Redmond travelers will soon have a direct link to Texas.

The Redmond Airport announced Monday that American Airlines will fly direct flights between Redmond and Dallas/Fort Worth starting on May 6 and running through Oct. 6.

The new flights will leave every day from Redmond at 1:16 p.m., arriving in Dallas at 6:57 p.m., said Zach Bass, the Redmond airport director. Flights to Redmond from Dallas leave at 10:15 a.m. and arrive at 12:31 p.m. each day.

“This will be the farthest eastbound direct flight offered at RDM and will connect passengers to some outstanding locations,” Bass said. “American Airlines has more than 800 outbound flights departing daily from DFW, significantly increasing travel options for Central Oregon business and leisure passengers connecting through Dallas.”

Bass said Dallas is a major hub for business and leisure with flights to places like Mexico and Florida. An Airbus A320 series craft, which hold up to 150 passengers, will fly the routes, said Bass.

With Dallas in the mix Redmond now offers a total of 13 nonstop flights.

Bass said the airport had been trying to add a Dallas flight for years because it was a popular one for Redmond travlers, though finalizing the flight was delayed due to both COVID and the pilot shortage.

“The way we go after new destinations, because we’ve never had Dallas, is we look at the data of where people are ultimately flying to,” Bass said. “What we can do with that, across all of our passengers, is find where people are going to the most.”

Bass said the airport collects the data from agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration to identify possible direct flights for Redmond, and then pitches them to the airlines.

“For the airlines it is a business. They need to make a profit. So we have to be able to show that ‘This is the destination our passengers are already going to, let’s add a direct, get them there sooner, and it makes financial sense too,’” Bass said.