SRQ airport adding 11 new destinations this fall. The first takes flight on Sunday
The inaugural United Airlines nonstop flight from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is scheduled to arrive at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport at 10:49 a.m. on Sunday.
Local tourism development officials plan to celebrate the occasion.
Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Elliott Falcione, Visit Sarasota County president Virginia Haley and Christian Dorn, marketing program manager for Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, plan to welcome United Airlines Flight 3402 to SRQ.
Afterward, they will lead a group of meeting professionals arriving on the flight to Muse at The Ringling for a luncheon and tour.
Officials say the flight opens new opportunities because of the corporations and associations surrounding Washington Dulles, which may now consider the Bradenton and Sarasota area for meetings.
The new United Dulles to Sarasota Bradenton route is one of 11 launching this fall at SRQ.
“We’re giving our customers throughout the Washington region more access and options to fly to Florida. We’re excited to add Sarasota to Dulles and give fliers from the Sunshine State another convenient connection to our vast network,” Ankit Gupta, United’s vice president of domestic network planning, said in a press release.
Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, said the new flight will provide direct access to the Sarasota-Bradenton area from the nation’s capital and also provide domestic and international travelers the ability to connect through one of United’s hub cities.
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
