United Express to Fly Directly to Washington Dulles
By Don Dodson, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
Feb. 1–Come April 24, people will be able to fly directly from Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport to Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C.
United Express has agreed to begin once-a-day service between the two airports as the result of an incentive package made possible by the Springfield airport authority, the Springfield chamber of commerce and a federal air-service grant.
According to United’s Web site, a 50-passenger regional jet, operated by Trans States Airlines, would leave Springfield at 5:45 p.m. CDT and arrive in Washington at 8:01 p.m. EDT. The following day, a passenger could leave Washington at 4:45 p.m. EDT and arrive in Springfield at 5:44 p.m. CDT.
Even though Willard Airport in Savoy has identified Washington as a destination to which it would like direct service, a University of Illinois official with responsibility for Willard said the airport wouldn’t want a deal like Springfield’s.
“It’s not something we would have done,” said Gene Barton, the UI associate vice chancellor who oversees Willard. “We did that (a revenue-guarantee deal) with Delta for two years, and we wouldn’t want to come up with $1.4 million for one year for a flight to Dulles.”
Barton said Willard is more interested in service to Washington’s Reagan National Airport or Baltimore/Washington International Airport, which has excellent train connections to the nation’s capital.
Barton said he doubted many travelers from Champaign-Urbana would drive an hour-and-a-half to Springfield to take advantage of the Dulles connection.
“We’re always engaging with airlines to increase service at Willard, and there are a couple we’re in discussions with,” he said. “I don’t know if they’ll yield anything.”
Willard Airport is served by American Eagle, with six flights a day to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and one flight a day to Dallas-Fort Worth; and by Northwest Airlink, with two flights a day to Detroit.
Here are the airlines that serve other central Illinois cities: Bloomington-Normal: AirTran, three flights daily to Atlanta and two flights daily to Orlando, Fla.; American Eagle, three flights daily to O’Hare; Delta Connection, four flights daily to Atlanta; Northwest Airlink, three flights daily to Detroit; and United Express, three flights daily to O’Hare.
Decatur: American Connection, four flights daily to St. Louis; and Mesa Air, three flights daily to Chicago’s Midway.
Peoria: Allegiant Air, one flight daily to Las Vegas and one flight daily to Clearwater, Fla.; American Eagle, three flights daily to O’Hare and one flight daily to Dallas-Fort Worth; Delta Connection, three flights daily to Atlanta; Northwest Airlink, three flights daily to Minneapolis; and United Express, five flights daily to Chicago’s O’Hare.
Springfield: American Connection, two flights daily to St. Louis; Big Sky Airlines, four flights daily to Midway; and United Express, five flights daily to O’Hare.
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UAUA,