Palmer Airport hopes to make splash with flights to Orlando
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The success of flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe to Florida and South Carolina has persuaded Spirit Airlines to add a daily flight to Orlando, Fla., beginning in May.
Airport officials expect that route to be successful, too.
"Orlando has always been our No. 1 destination from here," said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the airport, referring to previous airlines, USAir and Northwest, which operated from the airport.
So he expects that the nonstop Spirit flights to Orlando that begin May 17 will be very popular.
The current flights from the Westmoreland County airport go to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., four days a week and to Myrtle Beach, S.C., four days a week.
The Orlando flights are advertised on Spirit's website with the lowest price at $67 each way, flying on Tuesday and Wednesday if you join the "$9 Fare Club." Because a $60 annual fee is charged to join the club, it benefits those who travel more than once a year.
One-way flights leaving on the weekend are listed at $109.
So the cost for a round-trip flight to Orlando will begin at about $200.
Those advertised fares now include most taxes and fees because airlines have just been required by federal law to show the total costs.
But Spirit does charge some other fees.
• A carry-on bag costs at least $20 each way if paid in advance and the fee can rise up to $40 each way at the last minute, according to the online Spirit information.
• A checked bag will cost $20 each way if paid for in advance online and up to $35 if checked at the last minute. A second bag will cost more.
• A fee will be charged for snacks and food.
Spirit Airlines also just added a $2 fee to tickets, it said, to comply with a new federal regulation requiring airlines to allow customers to cancel a reservation within 24 hours of booking without penalty.
Spirit Airlines is calling the fee the "Department of Transportation Unintended Consequences fee." Airline officials said the regulation forces them to hold the seat for someone who may or may not want to fly. So, it argues, someone who really does want to fly wouldn't be able to buy that seat.
That approximate $200 Spirit basic fare before baggage fees compares to a nonstop flight with AirTran from Greater Pittsburgh International Airport to Orlando, advertised last week at $250 online for a June trip. Other airlines have flights advertised for $250 from Greater Pittsburgh with at least one stopover before traveling to Orlando.
However, parking is free at the airport in Unity, which can save fliers $60 for a week. Extended parking is $8 a day at Pittsburgh International Airport.
Mr. Monzo said the two biggest selling points for the regional airline are the flights to Florida are a two-hour, nonstop trip and parking is free.
The ease of getting to the airport and getting on the plane are also pluses, he said.
"We have all the security that you find at larger airports, but you don't have to stand in long lines," Mr. Monzo said.
"The most you can have are 145 people in line ahead of you."
Spirit planes hold 145 passengers
"They market themselves as an ultra-low fare," Mr. Monzo said. "And one of the keys to Spirit's success is that they fill up their planes. Out of the whole last year, they only canceled one plane."
In addition to adding Orlando flights in May, Spirit Airlines also has announced it will begin daily flights to Myrtle Beach, S.C., during the summer. It will begin flying daily from June to September.
The airport authority plans to expand the number of parking spaces this spring to accommodate more than 1,000 vehicles.
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
