Elite Airways to begin Long Island flights to Myrtle Beach airport

Elite Airways will begin nonstop flights from New York’s Long Island MacArthur Airport to Myrtle Beach International Airport beginning June 17 adding to the number of airliners bringing tourists to the Grand Strand this year.

The flights are scheduled twice weekly on Fridays and Sundays starting June 17, and are designed to encourage quick weekend golf and beach getaways, as well as weekly stays.

Flights aboard the airline’s Bombardier jets will depart Long Island at 11:15 a.m. on Fridays, and depart Myrtle Beach on Sundays at 2 p.m. The flights are pet friendly.

Pat Apone, Horry County director of airports, said in a statement that Elite is the first carrier to operate in Myrtle Beach from the Long Island airport, and she expects that the service will be in strong demand.

“Myrtle Beach has been Long Island’s favorite golf destination for many years, and the addition of nonstop service from an easily accessible airport will make the Grand Strand even more appealing,” Bill Golden, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, said in a statement.

This is the first route to Myrtle Beach that Elite will operate. The relatively new airline was founded in 2006.

The new flights comes on the heels of plans by Allegiant announced in March to add three additional seasonal flights to the Grand Strand area from New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania beginning this summer, continuing that airline’s trend of growing the Myrtle Beach network every year.

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Elite Airways to begin Long Island flights to Myrtle Beach airport."