The Spokane Airport Board and Delta Air Lines announced today that the airline would offer nonstop daily flights between Spokane and Los Angeles (LAX) starting June 10.

As scheduled, a 76-seat Bombardier CRJ900 jet will depart Spokane each day at 6:45 a.m. and arrive in Los Angeles at 9:20 a.m. Delta's return flight is expected to leave Los Angeles at 7:50 p.m. and arrive in Spokane at 10:26 p.m.

Joe Esposito, managing director of domestic network planning at Delta, said in a press release, "This flight allows local customers the ability to conduct business in Los Angeles and return the same day, or connect to other key regional destinations."

Delta currently provides nonstop service between Spokane and both Minneapolis and Salt Lake City.

According to Spokane Airports data, 92,150 people flew between Spokane and Los Angeles in the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2011. At that time, it was the eighth most popular destination, just behind Oakland and well ahead of San Diego.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who was present at the press conference announcing the new flights, said in a press release that the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene market is the largest in the Pacific Northwest that doesn't currently have direct-flight service to Southern California.