Tucson kicked off its first-ever regular nonstop flight to the nation's capital Tuesday with enthusiasm and an admonition.
"Use it or lose it" was how Mayor Bob Walkup straightforwardly put it.
United Airlines has committed to the daily nonstop to suburban Washington D.C.'s Dulles International Airport through April to test demand for the service.
The 9:35 a.m. inaugural flight aboard a 120-seat Airbus A319 was about half full, said Tom Harmon, United general manager at Tucson International Airport.
Not bad for the first flight on a new route on a Tuesday, he said. More important, the flight is sold out at the end of this week, he added.
"As of now, it's seasonal service, but we will prove them wrong," Harmon said. Already, bookings are exceeding forecasts, he said.
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"We've got to have the load and the community support to make this work," he said.
The new service "opens the world to Tucson," said Bonnie Allin, Tucson Airport Authority CEO.
Dulles International is a major hub for United Airlines and serves many global destinations nonstop including Tokyo, London, Paris, Munich and Frankfurt, Harmon said.
Adding Dulles brings to 18 the nonstop destinations for Tucson flights, noted Bob Elliott, chairman of the Tucson Airport Authority board.
Added service helps "fuel the local economic engine and creates a world-class destination" for the community, he said.
United's first Dulles flight came about a month after JetBlue Airways launched service at Tucson International with a new daily nonstop to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The new flight departs Tucson at 9:35 a.m. with arrival in suburban Washington, D.C., at 3:39 p.m.
The return flight leaves Dulles at 6 p.m. and arrives in Tucson at 8:33 p.m.
United's Web site Tuesday showed the round-trip fare for the route available with 21-day advance at $330, said Raul Diaz, supervisor of airport operations for United at Tucson International.
United also flies out of Tucson to Los Angeles, Denver and San Francisco.
Watching a brief ceremony before the first flight was Patti Fisher of Tucson, ready to board for the first leg of a trip to Europe that includes an ocean cruise out of Barcelona, Spain.
Catching the first nonstop to Washington, booked by a travel agent, will save a little time on the journey, she said.
Also eager to board was retiring Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., who said he has racked up 5 million frequent flier miles over the years shuttling to and from the capital during his 11 terms in Congress.
Had there been a nonstop flight all these years "I never would have quit," he said with a grin as he got ready to board with a stack of newspapers in one hand and a roll-aboard bag.
UAL Corp., parent of United Airlines, Tuesday reported third-quarter earnings of $190 million, marking the first time it has posted back-to-back quarterly profits in more than six years, The Associated Press reported.
l Departing Tucson, 9:35 a.m.; arrival in suburban Washington, D.C., 3:39 p.m.
l Departing Dulles International Airport, 6 p.m.; arrival in Tucson, 8:33 p.m.
l Fare: As low as $330 round-trip with 21-day advance purchase (subject to change)
