The newest US low-cost carrier is finally launching flights — but to Nevada instead of Japan or Korea

• Northern Pacific Airways is launching its first-ever flights from Ontario, California, to Las Vegas on June 2.
• The carrier will use a 181-seater Boeing 757 with both economy and business class on the one-hour flights.

Low-cost startup Northern Pacific Airways is finally launching flights this June — but it's a far cry from the long-haul business model it started with.

The Anchorage-based airline announced on Tuesday that it will launch its first-ever commercial flight on June 2, flying once weekly between Ontario, California — just outside of Los Angeles — and Las Vegas.

The one-hour route will use a 181-seater Boeing 757 aircraft with both economy and business class, flying to Nevada on Fridays and returning to California on Sundays. CEO Rob McKinney described Northern Pacific's upcoming service as an "incredibly convenient and cost-effective" way to enjoy Las Vegas.

"This announcement today represents the achievement of a major milestone for Northern Pacific Airways," he said. "The airline now has a live flight schedule, purchasable tickets, and refurbished aircraft ready to go, and I can't wait for passengers to meet our team onboard and fly with us."

Fares start at $69 one-way, and the carrier will compete with Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines on the nonstop route — two already well-established low-cost airlines.

According to Tuesday's press release, customers could only book the route via online travel agencies. But, the option to book via Northern Pacific's website appears to be working as of Thursday.

The already heavily trafficked route between Southern California and Sin City was not Northern Pacific's original plan. The airline initially wanted to fly from the US to Asia via Anchorage, Alaska — similar to Icelandair's routes from the US to Europe via Reykjavik.

However, Northern Pacific still plans to eventually fly the route, saying it first wants to "fine-tune" its operation and "make sure that we can deliver the best possible service" before it expands to international destinations, like Japan and South Korea.

The one-stop international routes, which the carrier said would save passengers 20% on fares, were first put on pause due to reasons relating to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and subsequent airspace closure — a situation reminiscent of the Cold War era.

Moreover, the airline hasn't yet obtained a special aircraft rating known as ETOPS, which certifies its twin-engine 757s can still safely fly for hours even if one loses an engine en route — a necessity when flying across the Pacific with few diversion airports.

The Los Angeles to Las Vegas route wasn't the carrier's Plan B, either. In August 2022, it announced possible flights from California to Mexico, and then in October 2022, it leapfrogged to launching flights from Saipan — a US commonwealth island in the western Pacific — to places like Australia and the Philippines.