North County Takes Off: United Airlines Coming to Palomar

A Boeing 777-300ER of United Airlines

By San Diego Monitor News Staff

CARLSBAD, CA - The morning haze over Carlsbad is still thin enough that you can smell the ocean before you see it. Down the road from the beach, McClellan–Palomar Airport hums quietly — a business jet here, a prop plane there — nothing that would make you expect the unmistakable blue and gold of a United Airlines tailfin soon rising into the North County sky.

Yes, it’s really happening: United Airlines is coming back to Palomar. Not as rumor, not as nostalgia — but as an honest-to-goodness reality that will put Carlsbad back on the national aviation map. For locals who have grown used to the great pilgrimage south — that ritual crawl down Interstate 5 to San Diego International — this is a homecoming. It’s as if someone looked at all those brake lights at Encinitas, all those exit-lane sighs at La Jolla Village Drive, and said: “Enough. Let’s fly from here.”

The plan: United will start running flights from Palomar in early 2026, likely connecting North County travelers to major hubs like San Francisco and Denver. It’s a modest start — a couple of flights a day — but the symbolism is big. Palomar has always been that quiet little overachiever of an airport, a few gates shy of fame, but rich with local affection.

What makes this story different from the press-release chatter is that Palomar isn’t just gaining an airline. It’s gaining validation — a wink from the big leagues that says: “You belong.”

Think about it. For years, Palomar was the secret handshake of local flyers — the place you bragged about to out-of-towners while secretly wishing it had more than just private jets and regional hops. Now, that wish is taxiing down the runway.

The airport itself has history: originally built to connect San Diego’s growing northern communities with the rest of the state, it’s been home to charter companies, corporate fleets, and countless student pilots learning the art of takeoff. United’s return makes it a stage again, not just a backdrop.

There’s something perfectly North County about the timing, too. The region has been stretching its wings — new tech companies, growing universities, fresh investment. The return of commercial air service feels less like convenience and more like momentum. You can already picture it: a family finishing breakfast in Oceanside, deciding they’ve got time to make a flight to San Francisco before lunch. A biotech executive in Encinitas who swaps the stress of airport parking downtown for a quick Lyft to Carlsbad. A surfer in Leucadia catching one last wave before heading to a Denver meeting. This is how North County flies — casually, confidently, barefoot-adjacent.

Still, there’s a bit of romance in this comeback. The last time United served Palomar, the planes were smaller, the runway shorter, and the world simpler. The return isn’t just about schedules and service; it’s about reclaiming a piece of local identity — the feeling that big-city access doesn’t have to mean big-city hassle.

Of course, not everyone will love it. Some neighbors will grumble about noise, others will question whether the airport’s small footprint can handle the bustle. But progress always hums louder than nostalgia. And in this case, it hums at 30,000 feet.

When that first United jet lifts off from Palomar, it won’t just mark the start of a flight — it’ll mark the end of an era of inconvenience. North County, after years of waiting, is finally taking off again.

So when you hear that distant roar over Carlsbad next spring, don’t just look up — smile. That’s not just an airplane. That’s your hometown stretching its wings.