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January 9, 2008

Plattsburgh International to get more flights

By DAN HEATH

PLATTSBURGH — Another airline plans to offer flights from Plattsburgh International Airport to Florida and South Carolina.

Myrtle Beach Direct Air & Tours President and Managing Partner Ed Warneck said he will be in Plattsburgh Thursday.

“We are looking to come up and give some good news. I’m not at liberty to divulge any information at this time,” he said today.

The airline is expected to announce service from Plattsburgh to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer heralded the new service between Myrtle Beach and Plattsburgh.

“This is a hole in one for Plattsburgh-area residents looking to escape the cold winter months and head south to vacation on Myrtle Beach,” he said in a statement.

“This is just the beginning for Plattsburgh’s new airport. There is a groundswell of support for reliable and affordable air service throughout the region.”

Information on the company Web site describes Myrtle Beach Direct Air & Tours as “an indirect air carrier providing public charter air flights and offering all-inclusive vacation, golf and entertainment packages.”

Myrtle Beach Direct flights are operated by Xtra Airways, based in Elko, Nev.

Myrtle Beach Direct uses Boeing 737-400 twin-engine aircraft, which offer 138 coach seats and 12 first-class seats.

Myrtle Beach Direct already offers flights to either Myrtle Beach, Tampa/St. Petersburg or both, from Newark, N.J., Niagara Falls, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio, Gulfport/Biloxi, Miss., and Manchester, N.H.

The company’s core management team of five people has more than 100 years of experience in the tour, aviation and charter industries, according to the site.

Myrtle Beach Direct has a call center in Beckley, W.V., that is capable of handling as many of 20,000 calls per day.

Last spring, the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce initiated a letter-writing campaign to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to seek a $625,000 grant through that agency’s Small Community Air Service Development program.

At that time, Myrtle Beach Direct indicated it hoped to launch service to Plattsburgh, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Chicago Rockford International Airport in 2008.

Today’s announcement is taking place without that grant having been secured.

At that time of the letter-writing campaign, Chamber President Garry Douglas said the chamber always believed the new airport’s first success would be with a low-cost carrier to a vacation destination.

Myrtle Beach Direct began offering flights as low as $99 one way from Niagara Falls in 2007. That airport, with its proximity to Toronto, is seen as similar to Plattsburgh International and its proximity to Montreal.

Allegiant Air started Nov. 16 offering flights from Plattsburgh International to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and is now operating at near capacity on most flights and has added additional flights to Orlando.

Today’s announcement and the success of Allegiant shows the Montreal market is willing to fly out of Plattsburgh, local officials say.

Other incentives for Canadians to use Plattsburgh International include lack of congestion, lower cost and free parking.



E-mail Dan Heath at:

dheath@pressrepublican.com

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