Good news for Tampa-area residents looking for easier access to San Francisco. United Airlines announced plans to offer direct routes between the two cities, linking Tampa to one of the nation’s biggest technology hubs.

Here are more details from the Tampa Bay Times:

“A nonstop flight will take close to six hours from Tampa to San Francisco and five hours the other way. With connecting flights and layovers, travelers going from Tampa to San Francisco currently can spend 10 hours or more traveling.

The flights currently cost, on average, between $500 and $800 for an economy seat. They could start as low as about $300 when the nonstop United flights are offered.

“We saw significant growth of traffic in between the two cities. And United is in a growth mode, so this flight made sense,” said Jim Ferea, United Airlines managing director of domestic planning. “Tampa is fast becoming a center for technology and we wanted to connect the city with the largest city for technology.”

Bottom Line

The announcement of the San Francisco flight comes months after airport officials launched a social media campaign that encouraged residents to tweet and share personal stories in a Facebook group with more than 1,400 people using the hashtag #TPA2SF.”

The flights start on Feb. 16 and United will use a Boeing 737-800. Economy seats cost $311 and up. The Tampa Bay Times article also said some 200 passengers travel through Tampa’s airport with a final destination of San Francisco, further highlighting the importance of this new route.