
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, October 17, 1995                   TAG: 9510170066
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

NEWARK FLIGHTS ADDED

Starting in January, Roanokers will have another airline to choose from when they fly to the Big Apple.

Continental Express, the commuter arm of Houston-based Continental Airlines, on Jan. 8 will begin offering four nonstop flights daily between Roanoke and Newark International Airport, said Mark Courtney, director of planning and market development at Roanoke Regional Airport.

Continental also will be the only airline offering nonstop service between Roanoke and the New York area, Courtney said. Currently, USAir offers two one-stop daily flights to New York's LaGuardia Airport. The other three major airlines serving Roanoke - Northwest, United and Delta - fly to the New York area only through connecting cities including Detroit, Pittsburgh and Baltimore, he said.

Continental Express will fly 30-passenger Embraer Brasilia turboprops between Roanoke and Newark. Tickets will sell at an introductory rate of $199 for a one-way, unrestricted fare. A similar ticket on one of the USAir flights to LaGuardia was listed Monday at $289, Courtney said.

Paul Turk, a spokesman for USAir in Arlington, said Monday evening that it was still too early to predict what that airline's response to the new competition would be. Calls to the other three airlines had not been returned by late Monday.

Airport officials had been targeting Continental as a possible new carrier for more than two years, Courtney said. Roanoke became especially attractive to Continental when American Airlines closed its hub at Raleigh/Durham International Airport early this year, he said, a move that eliminated its American Eagle commuter service to Roanoke.

"Since American Eagle pulled out, Continental was a natural," he said.

The addition of the nonstop to Newark will be a big boon for business travelers, Courtney said. And since Newark is a major East Coast hub for Continental, travelers from Roanoke will be able to book connecting flights to the airline's other domestic and international destinations, he said.

Connie Walters, a travel agent with World Travel in downtown Roanoke, hadn't heard about Continental's arrival, but said she was "thrilled" at the news.

"We had lost nonstop to everywhere," she said. Some Roanoke business travelers have been driving to Greensboro, N.C., just to fly Continental, she said.

The addition of Continental will bring to 47 the number of daily departures at Roanoke Regional Airport. Total seats on departures will increase by 120, to more than 2,000 daily.

by CNB