A low-cost airline headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, will begin making regular daily flights to and from Chattanooga starting Dec. 5, officials announced Thursday morning.
Skybus Airlines plans to use its flights in and out of Chattanooga to assist passengers headed for Atlanta who would like to avoid the congestion and delays often encountered in that city's airport, Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport CEO Michael Landguth said during an Airport Authority meeting prior to the official announcement ceremony.
"They discovered that driving from Atlanta's northern suburbs to Chattanooga took them one hour," Mr. Landguth said.
All Skybus flights offer non-stop service on full-size Airbus A319 jets.
At least 10 seats will be available for $10 on every flight, every day, according to the company.
Skybus also announced Thursday morning that it will begin offering flights on Dec. 5 to three other areas: Milwaukee; Gulfport/Biloxi, Miss., and the New Orleans area through Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport; and Punta Gorda/Ft. Myers, Fla., through Charlotte County Airport in Punta Gorda, serving southwest Florida.
Tickets for all the new routes went on sale at 6 a.m. Thursday at www.skybus.com.
Both Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield and Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey were on hand for a special press conference to announce Skybus' coming to Chattanooga.
Both said they were delighted by the company's decision to fly in and out of Chattanooga, and indicated residents here will benefit from having the low-cost airline here.
For one thing, County Mayor Ramsey said, it will assist with economic development efforts.
Mr. Landguth told Airport Authority members that Skybus' business plan is based on 90 percent of its passengers traveling from Columbus to Chattanooga, compared to just 10 percent traveling from Chattanooga to Columbus.
The airline plans to offer one flight per day to Chattanooga initially, he said. The plane will remain on the ground just 25 minutes before it departs and returns to Columbus.
The quick turnaround is possible because Skybus unloads and loads passengers simultaneously, he noted.
The airline keeps costs low through innovative techniques such as only selling tickets online, he said.
“Chattanooga is a great destination for our nonstop flights on full-size jets and our outrageously low fares,” said Michael Hodge, Skybus chief financial officer, at a news conference at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport. “We’ll be able to offer a great alternative to people living in and traveling to the huge metropolitan region stretching from Chattanooga to Atlanta.”
In other news, Mr. Landguth told authority members that the plane crash on Brainerd Village on Wednesday evening had limited impact on the airport, since it occurred off-site.
The airport remained open throughout the incident, he said, and no major flights were impacted.