Travelers using Columbia’s airport pay one of the highest average fares in the country, according to a popular business magazine.
Forbes said Columbia Metropolitan Airport, the third-most expensive airport for commercial airline passengers last year, tied with Johnson City, Tenn.
In an article headlined “America’s Rip-Off Airports,” Forbes calculated that the average fare per mile at Columbia costs 39 cents.
The Upstate’s Greenville-Spartanburg Airport tied with Duluth, Minn., for the fifth-highest fare at 38 cents.
The magazine did not list data on airports at Charleston and Myrtle Beach. The list was compiled using data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
The Forbes report, though, debunked the perception that travelers can save money by catching a flight at Douglas International in Charlotte. The average air fare per mile at Charlotte was 37 cents, a penny lower than Columbia. Charlotte tied for seventh with three other cities.
Volume and competition drive lower fares, said Mike Flack, the Columbia airport’s executive director.
For example, Columbia handles about 1.2 million passengers a year, compared with 14 million at Charlotte, Flack said.
“We have low fares in Columbia, but we don’t have as many seats as Charlotte has,” he said. “Our low fares sell out quickly.”
Columbia is served by eight airlines. On Wednesday, newcomer Allegiant Airlines began service to Florida markets.
The airport, though, will be losing Spirit Airlines, which also serves Florida, on March 6.
“I’m just glad that we’ve been able to maintain the level of service that we have,” Flack said. “And we are still working to gain.
“It’s hard right now to get a new airline into the
market because most of them are drawing down capacity.
I’m just happy anytime we get new service or new
flights.”
The State Newspaper - 2/26/09
____________________________________________________
CCS Press Releases:
Contact: Leah R. Goldman
Director of Public Relations
Columbia Charlotte Shuttle, Inc.
(803) 783-5123
service@ColumbiaCharlotteShuttle.com
Local Military
Man Helps Ease Traveling Woes to the Charlotte Airport
July 21, 2008 (Lexington, SC) – “The Charlotte airport just got closer,” for residents of the greater Columbia/Lexington area. A new door-to-terminal shuttle service, Columbia Charlotte Shuttle (www.ColumbiaCharlotteShuttle.com), is here and taking hold in the community as travelers search for a break in their high-cost traveling expenses. For just $49 each way, per person (children are half-price), the shuttle provides a cost-effective and stress-free way to get to and from the Charlotte airport. The service is offered to support all Charlotte airport flight times. Say goodbye to driving yourself 200 miles, wear-and-tear on your car, parking costs, or catching a bus to the terminal.
During a one-year deployment to Iraq, local Army Major Dan Sarantopoulos developed and refined the shuttle concept as a possible career change upon his return to the States. Sarantopoulos and his wife frequently traveled to and from the Charlotte airport to fly home to Boston, MA. He quickly realized that traveling from Columbia to Boston was never an easy trip, and the spike in gas prices made matters even worse. But, seeing family was a must. With that, Sarantopoulos launched Columbia Charlotte Shuttle in February, 2008.
“We are the only affordable service in the area when flights out of the Columbia airport aren’t a good option,” says Sarantopoulos. “Without us, getting to the Charlotte airport is either significantly more difficult or much more expensive. We are happy to satisfy a need in the community, as well as help those from out of state come to visit and experience the Midlands.”
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