More Carriers Join Low-Fare Service Race for Knoxville, Tenn., Airport

Posted on Thu, Feb. 19, 2004 

More Carriers Join Low-Fare Service Race for
Knoxville, Tenn., Airport
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN

Feb. 19 - Airport officials are continuing their quest
to bring lower fares to McGhee Tyson Airport by
beginning courtships with three low-fare air carriers
besides AirTran Airways.

For more than a year, Knoxville officials have been in
talks with AirTran, but they have yet to get an answer
on a proposal submitted to the carrier several months
ago.

Airport marketing director Dave Conklin said on
Wednesday Knoxville wants alternatives if AirTran's
decision continues to be delayed.

"We want to be ready," Conklin said. "Whatever
happens, we want to have more than one option."

Within the past two weeks airport officials have met
with Independence Air and Pace Airlines and a meeting
with Frontier Airlines is scheduled for this week.

The airport initially targeted Frontier and AirTran
but when AirTran expanded its reach, Conklin said,
airport officials decided to focus on AirTran because
the two would have been competing in this market.

The airport's back-up plan includes a combination of
service from Frontier, Independence and Pace.

Independence Air is currently known as Atlantic Coast
Airlines and serves as a regional carrier for United
Airlines. The company plans to reinvent itself as a
low-fare carrier, with service beginning later this
year. It has named Knoxville as one of several cities
it is interested in serving.

Atlantic Coast currently operates flights out of
Knoxville to Chicago and Washington, D.C. Those
flights could be taken over by SkyWest Airlines.
Airport board members approved a lease agreement for
SkyWest Wednesday.

Conklin said Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Pace Airlines
contacted McGhee Tyson and is interested in possible
low-fare flights from Knoxville to Orlando, Fla.

 

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