CARLSBAD — United Airlines is returning to McClellan-Palomar Airport with new nonstop service to Denver and San Francisco, marking its first flights from Carlsbad in more than a decade.
The service begins on March 30, 2026, with four daily flights — two to each city — operated on Embraer E174 jets, which seat up to 76 passengers. It has been 11 years since United operated out of Carlsbad, when United Express (via SkyWest) ferried passengers to Los Angeles from 1998 to 2015. Those flights carried 30 passengers.
Tickets are for sale and a round-trip to Denver is as low as $229, while a round-trip flight to San Francisco starts at $179, according to United’s website. The same nonstop flights from San Diego are about $50 more to Denver and at least $40 more to San Francisco, except for one flight, according to United’s website. The flight from Carlsbad to San Francisco connects to Denver as well.
“Carlsbad represents what makes aviation special — passionate pilots starting their careers and building their skills in small communities, eager to fly across the U.S. and globe,” Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances at United, told 9News in Denver. “Airports like Carlsbad play a vital role in connecting communities and nurturing United’s pilots of tomorrow. I hope these new commercial routes will continue to inspire the next generation as they think of all the places United can take them with a direct connection to a hub like Denver.”
