Silver Airways’ arrival service to Greenville Spartanburg will add new Charleston and Columbia.
Florida’s Silver Airways announced three other new routes: Greenville Spartanburg to Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa.
All three are obvious opportunities based on demand, geographic proximity and the carrier’s recent growth at two other South Carolina airports: Charleston and Columbia.
Read more: Silver Airways starts Charleston from Tampa.
In the last decade, Greenville – Orlando was served by Allegiant (until 2011; before fully returning to Sanford); Southwest (until 2013) and Frontier (2018-2020).
In 2019, Orlando International had more than 48,000 passengers point-to-point, of which almost seven out of ten flew indirectly because of Frontier’s typically twice-weekly offer.
The market grew about 60% compared to 2017, when it was not served. Silver Airways’ twice-weekly service will effectively target what Frontier had.
Tampa, meanwhile, was served by Frontier on a very limited basis in 2018 and 2019. This market had more than 35,000 passengers in 2019, with three quarters flying indirectly.
Silver will have a two-hour, 15-minute block in the 768-kilometer sector to Tampa.
Unlike the other two routes, Jacksonville – about a six hour drive – has not been served in this decade. He had a P2P demand of more than 15,000 before stimulation
| Routing: Greenville to … | Start date | Weekly frequency: in the week begins | Direct competition: silver starts in the week | Indirect competition: silver starts in the week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville | March 19th | two | none | none |
| Orlando | March 18th | two | none | Allegiant: Orlando Sanford (2) |
| Cover | March 21st | two | none | Allegiant: Tampa St Pete (2) |
| Source: airline websites. | ||||
Silver Airways: where to now?
Looking at distances similar to Silver’s recent routes, other opportunities from Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Pensacola – and Fort Myers and West Palm Beach currently without service – may include the following.
Note: all demand values are prior to stimulation.
Orlando and Tampa to Wilmington, NC, next, maybe?
Or perhaps adding to your existing Charleston network, spanning Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa, with Fort Myers, Pensacola and West Palm Beach?
- Fort Myers – Charleston: 724 kilometers, 16,000
- Fort Myers – Savannah: 622 kilometers, 11,500
- Jacksonville – Birmingham: 587 kilometers, 27,000
- Jacksonville – Huntsville: 663 kilometers, 10,000
- Jacksonville – Pensacola: 528 kilometers, demand of 12,000
- Orlando – Augusta: 551 kilometers, 12,000
- Orlando – Savannah: 410 kilometers, 12,000
- Orlando – Wilmington: 724 kilometers, 19,000
- Pensacola – Charleston: 729 kilometers, 12,000
- Pensacola – West Palm Beach: 811 kilometers, 14,000
- Tampa – Augusta: 601 kilometers, 11,500
- Tampa – Fayetteville: 852 kilometers, 15,000
- Tampa – Huntsville: 842 kilometers, 16,000
- Tampa – Myrtle Beach: 720 kilometers, 14,000
- Tampa – Savannah: 478 kilometers, 17,000
- Tampa – Wilmington: 826 kilometers, 17,000
- West Palm Beach – Charleston: 689 kilometers, 17,000
- West Palm Beach – Savannah: 613 kilometers, 11,000