Travelers from Bradford have more options now.
On Monday, Bradford Regional Airport kicked off daily flights to Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia via Southern Airways Express. These flights will be in addition to the daily flights to Pittsburgh International Airport.
Airport Manager Alicia Dankesreiter said the first Dulles flight took off right on time at 6:15 a.m. Monday.
“It took off seamlessly. No hiccups,” she said.
The change expands the options for travelers who like the convenience of flying from Bradford. Dulles offers 146 nonstop destinations, while Pittsburgh offers 60.
“It really opens up the world,” she said. In fact, “Washington offers nonstops internationally — not only domestic travel.”
She said flights to Dulles “are very competitively priced,” similar to the flight to Pittsburgh.
Fares start at $39 one way and top out at $70 one way — a base price of $78 for the cheapest round-trip tickets. Travelers will get a better deal when purchasing tickets in advance, and the price will go up a little as the date gets closer.
“I think the international travel is a big one for us,” she said, explaining that people can travel overseas more economically than 10 or 20 years ago.
Bradford Regional Airport offers quick lines and easy parking for travelers.
“Southern Airways Express now has direct connections with American, United and Alaskan,” she said.
By having interline agreements, it allows someone to fly on one ticket with seamless baggage transfers.
People looking to connect to flights on other airlines not listed above can still do that; it will just mean dealing with tasks like rechecking bags and finding connections.
As far as what prompted the new flights to the Washington, D.C., area, Dankesreiter said both the airport and airline were interested in making the change. She noted there were flights to D.C. approximately a decade ago that were “incredibly popular,” but the service was short-lived.
Dankreiter noted, “We’ll remain loyal to Pittsburgh,” explaining that many in this market travel to Pittsburgh as a final destination for medical appointments and educational purposes. “We have a vested interest in continuing service to Pittsburgh.”
Dankesreiter said the airport hosted a big Southern Airways Express party a few weeks ago that served as both a customer appreciation event and a kickoff party for the new flights. Executives from the airline came down, and about 300 people total attended.
They gave away a free trip to Hawaii and tickets to Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh as part of the festivities.
While it was quiet at the airport for a while due to the pandemic, business has bounced back as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. Now, people are eager to travel.
“Things have picked up this summer with a vengeance,” Dankesreiter.
Visitors to the airport will see some new features now.
“Even through COVID, we still managed to find some light,” said Dankesreiter.
The airport wrapped up a big renovation project, got a new service off the ground and reinvested in internal items like an updated website.
“We put that time to good use,” she said.
There are a number of ways to book flights from Bradford. Dankesreiter suggested people can use whatever their favorite online booking agent is, such as Travelocity, or they can book directly with the airline at iFlySouthern.com.
Travelers can also go online to book a car through Ace Rent A Car, the car rental place located at the airport.
