New* San Diego Lindbergh Field International Destinations (Los Angeles, San Jose: camp, cost)

[sdhkshdcny09]

I was just wondering what people think the next major (non-stop) international destination for SD will be outside North America. Feel free to vote for more than one and be sure to specify the country/region/city.

My bet is Panama City, Hong Kong, Shanghai, or a German city.

Hong Kong because it's a major travel hub in Asia, which will better accommodate travel to SE/South Asia. The direct flight to Tokyo already serves as a hub for flight to East Asia. Hong Kong is a better situated for SE/S.

Shanghai because if Tijuana can get China service, San Diego should be able to get it. The Chinese population is also growing in the area. I

Panama City because Copa Airlines has major expansion plans and San Diego is an increasingly popular destination for Latin America.

German city like Frankfurt or Berlin because Germans are the largest group of foreign visitors apart from Canadians and Mexicans.

[elchevere]

I vote none and do not see additions in the near futue..they do have Mexico, London--Heathrow, and Japan but cut back on flights to Canada..I do not see any more international flights on the radar given the capacity of the airport. Your best bet for non stop will remain LAX or for flying to and connecting through other domestic hubs in the US to get to where you want to go.

[Pedro2000]

I think it's great, but honestly, I don't really see what it does for most people. I've flown international, I've flown all over the country and honestly, most ordinary travelers or ordinary business travelers aren't flying SD to Tokoyo. It's usually SD to SOF or LAX or wherever. I've flown from SD to SFO most times to get someplace international. No big deal. And it's normally cheaper.

And that's the thing for most travelers. Direct flights are great, but a flight from SD to Shanghai or Singapore or wherever is going to cost a lot of money. If you're an ordinary business traveler, your company isn't paying for the best flight route, they pay for the cheapest. And your average family traveler, even more so.

And being there aren't exactly a ton of huge HQs in SD, who is going to need direct flights to fly into town from Asia or South America? Most of the flights will be for tourists, families, etc. It's great for the few who pay for first class and get beds and such, but I doubt your average family is going to benefit from $5K+ and up tickets. So to be honest, for the few people it will benefit, it'll be rather pointless for most others.

I mean I once worked for a company where some of the executives and upper management flew around on private jets. It was one of the new perks the company bragged about. It was useful for like 10 people out of 25K employees. That's how I feel about direct routes from SD to Beijing or Singapore or wherever. And I've flown around the world and probably will have to again in the future. I don't see the big deal if I have to fly from SD to SFO to Seoul to Singapore. And back the same way. It's not that fun, but unless the direct routes are the cheapest, most people are never going to be able to use them anyway. So great, add routes that less than 1 percent of the population will probably utilize. Not really a big deal.

[elchevere]

and ditto for trying to catch an international flight out of Tijuana, aside from Japan--you will be routed through Mexico City.

[malcorub16]

^^^ I beleive it is now only Shanghai, China and no-longer Narita, Japan.

Using Orbitz, I looked up non-stop flights from Tijuana to Shanghai in August and it looks like you can fly to China on Saturday, Mondays, and Wednesdays direct (round trip) for about $1300 USD on Aeromexico.

For LAX in Los Angeles, you can fly there in August for about $1000 USD but you must stop in Seoul, Korea flying with Asiana Airlines.

For LAX in Los Angeles, you can also fly there non-stop but for $1500 USD via American Airlines.

It's a good option to China from San Diego but lets be clear that Tijuana is a breif stop before flying to Shanghai.
The flight is actually Mexico City>Tijuana>Shanghai.

I think Lindbergh Field would most benefit from a direct flight to Manila > Vietnam. We have such a large Filipino population that has to inconveniently drive up to LA to get to PI. Of all our ethnic populations, I see Filipinos using the direct service to their homeland the most, not to mention the non-Filipino tourists.

[sdhkshdcny09]

Haha, people just answer the question! IF a new international destination is added, where do you think it would be? Yes, it's improbable in the short term, but what about in the next 10-20, or 50 years? Honestly, I'm still surprised we ever got direct service to Tokyo and London...

[sfosyd]

I think a Costa Rica flight would do well.

Alaska just added two non stops from LAX to both San Jose and Liberia...and Alaska seems to be expanding in San Diego quite a bit though almost all leisure routes including all the Hawaiian islands, Orlando, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos and to their hubs of course.

So I vote that central america would be most likely....using either Copa Airlines (they do fly to Vegas, and Tampa from Panama so SD is in that same sphere of cities) or Alaska Airlines.

A real long shot would be a middle eastern airline like Emirates or Qatar airlines as they are looking to expand in the USA. Both airlines are flying to Boston. Cathay to Hong Kong would be another extreme long shot but they too have started flying to Boston.

[LuvSouthOC]

It is a strange question since the real issue is that San Diego really needs another airport. We all know the one that is there is so close to town (a plus), but it is in a dangerous location for pilots. It is also simply too small for international flights on a serious scale.

El Toro
The previous El Toro air station in OC was once considered for the region, including SD, but instead of becoming a Great Park, it involved duping the public and becoming yet opportunity another area for Irvine to devour more land to build 1 million+ dollar itty bitty boxes on postage sized lots.

Imperial County
I always thought it was silly for SD to even consider that location for a new airport since it would cost billions to even get a high speed train from somewhere like El Centro. Moreover, the great population center of metro LA is much less likely to use this airport since it is so far away.

MCAS
I still cannot believe that Prop A was defeated in 2006 and thus SD was prevented from building an airport in the only viable and logical location. SD actually preferred that the air station stay there instead of developing a real airport. Mind boggling. I guess folks love the military "steady jobs".

[sdhkshdcny09]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

MCAS
I still cannot believe that Prop A was defeated in 2006 and thus SD was prevented from building an airport in the only viable and logical location. SD actually preferred that the air station stay there instead of developing a real airport. Mind boggling. I guess folks love the military "steady jobs".

It's hard to find a compromise and dealing with the federal government makes it all the more challenging.
I agree that a real airport should be built at Miramar instead of the current air station.

What if the new international airport was moved to Miramar and current operations were split between Brown field and Camp Pendleton?

Could the military operate out of Brown Field?

[LuvSouthOC]

Camp Pendleton gasped when that was proposed and flatly said no. Like a battered woman returning to her abuser, San Diego continues to love those military installations. But hey, I was never rah rah rah on the military bases here even though I am patriotic. After all, I see what Camp Pendleton caused to its immediate area. At one time, Oceanside's shores were even a destination for Hollywood elite. That was before it became filled with dive bars, hookers etc.