PTI Airport Pushes Aggressively for New Air Service at National Airline Conference

PTI took its air service expansion efforts to the national stage at the 2025 JumpStart® Air Service Development Conference, held June 9–11 in Indianapolis, meeting directly with airlines to push for new routes.

During the conference, PTI met with American Airlines, Delta, United, Spirit, Avelo, and Southwest to discuss the possibility of adding new flights that reflect the travel needs of the Triad community.

“At JumpStart, we focused on securing more nonstop destinations for the Triad,” said Stephanie Freeman. “These meetings are an opportunity to present our case to the airlines and highlight the demand from our region.”

Passenger Demand Data Drives the Push

Backed by passenger demand analysis, PTI presented compelling data to support new route opportunities. One key insight: the Los Angeles Basin is currently the largest U.S. metro area without nonstop service from PTI, with nearly 162 passengers per day each way (PDEW)—a standard industry metric representing average daily demand in each direction between two markets. However, the long distance makes L.A. service more costly for airlines to operate, presenting challenges for near-term viability.

The Boston metro area, the second largest unserved destination from the Triad, generates 136 PDEW, making it a strong candidate for nonstop service, even without onward connections. PTI sees American, Delta, and Breeze Airways as viable operators for a future Boston route and has prioritized it in discussions with airline partners.