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A direct flight to DC is always great - especially since a connecting itinerary might take so long you might as well drive up at that point (or face the specter of hoofing it through long concourses for a tight connection in Charlotte or worse, Atlanta).
My last flight to DC (BWI) with a connection in Atlanta actually wasn't that bad. After having drove the last time and having had to stop a few times to close my eyes, I was more than willing to take a flight with one short layover to one of the neighboring airports. I love DCA, but BWI was much cheaper.
I'd be curious to see plans and renderings of the GSP terminal expansion just announced.
Below is a basic concept rendering of part of the terminal for the 100 million renovation. The entire airport will use stone and wood to achieve a very distinct Upstate / mountain gateway feel, along with expansive glass for natural light. The landside terminal will receive a new third enplaning level to match up with the height of the concourses. Deplaning will be handled through the second level. A new food court with national restaurants/shops will be added. Additional gates will be added to both concourses. Additional baggage carousels. A definite complete makeover, and at 100 million, obviously will be very detailed. I'm sure people will post progress photos as construction progresses. I fly weekly, so I'll keep a photo update going.
Oddily enough this article regarding the GSP plans just came out today: GSP Plans New Look For Terminal - Greenville News Story - WYFF Greenville (http://www.wyff4.com/news/24835686/detail.html - broken link) Nice model image of the expansion/renovation in the article also.
A direct flight to DC is always great - especially since a connecting itinerary might take so long you might as well drive up at that point (or face the specter of hoofing it through long concourses for a tight connection in Charlotte or worse, Atlanta).
Airport names are often marketing exercises. For example, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport and Charleston International Airport don't have any international flights, at least not scheduled ones, but they do have customs/immigration inspection facilities in case a charter, cargo, or private international flight arrives. However, CAE has customs/immigration capabilities, too, yet it did not decide to use "International" in its name.
"Jetport" obviously makes an airport sound sexier, but in reality those airports probably use that term to show that it can land at least a small business jet, such as a LearJet, or possibly a larger one such as a Gulfstream. I don't think they are trying to pretend they can land a large jet airliner or something (they can't and they know it). In these less-than-urban counties, it differentiates them from other areas of the state that have shorter airstrips that can't land anything more than a single-engine Cessna/Piper/etc. or perhaps a small turboprop. I agree that "Jetport" sounds very mid-20th-century, like when the Boeing 707 came out or something.
OK well that makes sense. I can seek Darlington/Hartsville trying to seem more "corporate air friendly" than say Sumter County by calling their Airport a Jetport. I thought that Charleston had Air Canada service at one time... I believe that AC still has seasonal service out of Myrtle Beach. I havent checked recently but it amazed me that places like Pinehurst in NC and even Jacksonville NC had air service..via US Airways. I also thought Hilton Head was attempting to gain or retain air service as well.. as opposed to sharing a name only with Savannah "international" airport
OK well that makes sense. I can seek Darlington/Hartsville trying to seem more "corporate air friendly" than say Sumter County by calling their Airport a Jetport. I thought that Charleston had Air Canada service at one time... I believe that AC still has seasonal service out of Myrtle Beach. I havent checked recently but it amazed me that places like Pinehurst in NC and even Jacksonville NC had air service..via US Airways. I also thought Hilton Head was attempting to gain or retain air service as well.. as opposed to sharing a name only with Savannah "international" airport
Sonoco's corporate jet operation is based at Darlington County Jetport, so the name is appropriate enough. I don't think Hartsville actually uses the "Jetport" name, at least not now - it's Hartsville Regional Airport. Sumter could call itself a "Jetport" if it wanted to, as it's main runway is definitely long enough for corporate jets (it's slightly longer than Hartsville's).
Pinehurst probably had air service due to local golf tourism. However, it was a very small market, and there hasn't been any scheduled service there for a few years (US Airways' & Delta's commuter affiliates had flights to Charlotte & Atlanta, respectively). Jacksonville still has flights even though it is also a fairly small commercial airport, but having the huge Marine base (Camp Lejeune) there drives a lot of business. It also has US Airways/Charlotte & Delta/Atlanta commuter flights.
Hilton Head still has air service (same airlines/hubs as above, but US Airways also has seasonal flights from DC) but they have had a lot of local controversy surround potential airport expansion, specifically lengthening the runway. Because of the extremely strict tree regulations on the island, it has been especially time-consuming to clear trees to secure safe approach zones. The runway is very short (shorter than Hartsville's!) and cannot accommodate the commuter flights at full payload, so it has affected the their potential profitability. Delta did pull out all flights for some time.
I had a chance to fly from CAE to DCA and noticed that the main runway appears to be getting redone and we had to take off and land or the much shorter NE to SW runway. I got the ticket on US Airways for about $230 for a direct flight each way which appeared to be a deal given the often high price of flying in and out of CAE.
Without rehashing the SWA thing in Greenville and Charleston.. but are fares in Columbia expected to drop as the Cola Airlines attempt to keep passengers from traveling out of town to fly?? When is SWA expected to land in Greenville and Charleston? I want to be able to hopefully snatch up some deals into CAE if fares drop... if not grab a few cheap flights in to Greenville
Without rehashing the SWA thing in Greenville and Charleston.. but are fares in Columbia expected to drop as the Cola Airlines attempt to keep passengers from traveling out of town to fly?? When is SWA expected to land in Greenville and Charleston? I want to be able to hopefully snatch up some deals into CAE if fares drop... if not grab a few cheap flights in to Greenville
Southwest is planning to start service at GSP and CHS in the spring (April/May).
Many of the aviation websites are speculating on routes. Haven't heard much for CHS, but for GSP, it is rumored they will start with 8 departures daily (which is about the right number for Southwest startup service).
The word for nonstop flights:
(BWI) Baltimore x 2 daily
(BNA) Nashville x 2 daily
(JAX) Jacksonville x 1 daily
(IND) Indianapolis x 1 daily
(ISP) Islip (NYC metro / Long Island) x 1 daily
(HOU) Houston Hobby x 1 daily
All of these cities would allow same plane and connecting service to numerous locations, esp Baltimore, Nashville and Houston which act as "hubs", though we all know Southwest does not have true hubs.
Cool Thanks... How is GSP vs CHS for someone to/fromColumbia in terms of travel time between the two and with screening times/airport waits etc?? I have never flown into either one but it appears that CHS may be more convenient for Columbia bound passengers because it is right off of I-26 and its a straight shot to Columbia. CHS because it is a tourist city and has a cruise terminal and beaches nearby may be more hectic as opposed to the more efficent business travelers that may frequent GSP
Cool Thanks... How is GSP vs CHS for someone to/fromColumbia in terms of travel time between the two and with screening times/airport waits etc?? I have never flown into either one but it appears that CHS may be more convenient for Columbia bound passengers because it is right off of I-26 and its a straight shot to Columbia. CHS because it is a tourists city and has a cruise terminal may be more hectic as opposed to the more efficent business travelers that may frequent GSP
I've flown in and out of Charleston on business and of course fly in and out of GSP on a weekly basis. Both seem pretty hassle free to me.
Probably depends on which side of Columbia you live on as to which airport is closer. I did a mapquest.....from Main & Gervais in center of Columbia to GSP is aprox 104 miles......from Main & Gervias in center of Columbia to CHS is aprox 115 miles......it really boils down to where you live.
I do like the fact that GSP is mainly business travelers....they know to have everything out of their pockets and in their briefcase.....shoes unlaced and ready to slip off.....computer out of the bag.....etc. My fear, with Southwest low fares, that may change somewhat as many first time flyers use GSP. I guess the up side, looks like Southwest will go on Concourse A and Delta (who I fly) is on Concourse B. For now, until the expansion/remodel, each concourse has its own specific TSA lanes.
Well even if CAE cant land another airline atleast the airport is still creating additional jobs for the Region.
Airline opens new hangar - Business - TheState.com (http://www.thestate.com/2010/09/21/1474912/airline-opens-new-hangar.html - broken link)
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