky-high price tag: $200.

The airline brought back daily service between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Bakersfield’s Meadows Field on Aug. 11, per InsideFlyer. The route gives travelers a way to avoid the notoriously congested drive between the two cities.

However, the convenience comes at a hefty cost for the short journey.

Passengers can expect to pay hundreds of dollars to fly a short distance that is often just a few hours on the road.

The scheduled trip takes about an hour from departure to arrival, although much of that time isn’t spent flying. The distance between LAX and Bakersfield is only about 109 miles.

The daily schedule has United flight UA4804 leaving LAX at 10:43 a.m. and UA4730 returning from Bakersfield at 2:03 p.m.

For travelers staring down a $200-plus fare, the math may seem particularly jarring.

And that’s before factoring in the time it takes to get to the airport, clear security, board and wait for takeoff. Still, local officials say the route could be a game-changer for travelers who value convenience over cost.

Meadows Field has been promoting the service as an alternative to driving to LAX, where travelers can face brutal traffic, expensive parking and lengthy airport lines.

“We’re hoping that people use us as an option,” Erin Briscoe-Clarke, Kern County’s chief communications officer, told 23ABC. “It’s easy to fly out of Meadows Field. It’s convenient, stress-free, parking is easy, getting here is easy.” 

Some passengers say that convenience makes the steep price worthwhile.

Steve Wilkinson, who flew the route while traveling with his wife, said the ease of using the smaller Bakersfield airport was a major selling point.

“I realized I had left something in the car in the parking lot, and it took me three minutes to go back out and get it,” Wilkinson told the outlet, noting that the same mistake at a larger airport could have been disastrous.

Other travelers are looking at the flight as an escape hatch from Southern California’s legendary freeway congestion. Michael Bowers said he has previously left home before dawn only to spend hours trapped in traffic heading toward LAX.

“Sometimes I’ve left [at] 4:30 in the morning to be held up by traffic for like 4 hours,” Bowers explained.

United’s Bakersfield-Los Angeles service is scheduled to operate daily, with a morning departure from LAX and an afternoon return from Meadows Field.

For travelers willing to pay the premium, the route offers a remarkably quick alternative to the highway.

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