Commercial Air Service Returns to St. Augustine: Elite Airways Announces Nonstop Flights to Newark

Oct. 12—As people gathered in front of a jet at the Northeast Florida Regional Airport on Tuesday morning, Elite Airways announced new nonstop jet service between the airport and Newark Liberty International Airport serving the tri-state area and New York City. The new service starts Nov. 19 and will operate twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays.

The announcement marked the return of commercial service to the airport.

John Pearsall, president of Elite Airways, said more routes could be on the way but declined to name the possible locations.

Elite Airways operates a fleet of Bombardier CRJ-200, CRJ-700 and CRJ-900 jet airliners with 50, 70 and 90 seats respectively and maintains an impeccable safety record, according to a press release.

" Elite Airways is pleased to start commercial air service in St. Augustine with twice-weekly service to Newark starting Nov. 19," Pearsall said in the release. "We believe this route will be a homerun as it connects historic St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach with the New York City area — two highly sought-after tourist destinations. We would like to thank Northeast Florida Regional Airport and St. Johns County Airport Authority officials for their support, as well as officials at Newark Liberty International Airport."

At Tuesday's announcement, Pearsall said the primary focus of the business has been north-south routes. He said the connection from Newark to St. Augustine "is a fantastic market."

"And it serves the needs of the community, of which a lot of folks, as you know, are from up North," he said.

In touting the business, Pearsall said dogs and cats are welcome inside the cabin, and the airline doesn't charge change fees.

The Northeast Florida Regional Airport has been without airline service since 2018 when a small, now-defunct passenger carrier called Via Airlines ended flights to St. Augustine. Via had been offering service to Charlotte as well as two locations in West Virginia.

In August, the airport received a $700,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, beating out applications submitted by Daytona Beach International Airport and two other Florida airports to become the only one in the Sunshine State to receive the Small Community Air Service Development Grant.

The award is to be used for a "revenue guarantee and marketing for nonstop service to Charlotte, North Carolina, on American Airlines," according to the announcement posted on the FAA's website.

It's not clear when that service will start.

The airport in 2017 saw the end of daily flights by Frontier Airlines, which pulled out after three years.

Frontier offered flights to Philadelphia and Chicago thanks in part to a $250,000 Small Community Air Service Development Grant that Northeast Florida Regional Airport was awarded by the FAA in 2012. That grant money was used to promote the low-cost carrier's service to and from St. Augustine.

Northeast Florida Regional Airport in the early 2000s also briefly offered flights by Skybus to Columbus, Ohio, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Greensboro, North Carolina.

"We are delighted that Elite Airways has included the Northeast Florida Regional Airport in its expansion plans," Bruce Maguire, chairman of the St. Johns County Airport Authority, said in the release. "The new service will serve as an important route for our local residents and also help attract new business opportunities and tourists to the area, offering access to all that St. Augustine and the First Coast have to offer. Our airport authority is committed to building airline relationships and working to enhance the access points to our region."

Richard Goldman, president and CEO of St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau, said the move will be a boon for tourism.

"The tourism community of Florida's Historic Coast joins the airport in celebrating Elite Airways' new nonstop air service from the New York/Newark Liberty International Airport," he said. "The service will serve as a new gateway from New York and New Jersey to the many authentic, unique experiences in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and the beaches. Elite's move to add this nonstop service to Northeast Florida Regional Airport speaks to their confidence in the market and is a testament to the recovery of tourism in northeast Florida."

Flights depart Newark at 11 a.m., arrive in St. Augustine at 1:15 p.m., depart St. Augustine at 2 p.m. and arrive in Newark at 3:50 p.m. Tickets start at $129 each way and are on sale now.

Headquartered in Portland, Maine, Elite Airways was founded in 2006 by airline veterans with the goal to provide passengers a better travel experience with nonstop flights, competitive prices and exceptional service, according to a press release. Elite Airways is a U.S. Part 121 Air Carrier and provides chartered and scheduled service throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Caribbean and South America. The airline's routes connect underserved communities with popular destinations that include New York City/ Newark, White Plains, New York, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, Orlando- Melbourne and more.

All scheduled flights are sold and operated by Elite Airways, and available for purchase at eliteairways.com or at 877-393-2510.

― Clayton Park of The Daytona Beach News-Journal contributed to this report.

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