Airline loss impact slight

Independence Air's departure, BRAC may bring in other carriers

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

By MARIAN ACCARDI
Times Business Writer accardi@htimes.com

Huntsville International Airport will lose its first low-fare carrier, Independence Air, on Thursday, as airport executives continue trying to bring in other low-cost and major airlines.

Joe Ritch, the co-chairman of the Tennessee Valley BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure Commission) Committee, said he doesn't believe the shutdown of the low-cost airline will have much effect on the campaign to attract thousands of defense workers from the Washington, D.C., area.

"I don't think it'll really impact our recruiting efforts, primarily because I'm sure some other airline will fill the gap if the need is there," Ritch said.

Area representatives will promote the Tennessee Valley at town hall meetings next week hosted by the Missile Defense Agency in Arlington, Va. The 2005 BRAC panel recommended last year that the Army relocate the headquarters of the Army Materiel Command, the headquarters of the Army Space & Missile Defense Command and most of the MDA's work from the Washington area to Huntsville.

"The only thing it will do is it will certainly make our trips more expensive because most of us were flying by Independence Air" and will have to change to another airline, Ritch said. "For us it'll add some expense to the effort."

Meanwhile, Huntsville airport executives will continue their efforts to bring in other low-cost and major carriers.

"Obviously, we're going to miss (Independence Air) and the fares they provided," said airport spokeswoman Cindy Maloney. "We're disappointed they couldn't find what they needed to stay in business.

"I think we will see a change (in fares) across all the cities that Independence Air was in."

But, "our efforts are ongoing and continuous to recruit both low-fare carriers and additional legacy carriers," she said. "I think the BRAC announcement will have a positive impact on our presentations to other airlines."

Independence Air customers here will miss the low-cost alternative.

Rex Bullington, a student at the University of Alabama in Huntsville who works part-time at Signs by Tomorrow, has flown the airline several times to Washington's Dulles, which is about 15 miles from his mother's home in Virginia.

"It was the only direct flight for a reasonable price to that area," said Bullington, who's planning another trip early this year. He figured the tickets he bought in advance with Independence probably cost about one-third less than other carriers.

USAirways has four nonstop daily flights - with three on Sunday and none on Saturday - from Huntsville to Reagan Washington National Airport. Delta Air Lines has two nonstop daily flights during the week to Reagan, one on Sunday and none on Saturday.

Jann Phillips, a leisure agent with Sterling Travel Agency, advised travelers to book tickets as far in advance as possible to get the best prices on fares and, for Washington-area travelers, to consider flying into Baltimore, for instance, if not pressed for time.

"Independence Air did have some cheap fares, but they were not always across the board the lowest," Phillips said. "You had to check it day-by-day, case-by-case."

Not having Independence Air here will mean less airline competition and "probably higher prices," said Bill Dinges, the owner of Cook Travel.

Independence Air and its parent company, FLYi Inc., filed for bankruptcy protection late last year to restructure the company's aircraft leases and other obligations in an effort to cut costs. It had started service to Huntsville on Oct. 1, 2004, with six daily nonstop flights to its hub at Dulles, and connecting flights from there to 30 other cities. It had dropped the number of daily flights to three.

In October 2004, the first month that Independence Air operated at Huntsville International, the carrier had 8,630 passengers flying in and out of Huntsville, for 7.61 percent of the market here.

Its highest percentage of the Huntsville market was in December 2004, with 12,942 passengers, or 11.88 percent of the local market. In November 2005, it had 6,154 passengers, for 6.16 percent of the local market.




Airline loss impact slight Independence Air's departure, BRAC may bring in other carriers Wednesday, January 04, 2006 By MARIAN ACCARDI Times Business Writer accardi@htimes.com Huntsville International Airport will lose its first low-fare carrier, Independence Air, on Thursday, as airport executives continue trying to bring in other low-cost and major airlines. Joe Ritch, the co-chairman of the Tennessee Valley BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure Commission) Committee, said he doesn't believe the shutdown of the low-cost airline will have much effect on the campaign to attract thousands of defense workers from the Washington, D.C., area. "I don't think it'll really impact our recruiting efforts, primarily because I'm sure some other airline will fill the gap if the need is there," Ritch said. Area representatives will promote the Tennessee Valley at town hall meetings next week hosted by the Missile Defense Agency in Arlington, Va. The 2005 BRAC panel recommended last year that the Army relocate the headquarters of the Army Materiel Command, the headquarters of the Army Space & Missile Defense Command and most of the MDA's work from the Washington area to Huntsville. "The only thing it will do is it will certainly make our trips more expensive because most of us were flying by Independence Air" and will have to change to another airline, Ritch said. "For us it'll add some expense to the effort." Meanwhile, Huntsville airport executives will continue their efforts to bring in other low-cost and major carriers. "Obviously, we're going to miss (Independence Air) and the fares they provided," said airport spokeswoman Cindy Maloney. "We're disappointed they couldn't find what they needed to stay in business. "I think we will see a change (in fares) across all the cities that Independence Air was in." But, "our efforts are ongoing and continuous to recruit both low-fare carriers and additional legacy carriers," she said. "I think the BRAC announcement will have a positive impact on our presentations to other airlines." Independence Air customers here will miss the low-cost alternative. Rex Bullington, a student at the University of Alabama in Huntsville who works part-time at Signs by Tomorrow, has flown the airline several times to Washington's Dulles, which is about 15 miles from his mother's home in Virginia. "It was the only direct flight for a reasonable price to that area," said Bullington, who's planning another trip early this year. He figured the tickets he bought in advance with Independence probably cost about one-third less than other carriers. USAirways has four nonstop daily flights - with three on Sunday and none on Saturday - from Huntsville to Reagan Washington National Airport. Delta Air Lines has two nonstop daily flights during the week to Reagan, one on Sunday and none on Saturday. Jann Phillips, a leisure agent with Sterling Travel Agency, advised travelers to book tickets as far in advance as possible to get the best prices on fares and, for Washington-area travelers, to consider flying into Baltimore, for instance, if not pressed for time. "Independence Air did have some cheap fares, but they were not always across the board the lowest," Phillips said. "You had to check it day-by-day, case-by-case." Not having Independence Air here will mean less airline competition and "probably higher prices," said Bill Dinges, the owner of Cook Travel. Independence Air and its parent company, FLYi Inc., filed for bankruptcy protection late last year to restructure the company's aircraft leases and other obligations in an effort to cut costs. It had started service to Huntsville on Oct. 1, 2004, with six daily nonstop flights to its hub at Dulles, and connecting flights from there to 30 other cities. It had dropped the number of daily flights to three. In October 2004, the first month that Independence Air operated at Huntsville International, the carrier had 8,630 passengers flying in and out of Huntsville, for 7.61 percent of the market here. Its highest percentage of the Huntsville market was in December 2004, with 12,942 passengers, or 11.88 percent of the local market. In November 2005, it had 6,154 passengers, for 6.16 percent of the local market. © 2005 The Huntsville Times © 2005 al.com All Rights Reserved.