Vision Airlines said on Monday that it is adding to its commercial passenger service in the Eastern U.S. with flights beginning March 25.
The small carrier has mostly been a charter operator, handling flights for the military as well as for tourists. On Monday it said it would add flights between Northwest Florida Regional Airport and cities including Asheville, N.C., Atlanta, Miami, the Orlando area, and other cities in Florida and the South.
According to the Tucson Citizen, "Vision says fares, some initially as low as $49 one way, will go on sale Tuesday for trips between the beach communities of northwest Florida and such cities as Baton Rouge, Knoxville, Tenn., and Little Rock starting March 25."
“The communities that they’re going to be flying to are difficult to get to via hub connections,” says Donovan, who adds that fares on larger carriers such as Delta and US Airways are often more than vacationers want to pay. “I think it’s going to bring back many people we’ve lost to driving,” Donovan told the Citizen.
Vision is set to announce the expansion at Destin's Emerald Grande Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Last month it added twice-a-day flights between Louisville, Ky. and Atlanta, and from Niagara Falls International Airport in New York to cities in Florida. Some of Vision's routes will compete with those flown by other carriers, such as Southwest Airlines Co.'s flights out of Buffalo, N.Y., which is near Niagara Falls.
Vision's fleet includes six Boeing Co. 767s and nine 737s.
