Chattanooga Airport Service Hits Ups and Downs With Changes To Planned Flights
Aug. 16—Air service at Chattanooga Airport is undergoing some turbulence as travelers experience ups and downs.
On the upside, the airport is adding a third daily flight between Chattanooga and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on United Airlines, an official said.
But on the downside, discount carrier Allegiant Air is furloughing service between Chattanooga and St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida, from Sept. 6 to Nov. 17, according to the airline.
Also, hopes for nonstops between Chattanooga and Denver hit a bump when the city's airport failed to win a $750,000 federal grant to help land the service. The airport additionally had secured pledges from local businesses of $372,000 for the hoped-for flights to the United hub, said Terry Hart, the Chattanooga Airport's chief executive, in an interview Monday.
Hart said the added Chicago service is a win because that city is a key business market. He said the existing United flights between the cities are carrying a large amount of passengers.
"They recognize that," the airport chief said.
But low-fare carrier Allegiant is taking a "seasonal hiatus" on the Chattanooga- St. Pete route, said Hector Mejia, a spokesman for the airline.
He said Allegiant's business model is based on demand.
"We consider all of our network routes to be seasonal, so it's not unusual for a route to go on seasonal hiatus," Mejia said in an email. "We have a dedicated team of network planners who are constantly analyzing and adjusting service to best fit our customers' needs. This means we have the ability to ramp capacity up and down, seasonally, according to demand."
He said Allegiant's service between Chattanooga and Orlando Sanford International Airport is unchanged.
Meanwhile, Hart said the federal government recently issued 25 air service grants, and 24 were to airports smaller than Chattanooga. He said the results support the idea that federal officials are trying to shore up service at smaller airports hit by the pandemic.
"It's disappointing, but we're not discouraged," Hart said about efforts to land the Denver nonstops. "We'll continue to dialogue with the airline."
The changes in air service come as airport officials spend $28 million in a major passenger terminal expansion. The work that started in June will add new gates to board planes, enlarge the security checkpoint and bolster amenities for travelers, according to the airport.
The 22 months of work will add 26,000 square feet and renovate 36,000 square feet — the largest expansion in more than 30 years by size at Chattanooga Airport and the biggest ever in terms of dollars, Hart said.
Jim Hall, the Airport Authority's chairman, said at a meeting of the panel Monday he believes Lovell Field will see more flights, which will coincide with the new gates to serve passengers.
Through July, Chattanooga Airport boardings are 248,982, up 27.7% over the same period a year ago, according to officials.
Contact Mike Pare at [email protected] or 423-757-6318. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.
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