JSX Service at Santa Monica: The most controversial airline service for an airport?

In spite of the opposition, JetSuiteX (JSX) has begun service to Santa Monica with their brand new ATR 42-600s from Las Vegas, Nevada and soon Scottsdale, Arizona. (Above: The First scheduled ATR 42 commercial flight arriving at Santa Monica on December 19, 2025)

Background

The Santa Monica Municipal Airport has had a long and historic presence in the city of Santa Monica and amongst Angelenos on the west side of Los Angeles. Opening in 1923, it is one of America’s oldest airports and was once home to the historic Douglas Aircraft Company and the birthplace of the Douglas DC-3.

As the airport became an attractive place for wealthy individuals with private jets including Harrison Ford and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Residents of Santa Monica began voicing opposition to the airport. Often citing noise and pollution along with the concern that the bigger private jets were using the airport and posed a safety risk. In response, the city of Santa Monica agreed to shorten the runway back in late 2017, and intends to close the airport in 2028 by year's end. Thereby reducing the private jet traffic volume and providing critics with the comfort of the airport being on a ticking clock. For the last few years, the city of Santa Monica has stayed quiet about the airport given the tentative closure date.

But a recent announcement by an air charter service has significant potential to upend the city’s agenda and ignite controversy once again. On November 25, 2025, Dallas-based JetSuiteX (JSX) announced daily flights between Santa Monica and Las Vegas starting December 19, 2025 using 30-seat ATR 42 aircraft. Unlike other airlines, JSX is known for being a public charter “hop-on” carrier. An airline operator which gives its customers the comforts of private aviation that avoids the annoying check-in lines and security checkpoints, but at a far lower cost than flying a private jet. Typically JSX uses ERJ-145 regional jets built by the Brazilian aviation company Embraer. However, the Santa Monica flights will be flown by recently acquired Franco-Italian built ATR-42 aircraft. The key difference is that the JSX ATR 42s are turboprop aircraft (using propellers instead of jets), with a far less noise output than jet-powered aircraft. Thereby aligning with Santa Monica Airport’s (SMO) sustainability focus and promising more spending into neighborhood businesses.

Even so, the controversy surrounding the airline service has begun within the first few days of the announcement. Anti-airport activists see the decision by the city as making an about face to the efforts taken over the years to get the airport closed. Among the most prominent activists is Zina Josephs, one of the most vocal critics of the airport’s operations.

She has filed a lawsuit against the city of Santa Monica alleging that Santa Monica Airport approving commercial operations violated the California Environmental Quality Act. “California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is a state law that requires public agencies to evaluate the environmental impacts of proposed projects and disclose those impacts to the public. It is California’s environmental protection process. It requires cities to study impacts, inform the public, and reduce harm where possible before approving major new activities.” Josephs argues that the City filed a Notice of Exemption for JSX saying that no independent study was required. “Santa Monica Airport is surrounded by homes, schools, and parks. The new commercial service raises concerns about noise, quality of life impacts, pollution and health impacts, air and street traffic, and safety risks. These issues have not been independently reviewed. We fully support the City’s plan to close SMO by December 31, 2028.”

Inaugural Flight

On December 19, 2025, I went to Santa Monica Airport to witness the first arrival of JSX's first scheduled flight. I got to the iconic viewing area at Santa Monica Airport approximately 35 minutes before the arrival. They ended up leaving Las Vegas a bit late, but it gave me a chance to get to the spot in time. On the day of the arrival, weather was rather hazy and it was even getting foggy around the arrival time. Luckily, it was still clear enough to still see eastward to look for arriving aircraft. I should also mention, the Air Traffic Control Tower live audio feed is broadcasted at the viewing spot. After a few landings, including a Cirrus Jet and a FlexJet Embraer Phenom 300, over the speaker "BIGSTRIPE 1180 Request clearance to land on Runway 21."  Seconds later, there it was an ATR 42 on approach into Santa Monica.

Considering Santa Monica Airport was the airport that first introduced me into aviation, and having been used to maybe business jets or small prop planes, it was a surreal sight to see an actual scheduled flight coming into Santa Monica. Even if it was not a jet airliner, seeing a 30-seater ATR 42 was surreal. Seconds later, the ATR planted its main landing gear onto the runway, and reverse ops deployed. There it was, history had been made, a commercial flight had landed with fare-paying passenger at Santa Monica for the first time in over 100 years. 

JSX's ATR 42-600 N408SV arriving at Santa Monica Airport as "BIGSTRIPE 1180" with passengers on board on December 19, 2025.

After landing, I went over the main building where JSX is currently operating out of Santa Monica. There, I got to speak with a number of people who had not only flown the inaugural flight, but also worked for JSX and learned some rather interesting details. Among the passengers included JSX CEO Alex Wilcox, and other aviation geeks. I tried to even interview Alex Wilcox about how significant the flight was and the potential of JSX not only servicing Santa Monica, but the possibility of their service changing the timeline and future of the airport. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get an interview or ask him any questions.

It should be noted, Alex Wilcox is one of the co-founders of JetBlue Airways prior to being CEO of JSX. This is significant because JetBlue is a widely respected and appreciated airline amongst the public. As CEO, Alex clearly knows the value of airline service done right, and the fact that JSX servicing Santa Monica is an excellent business strategy. The residents of the westside in LA are over the long and tedious TSA lines and traffic at LAX and the long drive over the hills to Burbank (another LA airport which also is where JSX has a large presence). For JSX to have service to Santa Monica is a brilliant alternative for Vegas bound travelers over dealing with LAX and Burbank, along with the hideous traffic on Interstate 15 for anyone who drives to Vegas.

One of the few people I was able to briefly chat with was the Captain of the ATR 42-600 . He had a lot of experience flying turboprops, not just on the ATR but also Swedish-built Saab 340s. One of the questions I asked him was how different is the Saab 340 compared to the ATR 42-600? He said that the “ATR is more quiet than the Saab 340 and roomier and smoother. With More propeller blades they are quieter and a computer controls the blade pitch." When asked how the ATR compares to the larger Dash 8 Q400, he said "The Q400 is not as efficient as an ATR it has same fuel burn as on an original jet." Finally, I had another key question to ask him, given the ATR had been known for its surprising vulnerability to atmospheric icing that led to several tragic crashes. I wanted to know had the aircraft been redesigned and is a lot safer in icing conditions? It turns out, he has not only flown ATRs on cargo flights in icing weather with no issues, but the aircraft has been redesigned numerous times. He also mentioned how the pilot training has changed and they now have additional procedures and steps to follow. I was comforted knowing the ATRs flying today are considerably safer today as well as the steps that have been taken to make the aircraft and pilot training a whole lot safer.

Final Thoughts

While I have yet to experience JSX's new ATR 42 service to Las Vegas from Santa Monica, I am extremely impressed and hopeful with this new service. It is expected to not only give JSX a new financial advantage for charter airline service in the Los Angeles area, but it also could invite more opportunities for other aviation companies to try the same business model. It also may have the potential to change the outcome of the Santa Monica Airport's future, especially if the business and service is super successful. 

I intend to try this service in the next few weeks, and I will absolutely provide my thoughts on the service. Given that the ATR 42 also burns less fuel than a jet, these JSX prices are considerably less than their ERJ flights out of Burbank. They also are even less money round trip than some tickets on Southwest between LA/Burbank to Las Vegas. It is further proof that the JSX model applied with turboprop aircraft such as the ATR 42 could open up new opportunities in the future with other airlines. Anyways, expect a review about JSX and their ATR in the near future.