These are Jax’s most-visited areas without a nonstop flight (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — Flying to the West Coast from Jacksonville? For many of Jacksonville’s most popular transcontinental destinations, you’ll have to make a stop first.
The Bay Area, Seattle and San Diego are the top three metro areas travelers fly to and from Jacksonville without nonstop service.
From the second quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2023, the number of daily passengers each way between the Bay Area and Jacksonville was almost 105. The Bay Area airports include San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland.
Jacksonville International Airport also had an average of more than 97 passengers daily to and from San Diego and more than 94 to and from Seattle.
The Jacksonville Aviation Authority continuously works to incentivize nonstop service to more cities, but finding which cities should be prioritized requires more than looking at the numbers, said Greg Willis, marketing and public relations manager.
“When we show them data, it’s not anything that’s a surprise to them,” Willis said. “What they want to know is, OK, you have 180 people or whatever it is going to the Bay Area a day or you have a large unserved market to Phoenix — well, who are the people, what’s the story of the region, why are people traveling to and from Jacksonville to your market.”
Willis said JAA has incentivized direct flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico, because of connections with Jacksonville’s port business and high frequency of visits from friends and families.
Companies outside of the airline industry can also play a role, as the Mayo Clinic shared its travel data with aviation authority to show its Jacksonville employees often flew to Phoenix for work.
Willis said JAA used that data to pitch nonstop service there to American Airlines.
“We’re able to say, ‘We have one of three Mayo clinics in the country, but another one’s in Phoenix and lo and behold their employees travel there and they would most likely utilize a nonstop route,’” Willis said.
The stories behind the travel often help airline representatives see the bigger picture, Willis said.
“That combination of business and leisure, the person at an airline headquarters halfway across the country, they might not be aware of those complexities and as an airport it’s your job to tell that story,” Willis said.
The top 10 underserved airports to and from Jacksonville are listed below. The Passengers Daily Each Way are from 12-month period between Q2-2022 and Q1-2023.
Underserved Destinations
Here’s the top destinations from Jacksonville that don’t have a direct flight.
| Destination | Airport(s) | Average Passengers Daily Each Way |
| Bay Area | (SFO, SJC and OAK) | 105 |
| San Diego | (SAN) | 98 |
| Seattle | (SEA) | 95 |
| Kansas City | (MCI) | 78 |
| San Antonio | (SAT) | 64 |
| Cleveland | (CLE) | 57 |
| Salt Lake City | (SLC) | 53 |
| Memphis | (MEM) | 46 |
| Milwaukee | (MKE) | 43 |
| Buffalo | (BUF) | 43 |
| Portland | (PDX) | 37 |
Photo courtesy of flyjacksonville.com