Airport reels in new nonstop flights, old ones return

Several airlines have added flights to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in recent weeks, as the travel industry begins to recover from the COVID-19 led shutdown.

New flights include JetBlue adding nonstop service to Newark, N.J., starting Aug. 6, according to a statement. Newark, not previously served from SRQ by JetBlue, will be in addition to nonstop service provided to New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport and seasonal service to Boston (BOS). 

American Airlines announced it will add nonstop flights to New York’s LaGuardia (LGA) airport starting July 11, the release states, a route not previously served by American at SRQ.  The airline also plans to bring back service to Philadelphia July 3, as well as Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) and Washington D.C. (DCA) on July 7.

Frontier Airlines, meanwhile, recently announced nonstop flights to Chicago O’Hare, a new destination for Frontier at SRQ. Last summer, Frontier served only one destination from SRQ, the release states. This summer it will provide nonstop service to four destinations: Cleveland and Philadelphia flights started June 6, and Cincinnati and Chicago service will begin July 4.

Delta Air Lines, SRQ’s largest carrier for business travelers, added a third daily flight to Atlanta June 11 and will add a fourth daily flight beginning July 2, the release states.  

United Airlines will continue to provide service to Chicago O’Hare, while Allegiant, SRQ’s largest ultra-low-cost-carrier, will continue to provide a minimum of two times weekly service to thirteen destinations. Allegiant also plans to return service to six additional destinations in August, including Allentown, Nashville, Des Moines, Flint, Fort Wayne and Rockford, Ill.

“It is an interesting phenomenon to see how the rebound in traffic is affecting airports across the country,” SRQ President and CEO Rick Piccolo says in the statement. “People from larger cities seem to prefer traveling to smaller beach town resort areas like Sarasota/Bradenton as they are ideal places to safely and easily social distance while vacationing or spending time with family.” 

“The airport continues to exercise the recommendations of the CDC with increased janitorial staffing, plastic shields, hand sanitizer stations, social distance markers, and face covering requirements for all airport employees,”  Piccolo adds. “We are excited that our public health practices combined with the increased flight choices provides an opportunity to help get our local economy back on its feet in an expedited manner.”