Via Airlines has selected Birmingham as a focus city, and is adding four cities for nonstop service beginning in April.
The regional carrier today announced it is adding flights to Mobile, Austin, Pittsburgh and Raleigh, with plans to add more in the near future.
“This is just the beginning,” Via Airlines President and COO Irit Vizer said. “This is our largest focus city. The whole nation is being underserviced with direct flights. We’ve had multiple communities approaching our company, and we felt like this was the right plan.”
The airlines other focus cities are Memphis, Raleigh, Pittsburgh and Hartford, Conn. Via joins American, Delta, Southwest, United and Frontier Airlines at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth. The Orlando-based carrier already flies out of Montgomery and Mobile and will operate 50-seat Embraer ERJ145s.
At a press conference this afternoon, Via Air VP of Flight Operations Dominic Acevedo said adding Birmingham fulfills many of the company’s ambitions.
“I’ll be honest with you, we cannot wait to be here in Birmingham. This year is a very big year for us, and also for Birmingham,” he said.
Vizer said Via was approached about four-and-a-half months ago about Birmingham while the company was in the midst of talks with an unnamed larger city. It was the community support that made them look in the Magic City’s direction.
“It’s unbelievable, the power of this community," he said. "We see a lot of people who say we can do it. We’ve never seen a community that not only says it, but does it. All we need to do is prove that we can grow together and be successful together.”
Sylvester Lavender, Birmingham Airport Authority’s Interim President and CEO, said the authority and business community were very strategic in their approach to seeking services to these cities. Mobile was selected for its aerospace connections, Austin and Pittsburgh for their tech scene, and the research park in Raleigh made sense from a business connection standpoint.
But the gains can go beyond the business community, said Brian Hilson, President and CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance.
“This is easy, affordable travel, and it makes sense from a business community aspect,” he said. “But the connection to Orlando makes it a very attractive addition from a leisure standpoint.”
Flights are available at the website.