Hagerstown Md News

Direct Air cancels some flight options

Not enough passengers were booking flights to Lakeland from Hagerstown, Conrad said.

But he said he expected the Myrtle Beach, S.C.-based airline to resume flying to Hagerstown in the spring when more people will come to Central Florida.

Typically, Conrad said, about half of the Hagerstown passengers would get off at Myrtle Beach before the plane continued to Lakeland. The Hagerstown-Myrtle Beach leg also will be canceled.

"You can't fly empty planes in this economy," Conrad said.

Direct Air's last flight to Hagerstown from Lakeland will be on Aug. 21.

Commercial flights to and from Lakeland began in June. The airline also flies to Myrtle Beach, Niagara Falls and Springfield, Ill. Flights to Plattsburgh, N.Y., and San Juan, Puerto Rico, will begin in November.

Conrad said bookings from Niagara Falls and Plattsburgh are so good that the airline plans to increase the frequency of flights to the two cities.

The number of flights to Niagara Falls will increase from three to five per week, while the number of flights to Plattsburgh will increase from two to four.

Overall, the number of departures from Lakeland Linder will increase from eight to 14 per week, Conrad said.

Conrad said the Niagara Falls flight is the most popular.

"The planes are full the rest of this month and through September," Conrad said.

Hagerstown officials said in a news release that Direct Air executives told them that the city may be more of a seasonal market.

"Ed Warneck, President and Managing Partner for Direct Air stated that Hagerstown was a new start-up destination with not enough history to ensure confidence in fall and winter demand," the news release said. "As a result, the airline has concluded that during this first year of operation, the market should be viewed as seasonal."

The news release said that any passenger who purchased a family ties voucher or a ticket to or from Hagerstown should be contacted by Direct Air and will receive a full refund. If a ticket holder is not contacted by Direct Air, they should contact the Direct Air Reservations Center at 877-432-3473.

Rick Beale of Lakeland was disappointed by the cancellation. He was planning on flying to Hagerstown on Sept. 1, renting a car, and driving to western Maryland to visit family members.

"I just made all my hotel and car reservations," Beale said. He said he received a phone call from a Direct Air representative Wednesday afternoon. Beale said he paid $179 for the round-trip ticket.

Direct Air ends Hagerstown, Md. flight - Breaking News ...

Direct Air will stop flying to Hagerstown, Md. in a few weeks, due to a low demand for the flight in the fall, according to the airline.

The last flights between Hagerstown and Myrtle Beach will be on Aug. 21, said Judy Tull, a managing partner of the Myrtle Beach-based airline.

“We had very few bookings after the 21st of August and basically from the bookings we have determined that the true market coming into Myrtle Beach is in the summer time from that area,” she said.

Any travelers who booked flights for after Aug. 21 will receive a refund, Tull said.

The Hagerstown flight started June 23 and was a new market for the airline. Typically when the airline flies into a new market it will evaluate the demand and see if it will be a seasonal market and when it is worth flying, she said.

The airline flies seasonal flights to several other locations, including Columbus, Ohio and Springfield, Ill., which will end after Labor Day.

The company was pleased with Hagerstown flights, which were typically 75 to 80 percent full, Tull said.

The route may well be back next year for the summer season, but that hasn’t been determined yet, she said.

“It hinges on what’s happening in the economy at that time fuel prices and marketing support out of Hagerstown and the Myrtle Beach area,” Tull said.

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