ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Travelers can now fly non-stop to Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the country's biggest banking hubs, creating a huge economic impact.
While the airport is gaining one route, it's also losing another.
New advertisements at the airport herald the direct flights from St. Augustine to Charlotte, and it's not just any destination. City leaders say this new route could significantly impact the local economy.
The check-in counter at Northeast Regional Airport was busy Friday afternoon as people lined up to catch a Frontier flight to Trenton.
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But soon, Frontier Airlines won't be the only airline to fly out of St. Augustine.
Via Air is on it's way.
"We met with this airline three weeks ago, about three weeks ago believe it or not, up in Birmingham, Alabama. They were anxious to get something started," said Ed Wuellner, NFRA's executive director.
Starting Dec. 19, you can fly nonstop from St. Augustine to Charlotte.
This is a choice airport regular Alice Stieffenhofer is hoping to take advantage of.
"Very possible because I have two nieces that live right in Carolina," Stieffenhofer said.
But flights to Charlotte are expected to have a deeper impact on the local economy.
Wuellner said it'll help link two major hubs.
"It is huge that a lot of travel goes in between those two cities because both Jacksonville as well as Charlotte, those metropolitan areas are big banking industries in the Southeast," Wuellner said.
While the airport is gaining Charlotte, Frontier Airlines will be ending its nonstop service to Washington Dulles on Jan. 6.
"They have not announced when it will resume. We are hopeful that it will happen this summer," Wuellner said.
Over the next few weeks, Wuellner is expected to get the results back of that testing phase he said based on that he hopes to see more flights year round from here to Charlotte.
Via Air plans to run the test phase of flights from St. Augustine to Charlotte through at least Jan. 20.
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