Ohio is set to receive a new nonstop route to the West Coast. 
American Airlines
has confirmed it will begin flights from Columbus International Airport to Los Angeles next March.
An underserved opportunity
Passengers are already flying indirectly between the Capital of Ohio and the largest city in California, and it appears the oneworld Alliance carrier is hoping to fill that need with a new nonstop service.
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Columbus is Ohio’s second busiest airport by traffic numbers. Let’s find out who flys from there.
American Airlines already serves John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) from several of its hubs, so the new daily link will help connect passengers who are currently transiting elsewhere and open up a range of new one-stop opportunities. Jordan Pack, American’s Director of Domestic Network Planning, highlighted the opportunities provided with the new link:
“American is excited to welcome customers on our new nonstop service between Columbus and Los Angeles.
“Los Angeles joins a lineup of eleven other nonstop destinations, giving customers convenient and robust access to American’s comprehensive global network of more than 350 destinations from just one stop.”
Based on scheduling data from Cirium, American Airlines will offer almost one thousand flights in each direction across its eleven direct destinations from Columbus in March.
When can you fly directly from Columbus to Los Angeles?
The new flight from Columbus’s John Glenn International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX) begins on March 6th, 2025. According to the filed schedule, the airline is presently set to operate a Boeing 737-800
aircraft on the route, which seats 172 passengers.
The flights are due to leave Ohio in the early evening and take just under five hours. The return leg will leave Los Angeles in the morning and arrive back in Columbus in time for dinner.
|
Flight |
Departure |
Arrival |
|---|---|---|
|
AA 227 |
Columbus (CHM) – 17:45 |
Los Angeles (LAX) – 19:30 |
|
AA 227 |
Los Angeles (LAX) – 09:20 |
Columbus (CHM) – 16:55 |
The route has already proven it has potential and is currently served by Spirit Airlines with an Airbus A320neo plane. However, the service is set to end on January 8th, 2025. Columbus Regional Airport Authority President & CEO Joseph R. Nardone highlighted just how important the new nonstop connection will be:
“With nearly 300 people flying between Columbus and Los Angeles everyday for both business and leisure, we thank American Airlines for launching this highly desired route.
“I am proud of the continuous effort of our air service team working with airlines to expand passenger flight options while we continue planning for our brand new, first-class terminal.”
Photo: John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
For frequent flyers in the Columbus area, research by Simple Flying shows the flights beginning at 8,700 American Airlines AAdvantage
miles each way for the available dates next spring.
Related
Which Cities Need Direct Flights To Los Angeles?
Delta Air Lines recently announced that it will resume direct flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Shanghai Pudong International (PVG) next summer. This announcement follows that of Alaska Airlines, which will add flights to Pasco Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) and Reno–Tahoe International Airport (RNO).
With the addition of the Embraer 175 routes, Alaska will become the carrier with the most daily flights to West Coast destinations of any airline from LAX. Of the two, only Pasco Tri-Cities will be a new destination from the City of Angels.
The airport is also making significant improvements in advance of the Olympic Games coming to the city in 2028, including a new Delta One Lounge, which opened this month, and an improved electric train system.
With all these improvements and route announcements, where are some destinations that could still benefit from direct flights to LAX or one of the area’s other airports? Let us know your top picks in the comments.
This year has been a banner year for the Ohio airport. In June, July, and August, over 5 million passengers traveled through John Glenn International and the city’s cargo-centric Rickenbacker International (LCK), which is also home to flights with Allegiant Air
. September was the busiest September ever, with more than 750,000 passengers.