Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: TUESDAY, June 15, 1993 TAG: 9306150083 SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: DANIEL HOWES STAFF WRITER DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It will be the fourth daily nonstop flight between Roanoke Regional Airport and the New York metropolitan area - the top destination for Roanoke-based travelers, according to U.S. Department of Transportation figures.
Already, New Hampshire-based Northeast Express Airlines Inc., flying as Northwest Airlink, makes three runs from the valley to Newark International Airport in New Jersey southeast of New York City.
The United Express service is to LaGuardia, the closest airport to Manhattan, and with flights timed to allow for a round trip during a single business day. Fares for the new service were not immediately released.
The flights will be aboard brand-new, 29-passenger Jetstream 41 aircraft. It signals a positive trend to Roanoke airport officials, who have been clamoring for nonstop service to New York amid the devastating airline recession.
Mark Courtney, the Roanoke airport's marketing director, said he hopes the success of the flight will prompt United Express to add more.
"They're just expanding in leaps and bounds," he said of Atlantic Coast, which has flown as United Express since 1989. Atlantic Coast also operates four daily flights between Roanoke and Washington's Dulles International Airport, a key East Coast hub for United's domestic and international service.
The airline said the new planes will increase capacity on the Roanoke-Washington route from 19 to 29 seats per flight.
"We have been very impressed with the [Roanoke Valley's] support for our service to Washington Dulles," said Kerry Skeen, president of Atlantic Coast.
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