Vanguard the Latest Airline to Leave Myrtle Beach International Airport

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (Aug. 15, 2002) -- At times, the Myrtle Beach International Airport must feel like a punch drunk boxer pinned against the ropes by an infallible opponent. First, Midway Airlines filed for bankruptcy and pulled its service immediately following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Then Vanguard Airlines announced two weeks ago that it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and discontinue its direct flights from Kansas City, MO. Now, Air Tran is jumping on the "get out of the Grand Strand" bandwagon, announcing that it will eliminate its winter service into Myrtle Beach.

On top of this, the future of U.S. Airways -- the airport's largest service provider -- hangs in the balance after a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on Monday.

All of this grim news could add up to an air travel haymaker for the popular mid-sized airport, but some Myrtle Beach travel officials aren't fazed by the magnitude of the punch.

"On the surface, it appears like a lot of service being yanked," says Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Communications Stephen Greene. "But you have to look at the total number of passengers affected."

Midway had gradually scaled back service prior to bankruptcy, serving 2600 passengers in August 2001. During peak operations, the airline served approximately 3300 passengers per month on its direct flight to Raleigh/Durham, NC. Vanguard's three daily direct flights between Kansas City and Myrtle Beach served just over 2600 passengers in July 2002. Air Tran carried over 13,800 passengers in July 2002, but elimination of winter service is expected to impact less than half that number of passengers, according to Bob Kemp, director of airports for Horry County.

"The demand falls off dramatically after October and picks up again in February," Kemp says. "But I think the other carriers will pick up on the demand left by Vanguard, Midway and Air Tran. We lose some Midwest markets with Vanguard leaving, but Spirit (Airlines) is opening a new market in Detroit as of May, and they are the second largest carrier behind U.S. Airways."

Spirit, which recently made national news with its promotion of free flights on Sept. 11, provides service to Myrtle Beach from New York City, Detroit, Chicago and Atlantic City, MD. The Florida-based airline deplaned 18,438 passengers at the MBIA in July 2002, as compared to U.S. Airway's 22,900. Kemp says he has not heard from U.S. Airways officials regarding future plans for service at MBIA, but he doesn't expect any cutbacks given the airport's proximity to the behemoth airline's hub in Charlotte, NC.

"This type of thing has been going on here for years, just not quite at this magnitude," Kemp says. "It is the nature of the beast. But we have experienced double digit growth in total passengers at this airport for years now, so it is safe to say we are still a healthy, growing facility."

• Reader Forums • Myrtle Beach Course Guide • Midway Airlines Leaves Myrtle Beach Behind • North Myrtle Beach Overview

"The numbers are down only slightly for the DuPont, so you can take that as a sign that golfers are still willing to hop on a plane and fly to Myrtle Beach," Greene says. "Also, hotels and tee times at Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday member facilities are filling up, but travelers are waiting until the last minute to make plans."

Greene says the typical lead-time on a trip to the Grand Strand used to be three to four months. Post 9-11, that time has shrunk to 30-40 days. And according to a recent survey by the American Express Leisure Travel Index, 42 percent of travelers are waiting until the last minute to book their vacations. This trend translates into some serious nail biting for local golf courses and hotels, but Greene believes the beach will always benefit from its proximity to major population centers.

"Even with some of the airlines pulling out of here, the drive market has increased," Greene says. "Some folks that live five or more hours away are just deciding to drive rather than fly. Thirty-seven percent of our visitors are from the Carolinas, and Atlanta and Washington D.C. are reasonable drives."

On the air travel side, New York City is the leading source of visitors, followed by Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. The MBIA provides service to over 350 cities with just one stop, and direct service to a handful of major cities and hubs. The airport logged 711,000 enplanements in 2001.

Breakdown: How MBIA's recent service cuts affect traveling golfers

Midway Airlines: elimination of daily direct flights from Raleigh/Durham, NC

Vanguard Airlines: elimination of direct flights from Kansas City, MO and connecting flights to Denver, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Atlanta, Austin, TX, Buffalo, Colorado Springs, CO, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Air Tran: elimination of direct flights to Atlanta and connecting flights to Biloxi, MS, Boston, Bloomington, IN., Akron, OH, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Dayton, OH, Flint, MI, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Meyers, FL., Ft. Walton, FL., Greensboro, NC, Houston, Jacksonville, FL, Memphis, TN, Miami, Mobile, AL, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New Orleans, Newark, NJ, New York, Newport News, VA, Orlando, LF, Philadelphia, PA, Pittsburgh, PA, Raleigh/Durham, St. Pete/Tampa, FL, and Washington, D.C