American Airlines adjusts Meridian flights

Published 3:12 pm Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Meridian Regional Airport’s new contract with American Airlines is being billed as a win-win for the city and the flying public.

American Airlines, through its affiliations with Skywest and ExpressJet, was again awarded the contract by the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide commercial air service between Meridian and Dallas-Ft. Worth, Meridian Regional AIrport President Tom Williams announced on Wednesday.

Changes in the contract will ensure improved service for passengers at Meridian Regional Airport, Williams said.

The new service, effective Nov. 4, will include all non-stop flights between Meridian and Dallas-Ft. Worth, eliminating the stop in Hattiesburg on the afternoon flight. In addition, the last evening flight inbound to Meridian will leave Dallas-Ft. Worth at 8:20 p.m. instead of 6:45 p.m., under the current schedule. That means more passengers will be able to make connections in Dallas and arrive in Meridian that evening.

“The great news is that American’s bid increases our air service,” Williams said. “The afternoon flight has been shared with Hattiesburg the last two years. In this bid, we no longer have to share the afternoon flight with Hattiesburg, which means all of Meridian’s flights to and from Dallas are non-stop. That is key because you can stay at your location later before traveling home. Non-stop flights to Dallas, along with later flights are a great benefit to this new contract. The non-stop flights in the afternoon adds seats to our market.”

Meridian Regional Airport saw 16,296 passengers fly out of the facility last year. Through September of this year, 12,253 passengers have flown out of Meridian.

Williams said it’s not rocket science as to why the airport has been busy.

“Passenger bookings have met or exceeded expectations. Community support is why the airport has been successful,” Williams said in a statement. “So many people in our region are taking advantage of the convenience and our great customer service. That was why SkyWest improved our service in this bid.”

Williams said getting an East Coast hub is desired, but none is currently under consideration.

“A community our size with this good service is rare,” Williams said. “We’ve been very fortunate to have what we have, but that’s not stopping us from looking to grow. We’re exploring options to get a better East Coast connection. Most communities would be happy with what we have, but we’re always looking to do better.”

Williams said the airport is not pursuing other airlines.

“SkyWest has been a great partner. American Airlines is the world’s largest airline. We can’t do any better than that,” Williams said.

New schedule:

The Meridian schedule of departures and arrivals as of Nov. 4 is:

Meridian 7:51 a.m. Dallas-Ft. Worth 9:39 a.m.

Dallas-Ft. Worth 2:35 p.m. Meridian 4:01 p.m.

Meridian 4:26 p.m. Dallas-Ft. Worth 6:13 p.m.

Dallas-Ft. Worth 8:20 p.m. Meridian 9:50 p.m.