The Pittsburgh International Airport is adding nonstop flights to Hilton Head International Airport in Savannah, Ga. and expanding nonstop service to Paris. The airport also announced Frontier Airlines will return in June, with nonstop flights to five cities.
Frontier will fly to Atlanta, Denver, Las Vegas and Orlando Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The airline will fly to Chicago on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
The destinations are already serviced nonstop by other carriers, but Spokesman Bob Kerlik said the added airline gives travelers more options.
The carrier was last in Pittsburgh in 2012, with flights to Milwaukee. But Kerlik said the airline has re-branded as an ultra low-cost carrier. That means they are very competitive on fares by charging fees for amenities, such as carry-on bags or beverages.
“There are a lot of little fees along the way, so you can sort of pick and choose what you want at your leisure,” he said.
Passenger traffic at the Pittsburgh International Airport is up 2 percent from this time last year. Kerlik said he attributes that increase to more nonstop flights. The airport has added 16 nonstop destinations since 2013. One of the now 53 cities the airport services nonstop is Savannah, Ga.
Allegiant Air, based in Las Vegas, announced nonstop flights to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport Tuesday. One-way fares will start at $39, if purchased before Jan. 13. The airline will offer nonstop flights from Pittsburgh on Mondays and Fridays beginning in April, through mid-November.
Last May, nonstop Paris flights were introduced and offered only five days a week. But in June, the flights began to run seven days a week into early September. After that, the service scaled back to five days a week, and then just three days a week through October.
Allegiant, which began flying out of Pittsburgh last year, also offers direct flights to Daytona Beach, Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; New Orleans, La.; Orlando, Fla.; Punta Gordo, Fla.; Tampa, Fla. and West Palm Beach, Fla.
Tickets for both airlines are available on their websites.
The airport also announced this week it will expand international service to Paris for the eighth year. Delta Air Lines will offer nonstop service seven days a week from May 1 to Oct. 29. Delta has offered seasonal flights from the Pittsburgh airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport since 2009.
“This flight has proven to be an important economic driver for our region, as well as a huge convenience for leisure travelers,” said Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority. “We are excited by the community support of this flight that allows our partners at Delta to continue offering expanded options for ongoing international access and success for our region.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
