Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 4, 1993 TAG: 9306040099
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL HOWES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Chautauqua Airlines Inc., an independent airline operating as USAir Express, said Thursday it will inaugurate service between Roanoke, Richmond and Norfolk using 19-seat Fairchild Metro III prop-jet aircraft.
The new service fills "a hole in the schedule we've been trying to fix ever since USAir Express-Jetstream service pulled out" of the Roanoke-to-Richmond market more than a year ago, said Mark Courtney, marketing director at Roanoke Regional Airport.
Chautauqua's new service is, in part, a direct response to demand from business travelers in Norfolk wanting direct service to Roanoke, Courtney said, specifically mentioning Norfolk Southern Corp.
Chautauqua, operating under a marketing agreement with USAir, will offer four nonstop flights between Roanoke and Richmond, a route USAir's commuter carriers abandoned last year. The airline also will fly twice daily between Roanoke and Norfolk.
Richmond ranks 15th among destinations for Roanoke-based travelers, according to figures compiled by the Roanoke airport. Norfolk ranks 34th.
"This service really depends upon attracting the business traveler," Courtney said, "and that depends on getting them out of their cars and off the interstates."
The airline is offering a $198 round-trip fare between Roanoke and Richmond, requiring a seven-day advance purchase. The full coach, or "walk-up fare," to the state capital is $298 round trip.
Round-trip fares to Norfolk initially will be $218 with a seven-day advance purchase, Courtney said. They rise to $298 for last-minute ticket purchase.
by CNB