New Airline: Vision Airline

[Tom Goodrick]

In this time of trouble for airlines, a new airline called "Vision" has started up serving that extremely hot market between Destin, Florida and Huntsville, Alabama. Actually few of us knew there was such a hot market until they told us. They offer direct turboprop service between the two cities one two days a week - a round trip on Monday and a round trip on Friday. This may have something to do with trying to reserect business in the Gulf. A spokesperson said they will provide relief from the cold for us "northerners" and give some of the Gulf residents a chance to come up and see "the mountains of Huntsville."

I don't think they know what they're doing. There might be a college student or two that wants to go find a beach with girls on it. But not enough to support a new airline. This calls for a little investigation. We just lost one of our airline flights to Washington DC, a place where more business traffic goes and comes with our large Army research group at Redstone Arsenal and or NASA group.

That airline had better have a more lucrative route as well. Otherwise they won't live long. We had another airline start with DC service and that went so well they got bought by a larger airline and we lost that service.

[Bill Von Sennet]

KLBE - Latrobe PA lost our US Airways commuter service to Pittsburgh several years ago.

Then Northwest commuter started service to Detroit. They left last year.

Now we have Spirit Airlines with 4 round trips a week to Fort Lauderdale, then in May they will add 4 round trips a week to Myrtle Beach.

They are doing great! People are driving in from Cleveland and Pittsburgh for the low fares and free parking.

[Tom Goodrick]

OK. It is Friday and time for another Vison Airlines Flight from the Florida Panhandle to Huntsville, AL. It is underway as we speak.

It is RBY328 or "Ruby" Dornier 328 from Eglin AFB (KVPS) to KHSV. It started at 3:56, 16 minutes late and is due in HSV at 4:57 but is running into 40 knot headwinds so it may be late. The plane started this on the Flight Aware schedule this afternoon from St Petersburg/Clearwater (KPIE) at about 2pm. The Flight Aware info shows tickets costing $550 on average between Eglin, or Valpariso and Huntsville. There were two other flights today between these cities but they went through Atlanta. So far, I don't see evidence that there is anyway for people who take this flight to return to where they started except via Atlanta. You can go via Atlanta on one or two flights each day.

I guess this what they call a transportation "niche." The Fairchild Dornier 328 looks like a cool plane. I might have to get one for FS. It files for 285 knots at 28,000 ft.

By the way, Vision Airlines is based in North Las Vegas.

I stand corrected. There is a return flight scheduled tonight leaving at 17:50 and arriving Valpariso at 18:46. The last flights for Vision Airlines were one week ago. So people could have come up then and could be going back tonight. I guess that works!

Only in Huntsville. Ruby will be landing just after a 747 coming in direct from Anchorage (probably with Hyundai parts from Korea).