|
05/20/2008
|
Beach Flights From Bridgeport Grounded
Staff
Bridgeport
|
A regional airline has decided to ground flights from Bridgeport to Myrtle Beach before the first one ever took off.
The twice-a-week flights from the North Central Regional Airport were to begin Wednesday, but airport manager Jim Griffith tells MetroNews he got a call from Southern Skyways Monday canceling the service. He says the company blamed the decision on the price of jet fuel. Griffith says those who purchased tickets will get a refund.
Charleston's Yeager Airport has apparently survived the airline's decision. Airport Manager Rick Atkinson has been told flights from Charleston to Myrtle Beach will begin June 7th, a couple of weeks later than originally scheduled.
"Those are going to be flown on an aircraft out of Rockford, Ill. to Charleston and then to Myrtle Beach. I think it's going to be a 150-seat aircraft," Atkinson said.
However, Yeager learned earlier this spring that it was also losing a destination with Southern Skyways. The twice-weekly flights to Orlando, FL have been cancelled for the same reason the Myrtle Beach flights were grounded from Bridgeport -- the high cost of jet fuel.
"Aircraft burn a lot of fuel and at $4 a gallon for Jet-A, it just makes low fare operations very tough," Atkinson said.
He says passengers booked on one of those Orlando flights are being directed to Tri-State Airport in Huntington. "We have referred people to Allegiant in Huntington. They still seem to have quite a few low-fare tickets available," he said.
Atkinson calls the cancelled flights unfortunate. Griffith agrees. He says his airport spent thousands of dollars advertising the flights to Myrtle Beach only to see them cancelled. They were to leave on Wednesdays and return on Saturdays.
The Myrtle Beach flights from Yeager will take off every Saturday and Sunday through the summer. The flights were successful last year.
Calls to Southern Skyways Tuesday morning were not returned.
Already a member? Click here to login!
Registering for WVMetroNews.com is free and easy!
Breaking News Alerts
Take part in online discussions
Get the headlines you want delivered right to your e-mail inbox, as soon as it’s posted.
Register Now!
|
|
