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Carrier To Cater To Leisure Travel

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By TED JACKOVICS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2007

CLEARWATER A new airline will offer flights targeting leisure travelers to five cities out of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.

Myrtle Beach Direct Air, based in the South Carolina resort community, will inaugurate nonstop flights to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Niagara Falls, N.Y., beginning in December. In January, the company will offer nonstop service to Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss.

Newark, N.J., and Pittsburgh service will begin in December but will require a stop in Myrtle Beach.

The frequency of flights on the routes should increase when the airline leases a second Boeing 737-400 aircraft in March, the company said. At first, the airline will serve Pinellas only certain days of the week, Chief Executive Officer Judy Tull said at a news conference Wednesday.

At least two more communities that officials said requested service to Pinellas County could be considered by the airline.

Myrtle Beach Direct Air President Ed Warneck declined to name them, but previous reports in The Sun News of Myrtle Beach say the company was considering several, including Plattsburgh, N.Y.; Worcester, Mass.; Nassau, Bahamas; and St. Petersburg-Clearwater.

The company got its start in March, and its strategy reflects an emerging business model among low-cost carriers that serve smaller airports, said Noah Lagos, executive director of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport. 'It is a low-cost carrier appealing to leisure travel, without a need to provide daily flights' that business travelers seek, he said. 'These airlines appeal to people who shop for airfare prices and customer service.'

Smaller airports such as St. Petersburg-Clearwater International and Niagara Falls International contribute to the customer service segment, Warneck said.

'It's all about a changing perception of quality,' Warneck said of passengers who, in theory, might prefer less crowded airports to major airports in order to save time.

Tampa International Airport, for example, serves about twice as many passengers in a month as the Pinellas airport serves all year. The larger airport draws positive reviews for customer service, but the Pinellas airport is closer to the area's beaches.

The Niagara Falls airport, like the one in Pinellas, had a rich military history during World War II. It subsequently became a fighter-interceptor and air refueling tanker base but now serves as an alternative to Buffalo International Airport.
Niagara Falls International provides free parking and is about 30 minutes closer by car to Canada than is the Buffalo airport. That could prove attractive to Canadians and U.S. visitors to Canada who want to avoid Canadian government fees and taxes. Those extras can add $100 to a U.S. ticket on a flight at Toronto.

Lagos said the Pinellas airport draws passengers from as far north as Ocala and as far south as Fort Myers, even if not in large numbers.

The airline predicted it will add 140,000 passengers from December through Nov. 1, 2008, at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International. The airport is enjoying a resurgence in air traffic this year and expects 700,000 passengers by year's end, thanks mainly to new service by Allegiant Air, which serves 14 small cities from Pinellas.

The service announced Wednesday should draw customary vacationers to Pinellas beaches, and it should increase outbound traffic of Tampa Bay travelers. Lagos expects Myrtle Beach Direct will fill a strong demand for outbound traffic to the Mississippi Gulf Coast casinos and to golf resorts in Myrtle Beach.

As part of the airline's incentive package, the Pinellas government plans to spend $60,000 to market Pinellas to potential visitors in Niagara Falls-Buffalo and Gulfport-Biloxi. The airline will get limited fee waivers amounting to $27,000.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 29-7817 or tjackovics@tampatrib.com.

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