Myrtle Beach is now a direct flight away from these three major cities
Three new cities will soon be a quick flight away from Myrtle Beach.
On Wednesday, Myrtle Beach International Airport and Spirit Airlines announced the new routes that will start in May 2019. The three cities bring the airport’s total to 50 destinations.
The new flights will be to and from Indianapolis, Houston and Kansas City. The Indianapolis route will be three times a week, while the others will have two flights a week. The inaugural flights for all three cities will begin the first week of May.
“Spirit will be now serving 23 locations, nonstop,” Spirit spokesperson Stephen Schuler said. “Myrtle Beach is a big part of our map.”
The announcement was followed with a celebratory cake, photo opportunities with mascots and hope for future growth. Myrtle Beach Airport’s Kirk Lovell said that the airport is one of the fastest growing airports in the country.
Karen Riordan, CEO of the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, thanked Spirit Airlines for working with the region to bring in more travelers to the Grand Strand.
“We are on track to be the premier year-round destination in the Southeast,” Riordan said.
In addition to offseason tourism growth, Lovell said the airport is helping improve life for residents of Myrtle Beach and Horry County. He added that there has been a 200-percent increase in business travel passing through the Myrtle Beach airport.
More locals are using the airport for vacations and personal trips from Myrtle Beach, Lovell said.
“Air service is vital to every economy,” he said. “Without affordable air services, businesses don’t look at markets.”
Spirit Airlines is Myrtle Beach’s largest carrier, offering service to 23 destinations. Half of all passengers traveling through Myrtle Beach International Airport do so on Spirit flights.
This story was originally published December 12, 2018 at 10:15 AM.
