Low-Cost Carrier Holds Its Own

By Michael Silence, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn.

Feb. 14–Knoxville newcomer Allegiant Air appears to be making an impact on local airline travel.

In its first full month of service at McGhee Tyson Airport, Allegiant filled 85 percent of its January seats for flights to Florida — a statistic airport officials call healthy.

Allegiant, a low-cost airline that focuses on midsize markets and vacation destinations, flew 4,236 passengers from McGhee Tyson Airport, where it operates four days a week.

In mid-December, the airline began nonstop Florida flights to Tampa/St. Petersburg. This week, the airline launches four-day-a-week, nonstop flights to Orlando, Fla., and Las Vegas.

Overall for the month, air traffic in and out of the airport increased about 3 percent over January 2006.

Three airlines, Delta, Northwest and American, flew fewer people than they did in January 2006 and January 2005.

Still, Delta, which serves Knoxville seven days a week, flew more than 40,000 passengers last month. The airline, which is trying to emerge from bankruptcy, makes up about 33 percent of the flights at the airport. McGhee Tyson is served by seven airlines.

Dave Conklin, director of marketing for the airport, said the showing by Allegiant is healthy, especially in a month when air travel is slow.

January and February typically are the two slowest months for airlines.

U.S. Airways and United Airlines also posted healthy gains. U.S. Airways flew 22,187 passengers for a 26 percent increase over 2005. United flew 17,684 people for a 35 percent increase over 2005.

In all, 121,353 people flew in and out of the airport in January, compared with 117,803 in 2006 and 126,368 in 2005, when Independence Air was operating in Knoxville.

On Tuesday, airport officials unveiled a baggage-screening machine that cuts in half the time involved in inspecting checked luggage.

Maggie Rhodes, a federal security director, said it eliminates the need to open bags for inspection.

Airport authorities also demonstrated McGhee Tyson’s new Explosive Detection System. The airport is using four of the machines, which cost $250,000 each.

Chris Vinson, supervisor transportation security officer with the Transportation Security Administration, said the Knoxville airport has been a testing place for the machines, which are now in full use.

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