It took a community effort to land air service to Los Angeles.

And the community will be asked to help guarantee the flights pay off for United Airlines.

North State leaders, including Anderson and Redding city officials and U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, on Monday welcomed the nonstop service to Los Angeles International Airport during a press conference at Redding Municipal Airport.

The flight starts March 8 and will be operated by Skywest, doing business as United Express.

It will leave Los Angeles at 7:10 p.m. and arrive in Redding at 9:25 p.m. The 50-seat regional jet will stay overnight and leave for Los Angeles at 6:45 a.m. the following day, arriving at 8:35 a.m.

More: United Airlines to offer nonstop flights from Redding to Los Angeles

“Wow, I just want to pinch myself,” said Redding City Councilwoman Julie Winter, the city’s liaison to the Economic Development Corp. of Shasta County. “We’ve been working on it ... for seven years, and this flight is so critical to economic development in our community.”

Winter and others who spoke, including Mayor Kristen Schreder and United Airlines representatives, said this is a big deal for Redding, which lost air service to Los Angeles in 2011 and has been working to get it back ever since.

In surveys of local business and leisure travelers, Los Angeles tops the list of the most-coveted destination.

Currently, United flies three times a day to San Francisco International out of Redding, and will add a fourth flight six days a week Oct. 4.

More: PenAir files for bankruptcy; stops service in Redding

After Monday’s press conference, Redding City Manager Barry Tippin said a community-sponsored revenue guarantee contract will come before the City Council in about a month.

“Not only the city, the (Shasta) County, Bethel Church and many other organizations across the community have agreed to pitch in and help make this flight (Los Angeles) a success,” Tippin said. “I think the commitment is around $1 million.”

Participants will put money into essentially a trust account from which United can pull.

“So that if there is a month or two or quarter in which the airline doesn’t make its revenue, they could use the trust fund to make it work” to close the gap, Tippin said.

Communities subsidizing airlines is not new, and Redding has done so before, including a $500,000 federal grant in 2005 to help Horizon’s service to Los Angeles International Airport get off the ground. Horizon operated those flights until 2011.

In thanking the community, Councilwoman Winter singled out Bethel Church, whose leadership was part of Redding's flight-recruitment team.

Bethel’s economic impact to air travel is significant.

In 2016, Bethel’s staff logged more than 5.5 million air miles, spending nearly $10 million on tickets, EDC President Tony Giovaniello said last spring, adding that the church is “a big part of our negotiating position.”

Winter, who’s also a Bethel board member, talked about going to Chicago with other Bethel officials and community members the Sunday after the Carr Fire started.

“I had been evacuated with my husband and it was gut-wrenching to leave the city — there was still uncertainty in the community, a lot of pain in the community and I was really torn about leaving,” Winter said during the press conference. “But this flight was so critical. Whatever I could do to make this flight happen, I knew it was going to be important and valuable for the city.”

In an earlier news release, the city and United said low introductory fares and travel bundles for affordable options will be sold.

According to United’s website, the cheapest economy roundtrip ticket from Redding to Los Angeles is $251, leaving April 9 and returning April 10.

Flying United out of Sacramento for the same dates is $162 for a basic economy ticket. But travelers also must factor parking and gas for the drive.

United officials on Monday declined to talk about how they determine ticket prices for L.A. flights. But they are bullish on Redding.

BJ Youngerman, United’s director of California strategic initiatives, said it’s the airline’s hope the Los Angeles service will bring more customers to Redding, which also would help generate more business to San Francisco.

“We want it to build on itself,” Youngerman said.