Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 15, 1993 TAG: 9307150044
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CELESTE KATZ STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A round-trip, 14-day advance ticket will cost $221; the one-way fare for a walk-up customer will be $250, said USAir spokesperson Susan Young.
The service will be offered by Allegheny Commuter Airlines, one of 10 regional carriers operating as USAir Express, using 37-passenger DASH-8 prop-jet aircraft.
The new flight marks the second carrier to serve the route between Roanoke and LaGuardia this summer. Atlantic Coast Airlines, a commuter carrier flying as United Express, began daily service on July 1. Two other carriers already were providing daily non-stop flights to New York metro airports, said Mark Courtney, Roanoke airport's marketing director.
"The New York market is our single largest market and has been underserved for awhile," said Courtney, adding that the industry response to the "pent-up demand" for daily service to New York is a positive signal during volatile times in the airline industry.
"This is obviously showing the results of improved economic conditions, improved airline service demand," he said.
USAir's flights, like those offered by United Express, are timed to allow complete round trips in a single business day. Weekday flights on the new USAir service will depart Roanoke daily at 7:05 a.m. and arrive at LaGuardia at 9 a.m. They will depart New York at 5:29 p.m. to return to Roanoke at 7:25 p.m. The north-bound flight does not run on Sundays and the south-bound service does not operate on Saturdays.
"These flights are well timed so that busy Roanoke business travelers can fly into New York early in the morning, put in a full day of meetings and return to Roanoke the same day, without the need for a New York hotel stay," said William Clark, Allegheny Commuter president and chief executive.
by CNB