After a decade away, United Airlines is heading back to Carlsbad, California.
United Airlines Returns To Carlsbad Airport
United Airlines will relaunch regular commercial service at McClellan–Palomar Airport (CLD) in Carlsbad, California, on March 30, 2026, operating twice-daily flights from its hubs in Denver (DEN) and San Francisco (SFO). The move marks the Chicago-based carrier’s return to North County San Diego after a hiatus of more than ten years—United last served Carlsbad in April 2015, suspending service from Los Angeles (LAX) when it retired its EMB-120 turboprop aircraft.
Why Carlsbad, Why Now?
McClellan–Palomar Airport is a small but attractive option for travelers looking to avoid the congestion of larger airports. United’s decision to deploy Embraer E175 regional jets to Carlsbad underscores confidence in the market’s potential. For the airline, CLD offers a premium mix of leisure and business travelers with minimal competition and lower overhead than nearby San Diego International Airport (SAN).
American Airlines currently serves Carlsbad from Phoenix (PHX) and JSX offers service to several cities.
Carlsbad’s convenient location near affluent coastal communities and tech companies in North County gives it unique appeal. The airport also benefits from recent runway and terminal improvements that allow for larger regional aircraft and more reliable scheduling (though it will still be quite tight, with the passenger terminal often referred to as a “glorified bus stop”).
For local flyers, United’s return opens new direct connections and one-stop access to the airline’s global network. However, the market remains small: Carlsbad handles only a fraction of the traffic that San Diego does.
Flights will operate with 76-seat Embraer E175s featuring first class, Economy Plus, and standard economy seating. Travelers can expect convenient morning and evening departures designed to connect to key national and international flights from both hubs.
CONCLUSION
United’s comeback in Carlsbad is a vote of confidence in smaller-airport convenience and the growth of Southern California’s coastal market. The route may not move the needle systemwide, but it brings long-overdue connectivity back to an airport that’s long been overlooked. For North County flyers, the return of United means fewer long drives to San Diego or up to Los Angeles.
Hooray, Hooray! Finally! Flying in and out of CLD is wonderful for us North County types.
Sounds CarlsGOOD.
I’ve flown the AA CLD-PHX several times now. Depending on where you are going from San Diego, you most likely have to connect somewhere, so might as well connect in PHX. Post-COVID there are hardly any SAN-LAX flights, so usually connect SAN-SFO. This makes it sooooo much easier. For a recent 6:15am flight, left my house at 5:30am, parked my car in the free parking at 5:45am, walked 2 minutes to terminal, through security and on plane by 5:55am. Connected in PHX and was in Fayetteville, Arkansas by 1:15pm.
I’d rather more SAN-LAX flights though CLD is closer for me. That said happy to see it.
San Diego County is nicely served with CLD, SAN, TIJ, SNA, LAX all in proximity.