Santa Monica Airport has been shrinking for years, yet the fight over its future continues. JSX now wants to make it a place you actually start trips from again.
JSX To Launch ATR 42 Public Charter Flights From Santa Monica
JSX will launch new public charter service from Santa Monica Airport (SMO) to Las Vegas (LAS) on Friday, December 19, 2025. The carrier will use ATR 42-600 turboprop aircraft that are reconfigured with 30 seats, bringing limited scheduled-style service back to an airport that many expected to fade quietly into history.
Flights will initially operate once daily, seven days per week, within the airport’s normal operating hours. JSX is selling the service as a way to avoid the crowds and delays that define larger Los Angeles area airports. Customers can arrive as little as 20 minutes before departure, walk through a small private terminal, and board directly, which is a sharp contrast to regular commerical passenger jet experience, especially at nearby LAX.
Onboard, the ATR will feature the standard JSX perks. There are 30 seats with generous legroom, no middle seats, and in-seat power at every row. Drinks, snacks, and cocktails are complimentary. Starlink internet is expected to be available on the ATR fleet in early 2026 once certification is complete. Fares start at 149 USD each way, including tax, and include at least two checked bags, which covers larger items like golf clubs and skis.
JSX is careful to describe itself as a public charter air carrier rather than an airline, and that distinction matters at Santa Monica. Using the public charter framework allows JSX to operate in a way that fits within the regulatory and local constraints that have defined the current era at SMO. The company also stresses that the ATR 42-600 is both quiet and relatively efficient, which is clearly intended for an audience that is sensitive to noise and environmental impact.
Santa Monica’s Aviation History
Santa Monica’s aviation history gives this move a bit of symbolism. JSX notes that the DC-3, one of the most important 30 seat airliners ever built, was designed and produced at Santa Monica Airport. Now another 30 seat aircraft will carry paying passengers from the same field, although in a very different regulatory and political climate.
According to JSX, the Santa Monica service is part of a broader plan to strengthen regional connectivity. The carrier will take delivery of four ATR 42-600 aircraft and holds options for up to 25 more airframes. The company already serves nearly 30 airports across the United States and Mexico with Embraer regional jets, linking smaller airports and private terminals with popular leisure and business destinations.
> Read More: JSX Review – Semi-Private E145 Flight From Las Vegas To Burbank
Tickets for the new Santa Monica to Las Vegas flights are already on sale through the JSX website and mobile app. In addition to scheduled public charter flights, the 30 seat aircraft can also be chartered privately for groups or corporate travel, which gives JSX additional flexibility in how it uses the new ATR fleet.
CONCLUSION
JSX’s entry into Santa Monica with a 30-seat ATR turboprop is a notable development for an airport that many expected to wind down rather than grow. For LA travelers, the appeal of avoiding LAX in favor of a quiet, quick hop to Las Vegas is obvious. The open question is how residents and city leaders will respond to this renewed activity at SMO and whether this public charter experiment becomes a durable part of the Los Angeles area air travel landscape…I do my have my doubts about that, but we’ll explore that in a future post.
image: JSX
I don’t think Santa Monica is really in a position to turn down free money, given its precarious financial situation. If anything, they should be courting more regional air traffic.
The city doesn’t get that money. It all stays in the Airport Fund, nothing goes to the General Fund. The only way the city can touch that money is if the airport closes.
Well done JSX! Good for SMO! Note that, as of today, the young JSX has only 1 ATR 42 (average age of 4.1 years) in its fleet.
On the other hand, let’s recall that the City of Santa Monica has reaffirmed its commitment to permanently close SMO at the end of 2028…
It’s minor association with DC-3 production aside (DC-3s were built in hundreds of places around the world, even in Russia), the airport has a much bigger claim to fame: in the classic film “Casablanca” the airport scenes were filmed at SMO.
We may always have Paris, but the local airport-hater idiots in Santa Monica will stop at nothing to shut down this historic airport. I’m sure they’ll do everything they can to stop JSX here.
BTW, there’s nothing surprising about JSX’s claim that their ATRs have “no middle seats”. It’s true, but no ATR anywhere has any middle seats.
The ATR42 is quiet. They should keep the airport open. Santa Monica Airport used to be where Douglas built their commercial airliners before it was too small and they moved to Long Beach. TheATR42 is much quieter than a jet.
I can’t wait until I start seeing Instagram posts of people flying a “PJ” from SMO that is neither P nor J. Though admittedly, at $149 it’s a damn good deal.