Merced flight carrier shifting daily flights around, CEO says. Here’s the new destination

Merced’s flight service is shifting its connections from Oakland to Sacramento, according to the company.

Boutique Air announced its new flight schedule on Thursday, saying it will no longer connect from Merced Regional Airport to Oakland International in favor of the trips to Sacramento International beginning May 15, according to a news release.

The daily flights to Los Angeles will continue, the company said.

“We have had a good run at the Oakland Airport, however in light of our recently announced United Airlines codeshare partnership we believe that Sacramento is a better hub for us to support passengers with connections,” CEO Shawn Simpson said in the release.

The partnership allows customers to book connecting flights through United and the flights count toward their United air miles. The partnership is about a year old, according to the release.

Round-trip flights to Sacramento start at $56, according to the online ticket store.

Boutique has been Merced’s carrier since October 2015. The Merced Regional Airport had problems with its previous carrier, which nearly led to a loss in federal funding, according to city leaders.

The Essential Air Service program brings in an annual federal subsidy of about $2.9 million, according to the city of Merced.

Boutique Air operates a fleet of both Swiss-made Pilatus PC-12 aircraft and Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft, each of which can handle up to nine passengers. It flies out of more than 30 airports in Arizona, California, Colorado and more than a dozen other states.

For more, go to www.boutiqueair.com.