Starting in December, Coachella Valley residents looking to temporarily trade palm trees and mountains for politicians and monuments will be able to do so without switching planes — at least for a few months.

United Airlines said Tuesday it will offer a seasonal flight between Palm Springs and Washington Dulles International Airport from Dec. 19 through April 30. The announcement was made by the airline and officials at Palm Springs International Airport.

United will be the only airline to offer direct service between Palm Springs and the Washington area. Tickets for the flights went on sale Tuesday.

The flights will coincide with Palm Springs’ winter and spring tourism season. The airline will operate one flight per day in each direction: The Palm Springs bound-flight will depart at 9 a.m. ET (6 a.m. PT) time each day and arrive in Palm Springs at 11:40 a.m. PT (2:40 p.m. ET).

The Dulles-bound flight will depart at 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET) and arrive at 8:45 p.m. ET (5:45 p.m. PT).

Palm Springs had sought DC flight

The announcement of the new flight comes a little over two years after the Palm Springs City Council approved thousands of dollars of incentives and fee waivers for airlines in exchange for providing non-stop flights to major airports, particularly those that were not currently served by direct flights.

At the time, Washington, DC, was listed as one of six “target” destinations the city was most hoping to see flights added to, along with New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and Hawaii. Last year, Alaska Airlines added new service to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Tuesday’s announcement did not state United had received the incentives for its Dulles flights. Those incentives could include waiving of certain fees charged by the airport for two years, along with $50,000 to market the flight. Palm Springs airport officials also did say whether United will consider continuing the flight beyond April 2025.

A statement from Visit Greater Palm Springs CEO and President Scott White touted the flight as a boon for tourism in the city, noting it will make it easier than ever for DC residents to come experience all that Palm Springs has to offer.

Harry Barrett, the Palm Springs airport’s executive director, said the new flight demonstrates its commitment to expanding service and making global destinations more accessible from the valley. The release stated that United serves more than 100 destinations from Dulles, including Tokyo, Paris, Rome and Sao Paulo.

Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: United to offer seasonal nonstop flights from Palm Springs to DC