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TAMPA - Independence Air, the former regional airline that morphed into a low-fare carrier in June, will touch down in the Tampa Bay this fall.
Independence will begin three daily flights between Tampa International Airport and its hub at Washington Dulles International Airport on Nov. 3 with the airline's first two full-size jets. Introductory fares start at $64 one way, said spokesman Rick DeLisi.
The carrier also will begin Tampa International's first nonstop flights Nov. 3 to six cities in the Southeast: Greensboro, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Huntsville, Ala.; Charleston, S.C; Greenville, S.C., and Columbia, S.C.
Those flights will be made with 50-seat regional jets formerly flown by predecessor Atlantic Coast Airlines. Independence declined to release the number of daily departures or prices for those routes before an official announcement planned for today. The Tampa flights go on sale this afternoon.
Atlantic Coast had operated as United Express, flying connecting passengers from United hubs at Dulles and Chicago to smaller markets.
Last year, the airline said it would break off the relationship with United, which continues to operate under bankruptcy court protection, change the name to Independence and remake itself as a low-fare carrier.
The airline took wing in June and now makes 600 daily flights between Dulles and 35 cities on the East Coast and in the Midwest.
Independence is the only discounter with a fleet of small jets. That lets the airline bring low-fare service into small and midsize cities that don't generate enough passengers for discounters flying larger jets.
But Independence adopted many of the tactics that helped make discounters such as Southwest and JetBlue successful.
The airline has a simple fare structure that doesn't require a round-trip purchase or Saturday night stay. Some of the biggest savings are in walk-up tickets. The Tampa-Dulles flights, for example, are capped at $175 each way.
One challenge, however, is whether Independence can make money at those fares. The 50-seat jets have considerably higher "unit costs" - the expense of flying one airliner seat one mile - than full-size jets.
Independence plans to add 28 full-size Airbus 319 jets to its fleet by early 2006 for cross-country routes and heavily traveled markets. The first two will connect the Dulles hub with Tampa and Orlando, both low-fare markets.
- Steve Huettel can be reached at huettel@sptimes.com or 813 226-3384.