Meridian Regional Airport will have a new flight schedule this summer, with the elimination of flights to Chicago and Dallas and the addition of two daily flights to Houston, the Meridian Airport Authority said. 

SkyWest, which provides Meridian’s air service, is partnering with United Airlines beginning July 1, with two daily flights to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, according to a news release Thursday from the city of Meridian.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, April 11 through the United Airlines website at www.united.com.

In 2018, the Meridian Airport Authority commissioned a study to evaluate whether a move to United Airlines would benefit Meridian, the release states.

“In early March, SkyWest notified MAA that American Airlines had reached a threshold with its pilot contract that required them to reduce or eliminate service to nearly a dozen communities in the U.S., including Meridian.”

That will mean the elimination of flights to Chicago and Dallas, according to Tom Williams, president of the MAA. 

“It is a transition that was necessitated by American themselves,” Williams said Thursday. “It was not our choice.”

Williams said he was happy that SkyWest will continue serving Meridian.

“While there will be people disappointed that we don’t have the Dallas and Chicago flights after June 30, there are people that will be excited that we have Houston flights starting July 1.”

“The City of Meridian is excited to have United Airlines and their global network serving our area,” Mayor Percy Bland said in the statement. “We look forward to helping SkyWest grow the United brand in Mississippi.”