Lynchburg airport numbers stabilizing after Delta departure

Jan. 20--After Delta stopped service to the Lynchburg Regional Airport one year ago, the airport lost 37 percent of its daily flights.

US Airways, the airport's remaining carrier, added a sixth daily flight after Delta's departure, but passenger numbers for 2011 dropped 21 percent compared to 2010.

But Airport Director Mark Courtney said passenger traffic stabilized in 2011 after Delta left.

More than 146,000 passengers came through the airport in 2011 -- the third-highest passenger count in the last 10 years, he said. That still is a drop of almost 40,000 passengers from 185,000 in 2010.

US Airways upgraded the Lynchburg flights for January, February and part of March to jet service instead of turbo-propeller air-crafts, Courtney said. It's a sign of confidence, he added, since jets have a higher cost of operation and are more likely to be used in markets of higher revenue.

The carrier flies passengers from Lynchburg to its hub in Charlotte, N.C., where there are more than 130 nonstop destinations.

He said the percentage of seats filled on US Airways flights in 2011 was up four points to more than 75 percent, the best ratio the airline has had while operating in Lynchburg.

"First and foremost, our goal is to maintain the same level of service we offer with US Airways right now at competitive fares that will result in a profitable operation for US Airways," Courtney said.

Rex Hammond, president of the Lynchburg Regional Chamber who serves on the air service partnership, said the airport has demonstrated the local market has fliers who will use the airport, even without Delta.

"The numbers indicate good things are happening in this market despite that setback," he said.

Another priority for the airport is to attract a second carrier to Lynchburg to connect it with another hub. Courtney said United Express service to Dulles International Airport is the "primary" candidate.

The airport received a $700,000 federal grant last fall to recruit in AirTran Airways, part of Southwest. However, the Southwest business model is designed for point-to-point air travel and not large hubs.

"Small communities are very reliant on airlines that have a hub and spoke system," he said.

Courtney said he met with Southwest officials in December and said they were not optimistic about coming to the airport in the short term.

The grant proposal was specific to AirTran, but Courtney said they are reviewing options to broaden the grant's scope so the money could be used for another airline, like United.

"We're delighted with how US Airways has responded to our situation yet we need a northern connector and Washington Dulles is the one that makes the most sense," Hammond said.

Copyright 2012 - The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.