Memphis International Airport picked up in January where it left off in 2015 with two new service announcements.
Allegiant is adding nonstop flights between Memphis International Airport and Jacksonville International Airport beginning April 15. That Jan. 12 announcement came less than a week after Frontier Airlines said it would add nonstop flights between Memphis and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport starting April 14.
Twelve new flights were added at Memphis International in 2015, bringing the total to more than 580 per week.
Frontier will offer the Atlanta flights three times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The Atlanta additions are welcome, said Pace Cooper, Chairman of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority Board of Commissioners.
“If there’s one city that’s been a top priority for us to create competition, it’s Atlanta,” he said.
The Jacksonville flight brings service to the Florida city, which is a destination on the Community Air Service Development Incentive Policy. That went into effect May 1 as a way to maximize available commercial air service opportunities at the airport.
Jacksonville is the eighth targeted destination. San Francisco tops the list, followed by Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix/Mesa, Seattle, San Diego, Portland Jacksonville, Santa Anna/Orange County and Sacramento. Since announcing its entry in the Memphis market last winter, Allegiant has also added service to Fort Lauderdale and Phoenix.
“Whether it’s Frontier doing a Saturday-only flight or Allegiant doing off-peak flying, it’s matching the needs of the community with the needs of the airlines,” said Will Livsey, Senior Manager of Air Service Research & Development for the airport, about the incentive program.
Allegiant’s flights to Jacksonville will run twice weekly on Fridays and Mondays. This makes the seventh destination for Allegiant at MEM, joining Austin, Orlando Sanford, Las Vegas, Phoenix/Mesa, St. Pete-Clearwater and Fort Lauderdale.
Frontier also flies nonstop to Denver.
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