Kern County Airports Interim Director Teresa Hitchcock hopes the new direct flight from Bakersfield to Dallas in 2019 will attract more business to Meadows Field.

Hitchcock says they received a $500,000 federal grant to help American Airlines with their startup costs because smaller markets like Bakersfield can be expensive.

Bakersfield has some of the highest prices in the country, with one-way tickets averaging $275, but Hitchcock says more seats means everyone’s ticket price will go down.

United ended their flights to Texas three years ago because of falling oil prices.

Kelli Pierce