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USA 3000 Pulling Out Of St. Pete Airport
Tribune photo by GREG FIGHT
A USA 3000 Airlines plane lands at St. Petersburg Clearwater International Airport. The airline announced Wednesday that it will end its service at the airport this August.
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Published: May 14, 2008
CLEARWATER - USA 3000, the second-busiest airline at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, plans to cease service at the airport Aug. 18 because high fuel prices are cutting into profits, airport director Noah Lagos said.
Lagos said the Philadelphia-based airline informed airport officials of its plans this week.
USA 3000 flies 21 flights a week from St. Petersburg-Clearwater airport to six major metro airports: Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. The airline ended service between the Pinellas airport and Cincinnati and Newark, N.J., in April.
"An airline official told us fuel costs were adding $60 per seat," Lagos said.
Because of the competitive nature of the airline industry in Florida, profit margins for many carriers on most routes are thin to begin with, Lagos and airline officials have said.
USA 3000 could not be reached for comment today.
"The good news is that the loss of USA 3000 will not occur until the end of the busy summer travel season," Lagos said. "We should not feel a financial impact on the airport this fiscal year."
The county-owned airport continues to host Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air, which serves 15 destinations from Pinellas, and Myrtle Beach Direct Air, which serves two. The airport also is home to a U.S. Coast Guard air station and numerous general and corporate aircraft operations.
Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817 and tjackovics@tampatrib.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( Marco ) on May 14, 2008 at 10:04 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
St Pete airport is not that great anyway. It is an also ran and should be consider for closure.
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Posted by ( masterzvoice ) on May 14, 2008 at 10:30 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Marco you are nuts! Obviously you don't know what you are talking about.
St Pete Airport is a treat... convenient, easy to get in and out, and it is CHEAP.
You can park right in front and be at the gate in no time.
I am really upset about this because I fly to see family in Cleveland DIRECT FLIGHT normally for $50 to $100 less on USA3000 than even Southwest where I always have to tie up 7-8 hours with layovers or stops and after having to fight everyone else over seats and overhead compartments.
USA3000 (and their movies on EVERY flight) will be sorely missed. ATA already is.
Hopefully another airline will go in and offer service up to the Great Lakes.
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Posted by ( JackNelsonSteward ) on May 14, 2008 at 11:51 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
It's gonna be a tough time for smaller carriers and for destinations on the fringes of areas of operations as fuel prices continue to escalate.
You either have to raise your prices or cut your services.
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Posted by ( leo1969 ) on May 15, 2008 at 11:07 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Well that sucks. I loved USA3000! Flying to Pittsburgh was cheap and quick. St Pete airport is one of the easiest airports to get in and out of, there's never any traffic and security is a breeze.
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