Spirit Airlines holds off on resuming flights from Arnold Palmer airport to Ft. Myers
Arnold Palmer #ArnoldPalmer
Jeff Himler | Tribune-Review
A Spirit Airlines flight to Orlando is parked at a passenger boarding bridge before takeoff on May 4, 2020, at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity.
Passengers flying from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport may be limited to Orlando as a destination for the immediate future, part of the continuing hit air travel is taking from the covid-19 pandemic.
While Spirit Airlines flights from the Unity airport to Myrtle Beach, S.C., are expected to resume Feb. 12, Westmoreland County Airport Authority members are concerned about the scarcity of flights from Arnold Palmer to Ft. Myers, another Florida destination that has been available in the past.
As of Tuesday morning, according to the Spirit Airlines website, no flights from Unity to Ft. Myers are available until March 10 — after which they are scheduled about every other day.
The last such flight was on Jan. 4, according to authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo, and he noted passenger numbers had been low. “We were sending planes with 32 people on them,” he said.
In contrast, he said, 133 passengers are booked for a Thursday flight to Orlando. For now, Orlando flights are offered four days per week, with a daily schedule slated to resume in early February, according to the Spirit site.
“The bookings have dropped off with the last covid scare after Christmas,” Monzo said of Spirit flights, which are the only commercial routes available at the airport. He suggested many people haven’t booked flights more than a week in advance because of uncertainty over how changing pandemic conditions and restrictions might affect their travel plans.
According to the Spirit site, the airline is offering flights to Ft. Myers from Pittsburgh International Airport four days per week.
Authority member Janice Smarto questioned whether a portion of the passengers booked on those flights would have instead departed from Arnold Palmer, if a flight had been available. She said a family member had reserved a trip to Ft. Myers from Unity, but the flight was canceled.
Monzo said he would relay the concerns to Spirit officials. He speculated that the airline may be basing its flight schedule on past bookings, resulting in a lag of several weeks.
A Spirit Airlines spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
A year-end report showed a severe downturn in air traffic at Arnold Palmer in 2020, something that was seen industry wide. The number of outgoing passengers at the Unity airport plummeted from 155,905 in 2019 to 62,670 in the past year. Total passengers, including arrivals, fell from 309,817 to 123,511.
At the same time, the authority, with federal and state funding support, was able to proceed with major improvements that had been planned at the airport.
The $18 million widening of the Arnold Palmer runway, from 100 feet to 150 feet, was substantially completed, with final touches to occur in the spring. The authority on Tuesday accepted completion of a project that strengthened the terminal apron, replacing asphalt with concrete.
Extra terminal improvements approved
The authority approved change orders for terminal improvements that are nearing completion — expansion of the passenger holding area to seat 300 people and an upgrade of the HVAC system.
ABS Building Systems Integrators will install additional door hardware, replace ceiling tiles and modify the cafe area, at an added cost of $20,390. Darr Construction will be paid an additional $9,850 to replace light fixtures.
HVAC contractor Combustion Service and Equipment Co. will receive an extra $13, 900 for ductwork modifications. The airport also installed an HVAC system that uses ultraviolet light to clean the air, helping to combat the spread of covid-19.
Despite the toll the pandemic has taken on the air travel industry, Monzo said, “these projects position us in the system to be able to adjust well into the future.”
Pandemic delays route from Pittsburgh
Another low-fare carrier, Allegiant Air, announced Tuesday it plans to add nonstop flights from Pittsburgh International to Norfolk, Va., beginning June 3. It’s one of eight routes serving various cities the airline had planned to add last year, before they were postponed by the pandemic.
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Categories: Local | Travel | Westmoreland