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Local officials
hope a new government-funded booking service will increase the use of the
Elizabeth City Regional Airport, especially among business travelers.
Grants from
state and federal transportation agencies have funded Web sites allowing
residents to make air travel bookings from any available airport, including
11 of the state’s smaller airports. The N.C. Division of Aviation is
managing the program.
With the sites,
customers can choose when and where they want to fly. But unlike a charter
service, a purchaser is only paying for the portion of time they are using
the airplane.
Elizabeth
City’s site, elizabethcity.ncflyways.com, went online in the past week,
Airport Manager Scott Hinton said.
The Elizabeth
City airport has offered air taxi service for a while, Hinton said. But the
online booking tool is helpful because it’s designed to make the
service more accessible to customers.
“We want
(air travelers) to think about it and know that it’s a viable option
for them,” Hinton said.
The 10 airports
in the NcFlyPorts program so far include Elizabeth City, Currituck, Dare
County, Brunswick County, Andrews/Murphy, Duplin County, Northeastern
Regional (Edenton), Rocky Mount-Wilson, Rutherford County and Clinton-Sampson
County. The airports will be marketed by the program for the next two years,
Hinton said.
Tonya Hampton,
marketing manager for NcFlyPorts, said air taxis generally fly between 400
and 700 miles.
The air taxi
providers in the region include SATSair, JetPool, Imagine Air and Flight
Gest, according to the booking Web site. Linear Air is also available in some
eastern states, and four more providers are expected to be available through
the site soon.
Hinton
said the flights cost about the same as a full-fare coach ticket on a major
carrier.
Don Prentiss, a local attorney
and the chairman of the Albemarle Area Committee of 100, said he expects the
local business community, especially U.S. Coast Guard officers, will make use
of the service.
“I travel
some with ... the cases that I’ve got, and it’s such a hassle to
get in and out with (airport) connections,” he said.
While Norfolk
International Airport offers flights to a wide range of destinations, most
involve either connecting flights or some driving, Prentiss said.
He believes the
extra cost of an air taxi flight is balanced by savings in employee time and
in the cost of meals, lodging and car rentals.
Another nice
part of the service, Prentiss said, is the ease of making a reservation a few
days in advance of a trip.
Albemarle Economic
Development Commission Director Wayne Harris said more awareness about the
air taxi service can only help the area’s growing aviation sector.
“Time is
money in the business world,” Harris said.
He applauded
state officials for creating the service for smaller airports like Elizabeth
City’s. He, too, expects area business travelers will use the air taxi
booking service.
“Just
judging from the reaction of the folks at the AEDC meeting, I would say there
was a definite interest there,” Harris said.
For
more information, go online to elizabethcity.ncflyports.com or call 335-5634.
http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/booking-service-boosts-smaller-airports-294548.html
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