New routes will be between Orlando and Mobile, Montgomery
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Two Alabama airports will soon have more connections to Florida.
The Montgomery Advertiser reports that Via Airlines will start flying from Montgomery Regional Airport to Orlando Sanford International Airport beginning May 14.
Round-trip flights were already listed on travel sites Wednesday for about $200.
Maitland, Florida-based Via Airlines also announced the same service at the same price from Mobile Regional Airport to Orlando-Sanford, also beginning in May.
From Montgomery, there will be four flights a week, arriving Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday at about 3:45 p.m., leaving Montgomery about an hour later and arriving in Orlando at about 6:30 p.m., the newspaper reported.
“Those times are almost ideal, perfect, for the vacation traveler,” said Don Bowman, director of planning and business development for Via Airlines.
The flights will use Brazil-built Embraer 145 jets that seat 50 passengers in a single class. There are no middle seats.
“We know that there are passengers that are going to Atlanta or to Birmingham now to catch a flight south, and we believe with the right service, with the right-sized airplane, we can capture that traffic from what we call leaking to the other communities,” Bowman said.
Via Airlines was founded in 1997. It operates a fleet of 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145s and 30-seat EMB-120 providing its guests with cost-effective, convenient and comfortable travel.
Birmingham recently unveiled its own direct flights to Orlando. On Feb. 8, Frontier Airlines announced nonstop service from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport to Denver, Philadelphia and Orlando. Those flights start in April.
Montgomery officials have long insisted that local fliers don’t factor car travel, parking and other expenses into the cost of their ticket before booking through an out-of-town or out-of-state airport. They even put a “cost calculator” on their website that factors in things like value of lost time.
May flights from Montgomery to Orlando through current providers American Airlines and Delta Air Lines were being sold for $382 to $540. Those included stops in North Carolina or Atlanta.
In October, the Montgomery airport announced new direct flights to Reagan National Airport in Washington through current carrier American Airlines. Those flights begin June 7.
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Information from: Montgomery Advertiser, http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com
