Eastern Iowa Airport gets Charlotte flights

CEDAR RAPIDS - Passengers traveling from Eastern Iowa to the southeast United States, the East Coast or the Caribbean have a new option beginning Nov. 4.

American Airlines announced plans Friday to offer two daily, nonstop flights from The Eastern Iowa Airport to Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. The airline's second-largest hub after Dallas-Fort Worth offers 654 daily flights to 145 destinations in 23 countries, including Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe.

Flights are to depart Cedar Rapids at 7 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. daily, returning from Charlotte at 11:40 a.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets are to be available beginning Sunday on American's website - www.americanairlines.com.

American is to operate the service with 65-seat dual class CRJ 700 regional jets. Each flight offers nine first-class seats.

Other amenities include Wi-Fi and food and beverage service.

Charlotte is the 13th nonstop destination from Cedar Rapids. The airport has direct service to Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando-Sanford, Phoenix-Mesa, Punta Gorda and St. Petersburg-Tampa. Aside from American, other airlines offering service at the airport are Allegiant, Delta, Frontier and United.

Jane Schuyler, vice president of leisure travel at Destinations Unlimited in Cedar Rapids, said the Charlotte flights offer business and leisure travelers more options.

'More options mean better service and better pricing, whether it's for corporate or leisure travel,” Schuyler said. 'It will give us another option to get our clients to the southeast or the Caribbean and on to Europe.”

Schuyler said Charlotte gives travelers an alternative when airports like Chicago's O'Hare International are shut down due to inclement weather.

'It will open the southeast to us, especially during the winter months when we have problems because certain airline hubs are snowed in or iced in,” she said. 'Some people intensely dislike O'Hare. I'm always happier when I can offer choices and flexibility.”

Schuyler said leisure travelers should like the Charlotte flights because of the convenient departure and arrival times.

'With the 7 a.m. flight out of Cedar Rapids and arrival at 10:25 a.m. in Charlotte, that's going to work for our clients to connect down to the Caribbean,” she said. 'On the return, it's going to leave Charlotte at 6 p.m. and get back to Cedar Rapids at a very reasonable 7:22 p.m.

'If you're in Cancun, you are not going to have to be at the airport at 4 a.m. to catch a 6 a.m. flight.”

Pat Baird, a member of the Cedar Rapids Airport Commission and former president and CEO of AEGON USA - now Transamerica - said the Charlotte service makes it easier for regional business travelers to access the northeast Corridor.

'Charlotte becomes a really important connector if you are going to New York, Philadelphia or Washington, D.C.,” Baird said. 'In my five years of being an airport commissioner, I think this is the most impactful announcement that we have made.”

Billy Glunz, regional director of government affairs for American Airlines, said the world's largest airline made the decision to add regular service to Charlotte based on its experience in Cedar Rapids.

'The push from the airport and local officials showed a demonstrated need for this service,” Glunz said. 'The business community is absolutely critical to this. That's our ‘bread and butter,' but leisure travel is very important as well.”

Airport Director Marty Lenss said if the Charlotte flights are successful, it could mean an additional daily flight or another American destination down the road.

'We are talking with all of our incumbent carriers about existing service, as well as new destinations and larger aircraft,” he said.

Doug Neumann, interim president and CEO of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, said the addition of Charlotte as a nonstop destination enhances the Corridor's economic development opportunities.

'We talk with hundreds of companies each year” Neumann said. 'Speed to market is absolutely critical for business when deciding whether to locate or expand in this region.”

Also present for Friday's announcement were Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-IA; Cedar Rapids City Manager Jeff Pomeranz; Mark Nolte, president and CEO, Iowa City Area Development Group; Marcia Rogers, chairwoman of the Cedar Rapids Airport Commission, and Carroll Reasoner, airport commissioner and University of Iowa vice president for legal affairs and general counsel.

Lenss said airport officials plan to use state grant funds to promote the new flights.

'We have talked with the state aviation office and they have supported us with an incentive through the air service enhancement fund,” Lenss said. 'That formal grant will come before the Cedar Rapids Airport Commission in July.”