Hello all,

I’ve seen lots of these topics. I’m giving one a go for my home state! What can we expect this year from South Carolina?

Charleston CHS:
Frontier and Allegiant adding service in the coming months. That will leave Spirit as the only major airline in the US to not serve CHS. Will we see any additional airlines or routes? Possibly an International destination?
G4- CVG/ IND/ PIT
F9- DEN/ ORD/ PHL

Greenville-Spartanburg GSP:
Nothing yet as far as airlines but Air Atlanta Icelandic is looking to expand its 747 cargo flights to Munich. Any chance of new service? There have been rumors of west coast services for a long time now. Southwest originally served MDW, HOU, BNA, MCO, and BWI from GSP but now only serves ATL. Could any of these flights or any other cities return to GSP on WN? Also lots of rumors about international destinations to places like Canada and other North American locations.

Columbia CAE:
Haven’t heard anything about it in a while. Any news? Thoughts?

Hilton Head Island HHI:
Nervous about this one. American Eagle is the only airline here and only flies Dash 8s to CLT. With them being phased out this year, will the Airport loose service? The runway is currently being extended. Will American Eagle fly RJs there? Could Delta return service with the longer runway?

Florence FLO:
Another quiet airport only served by American Eagle. Thoughts?

HHH, MYR, and FLO have all submitted applications for funding from the Small Community Air Service Development (SCASD) program: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1376133&hilit=2017+small+community

I would like to see DAL come back and serve CAE from DTW. Was a great option in the past when pax needed to connect to the northern great lakes. NWA used to fly the route and then DAL dropped early it in the early 2010s. It was flown on CRJ2s if I remember correctly. I'm glad to see DAL flying mostly mainline out of CAE which isn't really a surprise as ATL is the busiest route out of CAE. I think they still fly RJs up to LGA though.

ATCSuggester wrote:

I would like to see DAL come back and serve CAE from DTW. Was a great option in the past when pax needed to connect to the northern great lakes. NWA used to fly the route and then DAL dropped early it in the early 2010s. It was flown on CRJ2s if I remember correctly. I'm glad to see DAL flying mostly mainline out of CAE which isn't really a surprise as ATL is the busiest route out of CAE. I think they still fly RJs up to LGA though.

NW used to fly a lot of interesting routes from DTW; RST, DLH, ROA, CHO, CAE, etc. While 50 seaters are reduced I don’t think CAE-DTW will happen, whereas ROA and ICT might be two great options for CRJ-700s with the short stage lengths and good utilization of aircraft if they Time these flights with connections. Now if 50 seaters were a common thing I could see it, a super early morning departure and late night arrival, that’d meet the quota for Asia and PNW travel.

AVLAirlineFreq wrote:

HHH, MYR, and FLO have all submitted applications for funding from the Small Community Air Service Development (SCASD) program: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1376133&hilit=2017+small+community

courtesy of LAXIntl from the referenced thread
Florence, South Carolina
Seeking $600,000 grant award combined with $160,500 local cash and in-kind contributions to provide support to American Airlines as it transitions sole airline hub service at the airport from turboprop to jet service.

Hilton Head, South Carolina
Applying for $750,000 in federal grant funding matched by $185,000 in local cash as revenue guarantees to provide daily continual service to big northeast market of BOS, NYC, PHL or DC markets.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Desires $650,000 grant fund that supplements $770,000 local cash and in-kind contributions to serve as marketing support, fee waivers and revenue guarantee to establish airport sole air-service West of the Mississippi to Houston on Spirit Airlines.

I was through FLO last weekend and it appears they are building a new fire station. I'm having trouble finding $600,000 worth of sympathy for FLO to move from 3 DH8-300's to 3 ERJ's a day.

Wow! HHI with service to places like BOS? Am I reading that right? Will the runway extension be long enough?

I think as BMW Ramps up there new parts distribution Center you will start to see some more flight in and out. Right now a service part for say an X5 gets shipped from the supplier to Germany, then shipped to a regional parts Center then the dealer. Their new system will see that part stay at the new parts Center in SC, and ship to the regional PDC.

flymco753 wrote:

NW used to fly a lot of interesting routes from DTW; RST, DLH, ROA, CHO, CAE, etc. While 50 seaters are reduced I don’t think CAE-DTW will happen, whereas ROA and ICT might be two great options for CRJ-700s with the short stage lengths and good utilization of aircraft if they Time these flights with connections. Now if 50 seaters were a common thing I could see it, a super early morning departure and late night arrival, that’d meet the quota for Asia and PNW travel.

Yes, DL dropped or significantly cut a lot of DTW-secondary southern markets after they began upgauging aircraft on flights to ATL. I don't see many coming back as long as they continue to do that.

AVLAirlineFreq wrote:

flymco753 wrote:

NW used to fly a lot of interesting routes from DTW; RST, DLH, ROA, CHO, CAE, etc. While 50 seaters are reduced I don’t think CAE-DTW will happen, whereas ROA and ICT might be two great options for CRJ-700s with the short stage lengths and good utilization of aircraft if they Time these flights with connections. Now if 50 seaters were a common thing I could see it, a super early morning departure and late night arrival, that’d meet the quota for Asia and PNW travel.

Yes, DL dropped or significantly cut a lot of DTW-secondary southern markets after they began upgauging aircraft on flights to ATL. I don't see many coming back as long as they continue to do that.

DL gets hard over ATL, they think they can run a 1500 flights a day in 2025 in a facility that can barely handle over 1000.

New out of GSP! Starting March of this year Delta will have a daily 717 flight to DTW! Upgraded from a crj-700/900. Two turns during the day are still crj. Mainline will leave at 5:50am and return around 9:30.

what is the biggest unserved market for SC? I'm guessing LAX or YYZ

DaufuskieGuy wrote:

what is the biggest unserved market for SC? I'm guessing LAX or YYZ

Wouldn't be YYZ, as WestJet has service to MYR seasonally, supplemented by Porter to YTZ and (albeit indirectly) Spirit to IAG (believe me, a LOT of Canadians use Spirit's IAG/PBG flights)

I see a lot of people going to PHX. I imagine that would be up there as far as unserved markets from SC.

flymco753 wrote:

AVLAirlineFreq wrote:

flymco753 wrote:

NW used to fly a lot of interesting routes from DTW; RST, DLH, ROA, CHO, CAE, etc. While 50 seaters are reduced I don’t think CAE-DTW will happen, whereas ROA and ICT might be two great options for CRJ-700s with the short stage lengths and good utilization of aircraft if they Time these flights with connections. Now if 50 seaters were a common thing I could see it, a super early morning departure and late night arrival, that’d meet the quota for Asia and PNW travel.

Yes, DL dropped or significantly cut a lot of DTW-secondary southern markets after they began upgauging aircraft on flights to ATL. I don't see many coming back as long as they continue to do that.

DL gets hard over ATL, they think they can run a 1500 flights a day in 2025 in a facility that can barely handle over 1000.

Don't blame ATL for DTW's problem. Why fly "random southeast city"-DTW-west coast when you can serve the same flow over ATL more efficiently? There just isn't a lot of local traffic between smaller southeast cities and DTW, nor is there much traffic between those cities and the markets that DTW exclusively serves. I'd argue that If the local traffic and flows made sense, a bunch of cities that lost DTW wouldn't have lost DTW. When I lived in CRW, the cheapest fares to Florida were always over DTW. I'm sure that was just financially awesome for DL.

And since we're here, I can't fathom a universe where DL adds ROA-DTW on a CR7 and doesn't resume CAE. Columbia is a lot bigger than Roanoke. As is Wichita. No offense to Roanoke.. I'm sure its a really nice city.

Growing up in Greenville, and paying attention for the last 15 years would make you think that something is coming, but as I understand from what I have read elsewhere, is that B6 isn't interested at the moment, and if I want a full-size jet I'm stuck with Delta, although I think UA and maybe AA might have something.
Has anyone else heard anything about GSP and new carriers?

GSP's Achilles Heel isn't ATL but CLT. CLT is on the west side of Charlotte so there is no fighting any cross town traffic and is 85 miles with a 1:15 to1:50 hr drive from GSP. That puts Greenville and Spartanburg within the CLT catchment for many flights. I find it easier and cheaper to drive to CLT and get a nonstop flight to cities like SFO rather than GSP and changing flights somewhere.

atypical wrote:

GSP's Achilles Heel isn't ATL but CLT. CLT is on the west side of Charlotte so there is no fighting any cross town traffic and is 85 miles with a 1:15 to1:50 hr drive from GSP. That puts Greenville and Spartanburg within the CLT catchment for many flights. I find it easier and cheaper to drive to CLT and get a nonstop flight to cities like SFO rather than GSP and changing flights somewhere.

I have family and business in the Spartanburg area, so I travel there at least once a year. Flights from the Bay Area (SJC) are always less expensive to CLT than GSP, and the schedule to GSP is always lousy. Travel times are less desirable, and choices are few.

jarvismj wrote:

Growing up in Greenville, and paying attention for the last 15 years would make you think that something is coming, but as I understand from what I have read elsewhere, is that B6 isn't interested at the moment, and if I want a full-size jet I'm stuck with Delta, although I think UA and maybe AA might have something.
Has anyone else heard anything about GSP and new carriers?

Not probably quite what you’re looking for but AA is switching the MD80 on GSP-DFW to 738 starting in May.

Wow! 737 to DFW. Going to miss the MD-80 terribly, but sizing up is a good thing for the area for sure.

On another note, Hilton Head Island is getting E175 service starting June 7 to CLT. This replaces the Dash 8 which has been used on the route for over 30 years exclusively.

TYSflyer wrote:

Not probably quite what you’re looking for but AA is switching the MD80 on GSP-DFW to 738 starting in May.

This is a good thing. I fly LH from Munich a few times a year, and while I hate the long flights, I usually go into Boston and grab B6 to CLT. Having a direct to Boston would make my life fantastic as that is where I spend a good amount of time, but flying transatlantic and then the 1.5 hour drive to Greenville does suck for sure. Which makes me think something has to happen with the way Delta is growing at Logan they should get at least one or two daily to GSP in the next few years, especially with how they are going to the EU from BOS.

Unfortunately I've only had one good flight on AA in my lifetime, so while I've given them multiple chances, I'm done. I fly UA when I have a connection from LH to GSP, it's not the worst, but not the best. Delta has gotten much better since I've flown them last. I was surprised to catch an A320 from GSP last time I flew them.

DaufuskieGuy wrote:

what is the biggest unserved market for SC? I'm guessing LAX or YYZ

GSP was in talks with AC back in 2016 about starting GSP-YYZ.

http://www.wyff4.com/article/gsp-in-talks-to-bring-air-canada-to-upstate/7021718

I remember that. I don't know of too many Canadian companies other than Magna in the area. I've transited YUL from MUC to BOS, so it's not a bad thing.
Off topic, if anyone remembers deltabobo on here, that was my kid brother. He passed back in 2015 and while he was always obsessed with GSP and Delta, it rubbed off on me, which is why I'm here...

jarvismj wrote:

TYSflyer wrote:

Not probably quite what you’re looking for but AA is switching the MD80 on GSP-DFW to 738 starting in May.

This is a good thing. I fly LH from Munich a few times a year, and while I hate the long flights, I usually go into Boston and grab B6 to CLT. Having a direct to Boston would make my life fantastic as that is where I spend a good amount of time, but flying transatlantic and then the 1.5 hour drive to Greenville does suck for sure. Which makes me think something has to happen with the way Delta is growing at Logan they should get at least one or two daily to GSP in the next few years, especially with how they are going to the EU from BOS.

Unfortunately I've only had one good flight on AA in my lifetime, so while I've given them multiple chances, I'm done. I fly UA when I have a connection from LH to GSP, it's not the worst, but not the best. Delta has gotten much better since I've flown them last. I was surprised to catch an A320 from GSP last time I flew them.

when i lived in MUC i almost always went through iad on my way to sav. never a problem. why don't you non stop muc clt? or atl?

DaufuskieGuy wrote:

when i lived in MUC i almost always went through iad on my way to sav. never a problem. why don't you non stop muc clt? or atl?

I've flown the MUC - CLT flight twice. Nothing wrong, but I used to live in Boston, and my wife's family is there, so we make a go of it. Plus with two kids under the age of four, I'm loathe to be on a plane longer than needed.

Also, ATL... I'll put it this way; I like my ex-wife more than Hartsfield Airport...

jarvismj wrote:

DaufuskieGuy wrote:

when i lived in MUC i almost always went through iad on my way to sav. never a problem. why don't you non stop muc clt? or atl?

I've flown the MUC - CLT flight twice. Nothing wrong, but I used to live in Boston, and my wife's family is there, so we make a go of it. Plus with two kids under the age of four, I'm loathe to be on a plane longer than needed.

Also, ATL... I'll put it this way; I like my ex-wife more than Hartsfield Airport...

Now I wonder whether you had an amicable divorce or not :LOL:

Someone mentioned more flights at CAE. As if GSP wasn't close enough, CAE is another straight shot up I-77, Going to guess CLT takes plenty of their traffic too.

New update:

American adds Mainline MD-80 service from CAE-DFW.

American also adds direct GSP-MIA starting this December.

DaufuskieGuy wrote:

what is the biggest unserved market for SC? I'm guessing LAX or YYZ

Can’t speak for all of SC, but for CAE, it’s Boston.

Just announced!

Frontier just announced GSP! Service to DEN, LAS, TPA and MCO! Quite the addition! Flying Wednesday and Saturday I believe.

Just today I thought to myself "It's been sometime since something happened for South Carolina" (in terms of aviation).

Well, now you're getting British Airways.. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1406435

You're welcome

And here's the BA article from one of our local newspapers. A 787-8 will be flying the route.

https://www.postandcourier.com/business ... a444b.html

DaufuskieGuy wrote:

what is the biggest unserved market for SC? I'm guessing LAX or YYZ

I live in Myrtle Beach and drive Uber from the airport. Alot of people from San Francisco visit the city.