Augusta gets its 2nd non-stop flight to Dallas-Fort Worth

Augusta gets its 2nd non-stop flight to Dallas-Fort Worth

American Airlines expands Augusta service with second direct-to-Dallas flight.

American Airlines on Thursday began its second nonstop daily flight from Augusta to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

The second flight into DFW – American Airlines’ largest hub – will give business travelers greater flexibility when traveling to meetings in the Midwest and West Coast, and provide leisure travelers a launchpad to more than 220 domestic and international destinations.

The airline, which introduced direct-to-Dallas service from Augusta Regional Airport in early 2019, said the addition of the second flight is an indication of the route’s popularity.

“We’re always evaluating our network,” American Airlines spokeswoman Nichelle Barrett said. “What we’ve found in Augusta is a lot of strong demand.”

American Airlines operates more than 900 daily flights from its Dallas hub during the peak summer travel season. In addition to Augusta Regional’s Dallas-Fort Worth gate, American also offers direct service to Charlotte, N.C., as well as nonstop flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. – a route that was added earlier this year.

Augusta had direct service to Dallas years ago under the former U.S. Airways.

Augusta Regional’s other air carrier, Delta Air Lines, offers daily direct service to its hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Augusta Regional Marketing Director Diane Johnston said American’s additional routes, particularly the second nonstop flight to Dallas-Fort Worth, makes it more convenient for area residents to plan business-related trips.

“It’s more business-friendly when you have more flights,” Johnston said. “One additional flight a day can make a big difference for a business traveler.”

The additional Dallas flight will arrive in Augusta at 9:44 p.m. and depart Friday at 7:15 a.m. The flight will be on a 76-seat Embraer 175, a short-haul aircraft designed to have more aisle and overhead compartment space than the typical regional plane.

“It has a very nice first class section and a decent amount of overhead space in relation to some of the 50-seat aircraft,” said Augusta Regional Director Herbert Judon Jr., who has taken the existing flight – which is just under two hours – on three occasions.

“I do talk to a lot of the people who take the flight, and it’s all been very positive feedback,” he said.

Barrett said there are no immediate plans to provide additional service to Augusta, but she would not rule out the possibility of additional flights or new routes in the future.

“We’re always evaluating our network based on supply and demand,” she said. “It remains to be seen what happens next.”

As has been the case in years past, American Airlines is boosting service to Augusta during the Masters Tournament. During Masters Week of April 7-13, the airline will offer direct-to-Augusta flights from Boston, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia and New York City in addition to its regularly scheduled flights.

Augusta Regional’s passenger activity is on the upswing. For January, the latest month for which statistics are available, the airport’s total passenger count was 48,507, a 9.5% increase from the 44,288 passengers reported in January 2019. On a year-end basis, the airport finished 2019 serving 673,255 passengers, a 9.7% increase from the 613,517 reported in 2018.

The carrier with the largest gain in passenger boardings during 2019 was American Airlines affiliate American Eagle, which reported 126,306 enplainments – a 14.8% increase from 2018.

Source: The Augusta Chronicle
Author: Damon Cline/Business Editor