Spirit Airlines announced new service beginning March 3 to Fort Lauderdale from Yeager Airport, and on May 5, 2011, they will add service to Myrtle Beach. These announcements are the latest in a series of new service announcement over the past year and a half. American Airlines has instituted service to New York LaGuardia and Chicago O’Hare and AirTran began service to Orlando. Each of these new routes has proved to be very popular for the traveling public and they have resulted in net new passengers flying from Charleston.
Spirit Airlines has been flying since 1980 and are headquartered in Miramar, Fl and operate more than 150 daily flights to 40 destinations including locations in the Caribbean and Latin America. The aircraft that they operate are Airbus 319’s, 320’s and 321’s all large modern jet aircraft. The equipment that will be used on the flights to and from Charleston will be the 145 seat Airbus 319.
Famous for $9 fare sales, Spirit models itself as an Ultra-Low Fare Airline that lets the passenger only pay for the services that they use on the flight. The majority of the tickets are sold on www.spiritair.com
The schedule for the new service will be Tuesday Thursday and Sunday to Fort Lauderdale departing Charleston at 6:00 pm and arriving in Fort Lauderdale at 8:15 pm. Return flights from FLL depart at 2:45 pm and arrive in CRW at 5:00 pm. On May 5, with the addition of Myrtle Beach service the schedule changes as follows: From CRW leaving 8:10 pm and arriving FLL 10:25 pm and from FLL leaving 1:15 pm arriving 3:30 pm. From CRW leaving 4:10 pm to Myrtle Beach and from Myrtle Beach leaving 6:15 pm arriving 7:30 pm.
Not only do these flights allow for travelers in West Virginia to travel, but is provides an opportunity to increase market draw for West Virginia’s tourism attractions. The airport has worked with the State Division of Tourism and various tourism entities over the years to promote travel to WV from the various non-stop destinations served from Yeager Airport. These efforts have proven effective and we believe that tapping the South Florida market to promote white water rafting, mountain biking, mountain vacations and snow skiing will be equally profitable.
