HUNTINGTON -- The announcement of nonstop air service from Tri-State Airport to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is an example of the innovative opportunities West Virginia must take to improve its economy, U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller said Wednesday.
"Tri-State Airport has gotten very aggressive, and its work is paying off," he said. "There are two ways we can approach life. We can say the area has lost jobs and get in a bad mood and not do anything about it, or we can get excited about the challenge of overcoming it."
The senator's comments came during a luncheon at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena to celebrate the new service, which will be offered by low-cost carrier Allegiant Air beginning Nov. 16.
The twice-weekly service -- using 150-seat MD-83 jets -- will leave Tri-State Airport at 9:50 a.m. on Mondays and Fridays and land at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport at 12:10 p.m. The return trip will leave Fort Lauderdale at 7 a.m. on the same days and arrive at Tri-State at 9:15 a.m.
The one-way introductory fare of $69, which comes with a few restrictions, is available for travel through Feb. 10, 2008. The introductory fare period ends Sept. 29. Afterward, the regular one-way fare will start at $89.
Allegiant spokeswoman Tyri Squyres said the airline chose Huntington for the new service because of its success with nonstop flights to Orlando, Fla. That service, which began 10 months ago, has had monthly load factors (percentage of available seats sold) as high as 99 percent.
"Huntington is an excellent market for us and it has exceeded expectations consistently in terms of not only number of passengers, but also the average fare," she said.
Allegiant also has been a driving force in the resurgence at Tri-State. Boardings, which are up 76 percent over last year, are on pace to exceed 65,000. That would be the highest number of boardings at the airport since it reached 70,000 in 1998.
Rockefeller said Allegiant's decision to expand service at Tri-State shows its commitment to the airport.
"These airlines are always on the margin. Many of them are flirting with bankruptcy and can't afford to make frivolous decisions," said Rockefeller, a Democrat who is chairman of the Senate's Aviation Subcommittee on Commerce. "They need customers who will be loyal and stand with them."
Tri-State Airport will soon launch a marketing campaign to promote the Fort Lauderdale flight, said Beckie McKinley, the airport's marketing director. She said the airport probably will spend about $100,000 on radio, television and newspaper advertisements. The funding will come from a $500,000 federal small community air service grant that the airport received in 2005.
Tri-State Airport Director Larry Salyers said Tri-State is targeting three more destinations, but would not name them. The airport also is getting ready to start on a runway expansion project in 2008 and has partnered with the KYOVA Interstate Planning Commission to conduct a feasibility study for a parking garage.
"Parking has really never been a problem for us, but it's a problem we're proud to have," said Jim Booton, president of the Tri-State Airport Authority and a Wayne County commissioner.
