American Airlines’ daily nonstop service between Los Angeles (LAX) and Louisville, Kentucky begins this week, marking the carrier’s first nonstop route between Louisville and the West Coast. Previously, travelers between L.A. and Kentucky’s largest city had to either change planes or drive to Cincinnati or Nashville for a better air service.
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The flight departs LAX at 10:55 p.m. and arrives at the recently renamed Muhammad Ali Louisville International Airport (SDF) at 6:02 a.m. local time the next day. The return flight departs SDF at 7:24 a.m. and arrives at LAX at 9 a.m.
The new service is part of a larger plan to bring more nonstop flights into Louisville from major coastal cities, spearheaded by the Louisville Regional Airlift Development (LRAD), which is using a pool of mostly city and state funds to guard against any losses to the carrier that might stem from the new service.
The flights, which will be aboard a 128-seat Airbus 319 with WiFi and in-seat power, primarily target business travelers, although leisure travelers will now have a more convenient way to travel from the Los Angeles area to visit iconic attractions such as the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the state’s famed horse country, according to the Kentucky Department of Tourism.
Likewise, travelers can now fly directly from Louisville to visit southern California’s beaches, Hollywood and attractions like Disneyland Resort. Those travelers also have more convenient access to certain Asian destinations that American Airlines serves from its L.A. hub.
American Airlines now offers daily nonstop flights to eight destinations from Louisville, including Charlotte, Chicago-O’Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, New York-La Guardia, Philadelphia, Washington-Reagan and the aforementioned Los Angeles.
