CHARLESTON, W.Va. — About 3,600 seats will be added to American Airlines regional jets at Charleston’s Yeager Airport this summer.
The airport made the announcement Wednesday.
The airline will replace its 37 seat Dash 8 turboprop aircraft with 50 seat regional jets. The change is set to run June 2 through August 21.
Terry Sayre, airport director, said he’s confident they will be able to fill those seats.
“I don’t think it’ll be a problem with us getting them full,” he told reporters after a press conference.
Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper called the move “a game changer” for the airport. Commissioners Hoppy Shores and Ben Salango were also on hand for Wednesday’s announcement.
The change will help generate revenue and improve service for those flying in and out of Yeager, said National Travel CEO Ted Lawson.
“Speed, comfort, pricing and frequency is the component of any transportation system. We’ve upped the speed and the comfort level when you bring in the RJ jets,” he said.
Charleston Mayor Danny Jones said the airport continues to evolve and this is just another example of that.
“It’s very important that we continue to evolve and you can see this airport — I’ve seen it remodeled so many times. It’ll never stop remodeling. It shouldn’t. It should always continue to change, evolve and move with the times,” Jones said.
It’s not just about the additional seats, Sayre said. The change comes with faster service.
“You’ll be able to save some time and that’s what it’s all about. That’s why people are flying instead of driving. Everyone’s time is valuable. That’s why we encourage people to fly out of Yeager — the most convenient airport around,” he said.
Currently, American Airlines serves Charlotte, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
The additional seats mean more people can fly internationally once they get to destinations like Philadelphia, Sayre said.
“It gets you in Philadelphia in the afternoon where you can grab an afternoon flight to Germany, Spain or just about any place,” he said.
Yeager hopes to keep the jet service past August. American Airlines says that will result in about 28,000 more available seats in 2018 over 2016.