(OHNSTOWN, Pa. – Travelers flying south from Johnstown for the holidays will be able to get an early start in December.

John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport’s commercial carrier bumped its daily departures to Washington Dulles International Airport to 6:25 a.m., on average, to better position travelers for Florida connections, Airport Manager Cory Cree said. Some flights depart at 6:10 a.m.

It’s a temporary move, with the schedule in place from Dec. 13 through Jan. 6, but it’s one that airport officials have been requesting, Cree said.

The altered average takeoff time will be more than four hours earlier than the current departure schedule. And it will enable connections that will land travelers in Florida around 11 a.m. the same day.

SkyWest Airlines’ United Express-branded flights will arrive in the Washington, D.C., area by 7:30 a.m., in time for morning flights to Florida cities such as Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville, United Airlines’ website shows.

That means southbound travelers will be able to land at their destinations anywhere from four hours and 20 minutes (Jacksonville) to a little more than five hours (Fort Lauderdale and Orlando) after their jet prepares to depart from Johnstown.

“We’re really pleased with our holiday schedule,” Cree said. He added that he hopes local travelers will be pleased, too.

By comparison, Johnstown-area residents flying out of Pittsburgh International Airport often spend the same amount of time, or more, driving to the Moon Township airport, parking and going through the screening process.

Recent advisories have urged travelers to arrive at the Pittsburgh airport three hours prior to their departures, particularly during busy periods.

By comparison, Johnstown airport passengers with printed boarding passes are advised to arrive for flights 45 minutes before departure if they do not have bags, or 60 minutes ahead of time with bags. Johnstown airport officials often market the convenience of flying locally, with the airport offering free parking and brief screening times.

United Express service has enabled the airport’s annual passenger numbers to more than double over the past few years – up to more than 28,000 inbound and outbound passengers yearly.

But Cree said airport officials recognized the current daily departure time to Washington Dulles – just before 11 a.m. – often doesn’t line up with the prime window to catch flights to some of the most in-demand travel destinations, especially in Florida.

Johnstown airport officials are still working with SkyWest Airlines on potential solutions for a more permanent early Johnstown-to-D.C. departure, Cree said.

2025 schedule will also change

For now, SkyWest’s 2025 schedule for Johnstown will bring other changes, effective Jan. 7. Cree said that will also mean earlier departures than the airport currently offers.

The difference is that the early flight will be to Johnstown’s other direct destination – Chicago O’Hare International Airport. As currently scheduled, the flight to Chicago will take off at 8:33 a.m. from Johnstown.

The Johnstown-to-D.C. flight will depart at 3:22 p.m.

Cree said the change will connect travelers with a second window of departures from D.C., while also giving local residents an improved flight to Chicago.

O’Hare is not only United’s largest hub, but also serves as a hub or focus city for American, Frontier and Spirit airlines, contributing to many of the airport’s nearly 1,000 daily U.S. departures and 111 daily flights to international destinations, its website shows.

“This will get our passengers to Chicago at 9:40 a.m., which is something we’ve asked for in the past,” Cree said, “and we think these changes are going to provide a lot of opportunities for connections. I’m sure SkyWest did their due diligence before making these changes.”

Cree credited SkyWest’s willingness to work with local officials – and the Johnstown-area community’s support for helping better position the airport for continued success.

“I think our improved passenger traffic helped” make a case for the scheduling changes, he said. “Those numbers help SkyWest’s business as much as they help us. … And we really appreciate the support we’re getting from the community, the business travelers and leisure travelers for (driving up) our enplanement numbers.”