Santa Monica, California, January 19, 2026, 05:00 (PST)
- JSX CEO revealed plans to operate flights between San Jose and Santa Monica with ATR 42-600 turboprops
- Starting Jan. 22, the Santa Monica service will add flights to Scottsdale, with additional Las Vegas trips also in the pipeline
- Officials in Santa Monica confirm the airport remains scheduled to shut down by the close of 2028
JSX, the public charter airline, plans to start flights linking San Jose and Santa Monica, CEO Alex Wilcox revealed, as the company adds ATR 42-600 turboprops to its fleet. Wilcox also pointed to ambitions for these planes to serve short-runway airports like Telluride, Colorado. However, limits on space at San Jose might shift the Bay Area leg over to Oakland. ATR CEO Nathalie Tarnaud-Laude highlighted that “markets between 300 and 500 nautical miles … this is where we are better.” The Points Guy
This push is crucial as JSX aims to expand a niche between major airlines and private flights. It sells seats to the public but operates under charter regulations, allowing it to use private terminals and promise shorter check-in times than major hubs.
Santa Monica officials confirmed they granted JSX a commercial operations permit along with a three-year lease extending through Nov. 30, 2028. This move doesn’t alter the previously set plan to close the airport at midnight on Dec. 31, 2028, as mandated by a federal consent decree. “All Santa Monica Airport leases will expire … before the closure date,” City Manager Oliver Chi said. Santa Monica
JSX kicked off flights from Santa Monica to Las Vegas last December and plans to launch a daily Santa Monica–Scottsdale route on Jan. 22, the Santa Monica Daily Press reported. Wilcox described the move as a “direct response to strong demand” as the carrier boosts Las Vegas frequencies and promotes a 20-minute check-in. SMDP
JSX’s Santa Monica flights will feature the ATR 42-600, a propeller-driven regional plane built for short hops and compact runways. In a press release tied to a ceremony in Santa Monica, JSX hailed the aircraft as “a game-changer.” The company aims to launch four ATR 42-600s early next year, equipped with 30 premium seats plus onboard power and internet, pending certification. ATR Aircraft
Afar noted Santa Monica’s runway stretches just 3,500 feet, which partly drives the choice of turboprops. “We know travelers don’t love making the drive to LAX, and we want to be the convenient option,” JSX chief commercial officer David Drabinsky told the magazine. AFAR Media
Wilcox has pitched the ATR rollout as a strategy to access airports off-limits to the company’s small jets, all while maintaining the 30-seat, all-premium layout. He added that the carrier will closely monitor customer feedback as it expands its fleet.
JSX offers passengers the chance to earn points via its own Club JSX loyalty program, as well as through United Airlines’ MileagePlus and JetBlue’s TrueBlue. However, it has clarified that United and JetBlue members won’t be able to redeem points on the new ATR flights.
The Santa Monica shift puts the carrier right in the thick of major airline hubs. Routes like Los Angeles-to-Las Vegas and Los Angeles-to-Arizona are already packed with competition from bigger airports, even though JSX offers a distinct ground experience.
But the Santa Monica operation faces real hurdles: neighborhood pushback, a legal battle over commercial flights, and a firm deadline to shut down by the end of 2028. On the business front, JSX still needs to show that customers will stay loyal to turboprops and that it can secure crucial access at airports such as San Jose.
Wilcox admitted the company is still figuring out the ATR’s impact and how much customers will accept. “We don’t know what we don’t know yet,” he said.
