News & Events

MONTEREY – A not-so-hidden gem of a restaurant has been voted the top pick in the 2023 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest beating out eateries in much larger airports. Woody’s at the Airport, inside the Monterey Regional Airport, was voted the Best Airport Sit-Down Restaurant after being nominated by an expert panel and receiving public support in the form of votes for this honor. “You have earned some serious bragging rights!” said the USA Today notification letter to the Monterey airport.

Monterey Regional Airport, the county’s only commercial airport, serves over 400,000 passengers annually. But the terminal those passengers use, originally built in 1950 and expanded in 1973, is outdated. For years, MRY has operated commercial flights with a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration. “Our current terminal building is too close to the existing taxiway and the taxiway is too close to the runway,” says Michael La Pier, the airport’s executive director.

The Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) for a goal of non-stop service to Chicago. The grant will be used as a Minimum Revenue Guarantee (MRG) for the service, with the airport investing $100,000 via the waiving of airport fees for the first 2 years of service.

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV)- United States Representative Jimmy Panetta announced Tuesday that federal funding was awarded to Monterey Regional Airport to support a new air service to Chicago. This $750,000 grant was awarded through the Small Community Air Service Development Program, whose goal is to improve Americans’ connectivity and allow people to fly to more places for cheaper.

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV): The clock is ticking for Congress to pass spending bills to keep government agencies running. This would mean some staff members at the Monterey Regional Airport are left waiting for answers, including TSA and Air Traffic control workers.

The Monterey Regional Airport was awarded two grants totaling $25 million to support enhancements to the airport through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) announced the federal grants, which were made possible through a $22 million Federal Aviation Administration’s AIP grant to support improvements to the airport’s tarmac and terminal and $3 million from the Infrastructure Act for passenger terminal design.

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV): Some major improvements will be happening shortly to the Monterey Regional Airport after $25 million in federal funding was given to the airport. Amy Holly was getting ready for her flight to Denver from Monterey. As a frequent flyer, she said improvements made to the airport will only encourage more people to visit.

MONTEREY – A significant funding boost for Monterey Regional Airport’s efforts to modernize and upgrade the facility was announced Thursday. The Monterey Regional Airport was awarded a $22 million grant through the Airport Improvement Program to support improvements to the airport’s tarmac and terminal, according to a press release from Rep. Jimmy Panetta, (D-Carmel Valley). Additionally, a $3 million grant directly through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will support passenger terminal design.

Once a sleepy commuter airport overlooked by most travelers, Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) has steadily grown into an easy, convenient and affordable option for those seeking state, national and global connectivity. Serving more than 450,000 passengers per year by providing easy access to many of the world’s major hubs, MRY manages more than 40 flights in and out of the airport daily.

Honeymooners, holiday seekers and second homeowners have long made Carmel their dream destination. Monterey Regional Airport (montereyairport.com) makes accessing the area by plane hassle-free. Located less than 15 minutes from Carmel, the airport offers more than 40 flights from major carriers each day.

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV)- Travelers inside the Monterey Regional Airport can expect to see new artwork inside the terminal. The new youth art exhibit that is on display is called “Let’s Get Surreal,” which features artwork from 7th and 8th grade advanced art students at John Gutierrez Middle School in Salinas.

MONTEREY, Calif. — The Monterey Regional Airport announced on Wednesday that its instrument landing system has been repaired. The navigation equipment is used to guide landing aircraft through fog. Since Friday, the system has been undergoing unscheduled repairs that were causing significant delays. One aircraft was forced to go back several times because of the equipment failure. The issue mainly impacted older planes that did not have modern equipment on board to land in foggy conditions.

MONTEREY – Passengers on some recent commercial flights into Monterey Regional Airport were tantalizingly close to their destination when the jets were unable to land and had to return to their starting points due to a combination of weather conditions and a system glitch. “We did have some diversions on Friday night that were caused by the dense fog,” said Monterey Regional Airport Executive Director Mike La Pier. The Federal Aviation Administration “did experience a malfunction of one of the antennas for one of the instrument approaches that night as well. We understand that antenna is being replaced and will hopefully be back in service (Tuesday).”

MONTEREY, Calif. — The Monterey Regional Airport experienced multiple flight problems over Mother’s Day Weekend due to poor visibility and issues with its instrument landing system. “The antenna malfunctioned. You know, it’s mechanical. These things are going to happen,” said Michael LaPier, the airport’s executive director.

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV)- UPDATE ON MAY 3, 2023, AT 2:37 PM- In a unanimous vote, the Monterey Fire Department has been chosen to continue to provide services to the Monterey Regional Airport.

On Wednesday, May 3, the board of Monterey Regional Airport voted unanimously to start negotiations with the city of Monterey for fire protection services, its current fire department contractor. The board decision goes against the airport staff’s recommendation, which was to select a fire services contract with a private company, Pro-Tec, that submitted a lower-cost proposal. 

Whether you are flying in to visit the Central Coast for the first time, or you’re from the area and looking to plan your next trip, the Monterey Regional Airport is all about convenience. Monterey Regional Airport is no longer regarded in some circles as a sleepy, small-town commuter airport, but a dynamic, bustling, world-class airport that is more convenient and accessible than its big-city counterparts, with many of the same amenities. For example, the airport, MRY in airport parlance, has increased its non-stop destinations from six to 11, with more than 40 flights in and out of the airport daily, including such desirable destinations as San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, Orange County. In fact, with just one connection, MRY can reach 95 different destinations worldwide including Paris, France and Chicago, Illinois.

On Tuesday, April 17, in the early morning hours, Monterey Regional Airport commuters may have caught a glimpse of the Racecar Transporter rolling past the runway on its way to unload an INDYCAR vehicle into the terminal. The car is part of a promotion with WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to promote the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ season finale event taking place September 8-10 as well as a whole season of premier racing events that happen in Monterey at the historic track.

When the board of directors of the Monterey Peninsula Airport District met on April 5, the room overflowed and firefighters spilled into the hallway, packing the room to ask the board to renew their contract. On Dec. 20, the airport released a request for proposals for three years of fire service with a potential two-year extension. The airport board now has two options: renew a contract with the Monterey Fire Department, its fire service provider for nearly a decade; or sign on with with Pro-Tec Fire Services, a private company based in Wisconsin, which operates at two other airports in California. Monterey Fire’s bid is $3.1 million, while Pro-Tec’s is 45-percent less, at $1.7 million.

MONTEREY, Calif. — The Monterey Peninsula Airport District board held a special meeting Wednesday to reevaluate their fire service provider. Board members are deciding between Pro-Tec Fire Services, a private fire company based in Wisconsin, or continuing with the Monterey Fire Department. The department has serviced the airport for about 10 years.

The world of travel is changing in 2023. Private aviation is becoming increasingly popular while commercial aviation is facing difficulties with delays, high prices, and low-quality options. In addition, innovation in private aviation, such as fractional ownership models (where multiple individuals own a single aircraft) and jet cards (which allow travelers to purchase a set number of hours or flights), are giving travelers more flexibility and freedom to travel privately. 

MONTEREY, Calif. — The Monterey Regional Airport is celebrating Youth Art Month with a new exhibit showcasing marine artwork created by local schoolchildren. The airport will host a wall of youth artwork, ranging in mediums from sculpture to photography. Youth Art Month is an initiative observed every March to encourage art and art education in children.

MONTEREY – Another $3 million in federal grant funding has been secured for the design and construction of a replacement terminal at Monterey Regional Airport bringing the total for the project to $7.2 million. “Every dollar we can get is critical for the project and the airport,” said Monterey Regional Airport Deputy Executive Director Chris Morello.

A pair of airports in the Bay Area and Central Coast are set to benefit from millions of dollars in grants from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act this year. The 2021 law earmarked billions of dollars for a wide range of projects nationwide, including Federal Aviation Administration grants for airport upgrades and modernization projects. 

Jet away this summer to Orange County with new summer weekender routes on JSX hop-on jet service from Monterey to Orange County starting April 6. Flights will operate out of Monterey Jet Center at 200 Sky Park Drive, Monterey through Sept. 30.

Many Texans have heard of Monterey and Carmel, California, but have you heard of the precious Pacific Grove in between the two? These coastal cousins set on the Pacific Ocean provide a serene getaway with great temperatures any time of year.

Design work on a brand-new terminal at Monterey Regional Airport is set to begin next month, and the whole project should be done in four years at an estimated cost of $50 million to $60 million, executive director Mike La Pier said Thursday. “First and foremost, the mission is to improve the safety and meet FAA standards,” he said. “We’ve been out of compliance for some time because our current building is too close to the taxiway and the runway.”

With a $2.14 million grant from the Department of Transportation received in late November, the Monterey Regional Airport now has $4.2 million toward the design and construction of a new airport terminal. The funds are from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill for Federal Fiscal Year 2023, along with another $2.14 grant from the same piece of legislation from Fiscal Year 2022.

Expanded non-stop service between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and coastal California starts in February. American Airlines will fly an Airbus A319 two times a day from Monterey to DFW.

A public/private partnership between the Monterey Regional Airport and a community air service development committee has made it possible to pursue an American Airlines daily nonstop flight between Monterey and Dallas/Fort Worth, which could come to fruition by the first quarter of 2018.

Monterey Regional Airport is reaching deep into the heart of Texas to bring more visitors to the Monterey Peninsula, backed by the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau, surrounding cities and businesses.