Staff Report
Published Jan. 18, 2011

Vision Airlines will fly two days per week from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport to northwest Florida beginning April 1.

A charter airline that got its start in 1994 offering aerial tours of the Grand Canyon, Vision is expanding the scheduled commercial service it started just two years ago. The company announced today that it will launch service in 20 Southeastern cities this spring. In addition to Columbia, the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport is on the list.

Vision, headquartered outside Atlanta, will fly to the Northwest Florida Regional Airport, providing a gateway to the coastal towns in the Florida panhandle.

The company operates a mixed fleet of Boeing 767, Boeing 737 and Dornier 328 aircraft. At Columbia, Vision will fly a 148-seat Boeing 737-400 aircraft.

“Vision’s entry into the Columbia market will provide our travelers with nonstop service to Florida’s Gulf Coast region just in time for spring and summer travel,” said Dan Mann, executive director of the Columbia airport. “I am pleased that they have selected CAE as one of their first new markets for 2011. We look forward to welcoming them into our community and to witnessing their success.”

The low-cost airline will operate at Columbia two days a week:

Vision is offering introductory fares of $49 one-way if booked Jan. 18-23. After that, rates start at $89 one-way.

The other cities where Vision is launching service include Atlanta; Little Rock, Ark.; Hunstville, Ala.; Punta Gorda, Fla.; Baton Rouge, La.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Macon, Ga.; Savannah, Ga.; Birmingham, Ala.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Louisville, Ky.; Orlando, Fla.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Asheville, N.C. and Shreveport, La.

“It is our desire to continue to grow our service and route structure and offer tremendous value to leisure travelers,” said David Meers, chief operating officer of commercial operations for Vision.