Columbus will temporarily lose a long-sought nonstop flight to the San Francisco area early next year, leaving Los Angeles as the only nonstop West Coast destination from John Glenn Columbus International Airport.

The 41-day seasonal suspension of Southwest Airlines' daily nonstop flight between Columbus and Oakland from Jan. 8 to Feb. 17 illustrates a trend in which airlines are tweaking their flights to maximize revenue.

Nonstop service to the West Coast has been elusive for Columbus and other cities with mid-sized airports in the eastern United States.

Apart from briefly having service to Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego and the greater Seattle area (Bellingham, Washington) from short-lived Skybus Airlines, Columbus has been lucky to have nonstop service to Los Angeles alone.

In a move similar to that of Southwest, Delta Air Lines suspended its nonstop Los Angeles flights for two months in early 2012. Both Delta and American Airlines now serve Los Angeles with one daily nonstop apiece from John Glenn.

Securing the Oakland flight was heralded as a victory not just for leisure and business travelers, but for economic development. When Columbus officials tried to attract San Francisco-area tech firms to invest here, "They all said, 'Call us when you get a nonstop flight here,' " recounted Kenny McDonald, chief economic officer of economic development organization Columbus2020 when the flight was announced in February 2015. More recently, McDonald has said that the group has been pleased with the results of getting the flight.

Franklin County and the city of Columbus put up a combined $1.7 million toward a two-year reserve fund for the Southwest flight that could be drawn upon by the airline if revenue targets (which were not disclosed) weren't met. The flight will have been operating for two years as of August.

Elaine Roberts, CEO of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, told airport board members last week when informing them of the change that they "shouldn't over-read this as a signal" that Southwest is pulling back either from the route or Columbus generally. "All airlines are doing this as they try to manage their flying."

Southwest, which carries more than a third of passengers at John Glenn, operates some flights "on a seasonal basis because of demand," spokesman Dan Landson said. "We've seen these months are typically when demand is at its lowest, while flights in other parts of the country have higher demand. That allows us to move aircraft to the right routes, ensuring that we are always meeting the needs of our customers."

Landson pointed out that travelers can still reach San Francisco with as little as one modest layover. Meanwhile, Southwest is testing other routes from Columbus in limited fashion: It recently launched once-weekly nonstop service to New Orleans, and in November will launch limited several-times-a-week service through early January to Houston from Columbus.

Andrew Vasey, an Indianapolis-based aviation consultant, said the airlines have become savvy in maximizing their flights and revenue.

"Their schedules are now developed to move seats in and out of markets with greater frequency to benefit of the financial performance of the airline," Vasey said, noting that the industry is now profitable after years of losses and bankruptcies among most airlines.

Vasey said while seasonal changes aren't necessarily an omen, "if the shift only results in a loss of seats in the local market, there can be negative impacts to the community while the airline still prospers. Communities (should) continue to work on their airline relationships and to ... maintain and grow their air service."

Angie Tabor, spokeswoman for John Glenn airport, stressed that Southwest remains committed to Columbus, and that the airport is confident that moves that make Columbus a more profitable market for the airline will ultimately benefit all.

"Ten-plus years ago, an airline would add a flight, seven days a week, and it would be there. That's what it was," Tabor said. "Airlines are much more strategic now ... with their data analytics they can be much more nimble. In the end, what makes the airlines more profitable is better for all of us."

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mrose@dispatch.com

@MarlaMRose