L.A. to Mammoth: Is the 395 worth avoiding?

Today is a big day for Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. It'll mark the first day of airline service from Los Angeles in many years.

A fire drill was held recently at Mammoth-Yosemite Airport, using old buses set ablaze, to test the readiness and response times of local firefighters. I just checked the Horizon Air website, and there are no seats available for the first flight from LAX to Mammoth-Yosemite Airport. That flight is scheduled to touch down at 3:25 p.m. (Horizon Air will offer daily service through April 12.) But there are seats available for the next day, and they cost $149 each way. This makes me wonder: Is the shattered economy responsible for this 65-minute flight, during peak holiday season, not being full? And do skiers and snowboarders prefer the traditional method of accessing Mammoth via automobile?

Read the rest of the article here.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: A Horizon Air turboprop plane touches down at Mammoth-Yosemite Airport during a test run in October. Credit: Peatross / MMSA

Today is a big day for Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. It'll mark the first day of airline service from Los Angeles in many years.

A fire drill was held recently at Mammoth-Yosemite Airport, using old buses set ablaze, to test the readiness and response times of local firefighters. I just checked the Horizon Air website, and there are no seats available for the first flight from LAX to Mammoth-Yosemite Airport. That flight is scheduled to touch down at 3:25 p.m. (Horizon Air will offer daily service through April 12.) But there are seats available for the next day, and they cost $149 each way. This makes me wonder: Is the shattered economy responsible for this 65-minute flight, during peak holiday season, not being full? And do skiers and snowboarders prefer the traditional method of accessing Mammoth via automobile?

Read the rest of the article here.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: A Horizon Air turboprop plane touches down at Mammoth-Yosemite Airport during a test run in October. Credit: Peatross / MMSA

Today is a big day for Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. It'll mark the first day of airline service from Los Angeles in many years.

A fire drill was held recently at Mammoth-Yosemite Airport, using old buses set ablaze, to test the readiness and response times of local firefighters. I just checked the Horizon Air website, and there are no seats available for the first flight from LAX to Mammoth-Yosemite Airport. That flight is scheduled to touch down at 3:25 p.m. (Horizon Air will offer daily service through April 12.) But there are seats available for the next day, and they cost $149 each way. This makes me wonder: Is the shattered economy responsible for this 65-minute flight, during peak holiday season, not being full? And do skiers and snowboarders prefer the traditional method of accessing Mammoth via automobile?

Read the rest of the article here.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: A Horizon Air turboprop plane touches down at Mammoth-Yosemite Airport during a test run in October. Credit: Peatross / MMSA