Independence Air begins $69 daily flights to Dulles

An Independence Air 50-seat regional jet flew into Huntsville International Airport at about 9 a.m. Friday, marking the first time the airport has service by a discount carrier.

Huntsville is the Dulles, Va.-based carrier's 37th city since it launched operations June 16.

"We're excited about this inaugural flight today," said Rick Tucker, the airport's executive director, just before the 9:25 a.m. departure of an Independence Air flight headed to Washington Dulles International Airport. The airline started six daily nonstop flights to Dulles Friday, with connections to 31 other cities.

Airport officials have tried to lure a low-fare carrier for at least 20 years.

Chris Jewett, 22, a student at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, was grateful for the new low-fare service.

He was about to board the plane bound for Dulles and planned to travel on to Delaware for his brother's wedding. "It's convenient for me," he said. "It's a direct flight; it's cheap."

Independence Air will add two daily nonstop flights from Huntsville to Orlando and Tampa, Fla., Nov. 3.

Huntsville was the first market in which Independence Air announced additional service before the airline even started flying there, said Andrew Sherry, the airline's director of market development.

The Independence Air flights to Huntsville are an example of how, through partnerships with an airline, "we can better serve the needs of our community," said Jeff Sikes, a member of the Huntsville/Madison County Airport Authority.

Independence fares from Huntsville to Washington start at $69 one-way. Nonstop flights to Orlando and Tampa will also start at $69.

Some of the connecting cities are Albany, N.Y.; Boston; Buffalo, N.Y.; Burlington, Vt.; Charleston; Columbia and Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Cleveland; Columbus and Dayton, Ohio; Greensboro, N.C.; Hartford, Conn.; Indianapolis; Lansing, Mich.; Manchester, N.H.; Newark, N.J.; New York City (JFK); Norfolk, Va.; and Savannah, Ga.

Independence now has more than 600 daily departures with service from Dulles to 35 cities. Four more are being added this fall.

The carrier will keep expanding - adding flights to West Coast cities - until it reaches 700 daily flights to at least 50 U.S. cities by 2006.