A top Columbia business leader praises American Airlines’ announcement that they’ll begin daily nonstop flights from Columbia Regional Airport (COU) to Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) in June.
Columbia Regional Economic Development Incorporated (REDI) president Paul Eisenstein tells 939 the Eagle that it’s a huge win for Columbia, Boone County and all of mid-Missouri:
“There’s a real need here to get to the Southeastern part of the United States. Nine of our top 25 markets are in the Southeast. So a direct flight to Charlotte is a really big win,” he says.
The new daily flights from COU to Charlotte begin June 4, and tickets for the new flights go on sale Monday morning. Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick also praises the new flights, saying Charlotte will open up more destinations up and down the East Coast.
Daily nonstop flights from Columbia Regional to CLT have been discussed for years, and they’ll finally happen in early June. Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and other officials made the recent announcement, praising longtime airline partner American Airlines. Mr. Eisenstein says American knows there’s a big demand for Charlotte flights here:
“We’ve had a lot of success. All of our partners have come together. People enjoy flying out of COU and I think American has seen hey there’s a lot of success at this airport, what can we do? And they knew that Charlotte was a priority market for us, that there’s huge demand in this market for the Southeastern United States. And so, we’re glad they’re here,” says Eisenstein.
Columbia city manager De’Carlon Seewood is also thrilled. He says Charlotte has been a destination that regional travelers have repeatedly expressed interest in and calls the announcement an important milestone for COU.