The state that was "first in flight" is helping to solidify a new trend in aviation--inexpensive air travel.
Beginning June 16, low-fare air carrier Independence Air will provide nine daily round trips from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport--but the effect of the addition remains unclear, as Independence will be RDU's third discount airline.
Randy Pratt, director of development for Arts and Sciences, frequently flies the Durham-Washington route, as his responsibilities include development for the West Coast and the Washington, D.C. area. He noted Midway Airlines, a now-defunct low-fare air carrier that offered a discount flight to Washington's Reagan International Airport, as an example of the impact a discount airline can have on prices.
"When Midway was here a couple years back they provided great service and cheap prices to Reagan, and American dropped their prices in order to compete," he said. "Low-fare carriers definitely put major pressure on big airlines."
RDU communications director Mindy Hamlin used simple economics to explain the probable effects a new airline could have at any airport. "The more airlines you have, the more competition you have and the better ticket prices are," she said.
But because Independence Air will join Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways, which both already offer discount fares from RDU, the potential benefit for travelers is not yet clear.
"[The impact] will remain to be seen," said Hamlin, noting that ticket prices dropped recently with the addition of Southwest to RDU in 1999. "It was really when Southwest came in that we saw the impact and the competition and, therefore, more competitive fares for passengers." She added that when Southwest arrived at RDU, the price change took hold within a year as round-trip ticket prices decreased by an average of $140 on routes the low-fare and conventional carriers shared.
Rick DeLisi, a spokesperson for Independence Air, said Independence would face little competition on its new route. "No one else flies to Washington. You only compete on the routes that you fly on," he noted.
Independence Air will offer one-way flights to Dulles starting at $49. Currently, AirTran offers a flight to Dulles through Atlanta for $74, and Southwest flies to Baltimore-Washington International Airport but does not provide service directly to D.C.
DeLisi said Independence Air decided to add service to RDU based on several major factors, including the possibility of building traffic to new and existing destinations, the development of "excellent cooperative marketing" with RDU and the economic vitality of the Research Triangle area.
In addition, Independence Air will expand to six other airports around the nation June 23, with service increasing to 25 total destinations by Sept. 1. The airline plans to offer five additional flights to Dulles from RDU by mid-July.
Hamlin said Independence Air was in a unique position at RDU because technically it has been at the airport since January 1992. The airline previously operated for United Express under Atlantic Coast Airlines, Independence's parent company. ACA, however, does not plan to renew its partnership with United when the contract runs out in early August. At that time the corporation will officially change its name and Independence will operate on its own, using the same ticket counter and gate space it has held for years.
Pratt said he planned to take advantage of Independence Air's competitive prices and convenient location at Dulles once they begin service. "I'm looking for the best pricing. Southwest used to be the cheapest way to fly to D.C., but I'd much rather fly to Dulles."
In a highly competitive market, flying to major airports near Boston, D.C., Chicago and New York is one of Independence's strengths, DeLisi said. "We wanted to fly where people wanted to go," he said.
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