Sep. 7--PLATTSBURGH -- Spirit Airlines has ceased flying out of Plattsburgh International Airport.
"We have a really good relationship with them and we hope they can come back, but right now because of COVID-19 they had to stop," Clinton County Legislator Robert Hall (D-Area 10 City of Plattsburgh) who chairs the county's Airport Committee, said.
Suspended Service
Spirit had suspended service in August and had hoped to resume flights soon, Airport Manager Chris Kreig said, but decided last week they could not at this time.
"It's been kind of the perfect storm, and there is not a whole lot you can do," Kreig said.
"They had to make a business decision."
Spirit was offering three flights a week from Plattsburgh to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Saturdays, Sundays and Thursdays.
They did halt service in April for a month due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kreig said a resurgence in coronavirus cases in Florida and South Carolina, two markets that Spirit serves, and restrictions from New York state on travelers from nearly three dozen states, affected Spirit's business.
"We do have a good working relationship with them and they have been a good partner," Kreig said.
"We will continue to stay in touch and hopefully get them back in this market."
Air Travel Down
Air travel has been way down across the country since the pandemic began in March.
In March of 2019, Plattsburgh International had 16,000 passenger boardings. That number fell to between 8,500 and 8,600 this past March when the pandemic hit full swing.
Nationwide, normally the number of people who fly daily averages between 2 and 2.5 million people, according to the Transportation Security Administration web site.
The low number of people flying on a single day occurred on April 14 when just 87,534 people flew, compared with 2.2 million the same day in 2019.
The high number of people flying during COVID-19 was 968,673 just last week on Sept. 4. But that figure was still down from the 2,198,828 who flew on that day last year.
"It's industry wide," Kreig said.
"They've (airlines) taken such a hit."
The other two airlines that offer service out of Plattsburgh, Allegiant and SkyWest doing business as United Express, are continuing service.
New Airport
The Plattsburgh airport opened on the flight line of the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base in the summer of 2007, moving the airport from its former site on Route 3 in the Town of Plattsburgh.
The airport has been immensely popular with Canadians traveling to South Carolina, Florida and the Caribbean on various airlines over the years.
Hall said the extended closure of the Canada/U.S. border due to COVID-19 has hurt air travel here.
"Not having the Canadians down here is a real problem, not only for the airport, but for everybody," Hall said.
"It's hurting a lot of businesses, restaurants, the beach, it's taken its toll on everyone."
Hall said the county has been having good conversations with Spirit and he hopes they can resume flying if the picture improves.
"It's just not financially feasible right now, but hopefully things will get better," he said.
Daily Service
Hall and Kreig both said the daily service by SkyWest to Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. is holding its own during the pandemic.
"They are doing O.K.," Hall said.
"Not great, but they are doing O.K."
General aviation and cargo business is also holding steady, Kreig said.
County Administrator Michael Zurlo said the decision by Spirit is unfortunate, but understandable.
"This is just another negative aspect of the pandemic," he said.
"We obviously will endeavor to continue to market our facility to Spirit and other airlines."
Officials from Spirit Airlines could not be reached for comment.
North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas said unfortunately disruptions in air service are the norm everywhere during the pandemic.
"Once this period of extreme travel restrictions as well as the virtual border closure are behind us, we look forward to working actively with the county to rebuild passenger activity and the case for new and restored services," Douglas said.
Email Joe LoTemplio:
Twitter: @jlotemplio
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