ViaAir picks Pittsburgh, Memphis as focus cities

ViaAir (VC, Orlando Int'l) has selected Pittsburgh Int'l and Memphis Int'l as focus cities as a part of the carrier's largest-ever network expansion.

The carrier will launch services from Pittsburgh to Birmingham, AL (4x weekly from April 11), Austin Bergstrom Int'l via Memphis (4x weekly from June 25), and Hartford Bradley (4x weekly from July 22). From Memphis, it will offer flights to Austin and Pittsburgh starting June 25.

ViaAir will also extend its route to Birmingham, AL onwards to Raleigh/Durham from April 11.

All services will be operated with 50-seat E145 regional jets.

In the press statement, the carrier underlined that it intends to offer low-cost, direct services.

The carrier is currently rejigging its business model after ending its last Alternative Essential Air Service (AEAS) routes from Charlotte Int'l to Parkersburg and Beckley at the end of October 2018. ViaAir operates three E120s and five E145s on a network of scheduled flights mostly out of Orlando Sanford and Austin.

ViaAir itself is a virtual carrier with all flights operated by its technical subsidiary and AOC holder, Via Airlines (VC, Orlando Int'l).
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Lewisburg, WV suspends ViaAir operations

ViaAir (VC, Orlando Int'l) has suspended commercial operations out of Lewisburg Greenbrier Valley Airport, West Virginia, with immediate effect the airport's administration has announced.


The airfield said in a statement issued December 31, 2016, that the suspension was only temporary but gave no indication of if/when services would resume. As part of its Essential Air Services (EAS) contract with the US Department of Transportation (DOT), ViaAir offered multiple-daily services from Lewisburg to Charlotte using ERJ-145 equipment.

According to The Mountain Messanger newspaper, the move is said to be in relation to the carrier's poor operational performance of late which has negatively impacted the town. As such, following a meeting on Friday, December 30, airport management took the decision to suspend VIA Air's services with effect from Saturday, December 31.
Affected passengers have been directed to the airline to request refunds.

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ViaAir commenced flights between Shenandoah (SDH) and Charlotte Douglas (CLT) on 30 November

The 385-kilometre connection will be served by the carrier 12 times weekly on its ERJ 145s. According to OAG schedules, the city pair is not served by any other carrier, with ViaAir becoming Shenandoah’s only scheduled airline. Silver Airways did serve Shenandoah until 29 November, the day on which it ended its twice-daily service from Washington Dulles. From 11 December, ViaAir will begin a one-stop service to Orlando that will operate twice-weekly (Wednesdays and Sundays) via Charlotte Douglas. According to OAG schedules, ViaAir now offers six routes non-stop routes from Charlotte Douglas, including Beckley, St Augustine, Lewisburg and Parkersberg, as well as Shenandoah and Orlando. According to ch-aviation, ViaAir has nine aircraft in its fleet: four EMB 120s and five ERJ 145s

Aenna

ViaAir secures Greenbrier EAS contract

ViaAir (VC, Orlando Int'l) has been selected as the new Essential Air Service (EAS) provider at Lewisburg (which serves Greenbrier/White Sulphur Springs in West Virgina) by the US Department of Transportation (DOT).

Under the terms of its contract, which runs from October 1, 2016, through to November 30, 2018, ViaAir will operate a 12x weekly non-stop return service between Greenbrier/White Sulphur Springs and Charlotte using 50-seat ERJ-145 aircraft. The total annual subsidy allocated is USD4.73 million.

The DOT issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) in March this year and received offers from ADI Aerodynamics (4A, Pontiac), Boutique Air (4B, San Francisco, CA), Corporate Flight Management (LF, Smyrna), Silver Airways (3M, Fort Lauderdale Int'l), and Southern Airways Express (9X, Memphis Int'l), in addition to ViaAir.

Incumbent operator Silver Airways retendered for the contract and although its proposal was the only one that contained an interline agreement with a larger air carrier, the DOT says it encountered stiff resistance from Greenbrier town council which accused it of "poor performance."

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ViaAir adds maiden ERJ-145 for collegiate charters

ViaAir (VC, Orlando Int'l) has taken delivery of its first of nine ERJ-145s with the arrival of ex-Trans States Airlines (AX, St. Louis Lambert Int'l) machine N802HK (cn 145066) on Thursday, July 30. Of the nine aircraft, five have been bought outright while the rest are on lease.

 The Floridian scheduled operator plans to use the Embraer (São José dos Campos) Regional Jets to enhance an existing collegiate sports team travel contract with PASS Charters.

 ViaAir also operates five EMB-120s on scheduled flights connecting Beckley, Charlotte, St. Augustine, Niagara Falls, and Farmingdale.