Airline plans to link LR, Big Easy

This photograph courtesy of GLO Airlines shows the type of plane that used to make daily, nonstop flights between Little Rock and New Orleans.
This photograph courtesy of GLO Airlines shows the type of plane that used to make daily, nonstop flights between Little Rock and New Orleans.

GLO, a New Orleans-based airline, announced plans Tuesday to offer daily, nonstop flights from Little Rock's Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport starting in November.

GLO is also offering direct flights from New Orleans to Shreveport and Memphis, the company said during a news conference at the Little Rock airport.

In announcing the new flights, GLO founder and Chief Executive Officer Trey Fayard said cities in the Gulf Coast and mid-South regions are underserved.

"With the air services -- with the way they are consolidating these days, there's a void left, particularly with cities in our region of the world," he said. "We endeavor to solve some of those issues, and we are delighted to have Little Rock in our initial foray."

GLO flights to New Orleans will begin the week of Nov. 15. The company said fares for the flights between New Orleans and Little Rock will be about $189 one-way.

The flights, operated by Corporate Flight Management Inc., will be on Saab 340B turboprop aircraft that carry 30 passengers.

The announcement comes almost a year after Southwest Airlines reduced the number of daily flights to Little Rock from 11 to seven.

The change in the flight schedule came after the expiration of the federal Wright Amendment, which limited the destinations of planes leaving Dallas Love Field with more than 56 seats to airports in eight states, including Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Southwest Airlines also said earlier this month it would drop nonstop service between Little Rock and Baltimore and Chicago. The company said it will end the flights in January because they weren't drawing enough passengers to make the service profitable.

Southwest Airlines said it will replace those flights with two daily nonstop flights to St. Louis International airport.

Business and community leaders said GLO's flights to New Orleans will benefit business travelers.

"When you look at the leisure and travel industry as a whole -- obviously New Orleans is a phenomenal place to now be able to go nonstop," said Jay Chesshir, president and chief executive officer of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Mike Maulden, Entergy Arkansas' director of business and economic development, said the addition of direct flights will help cut down the company's travel costs and allow employees to travel between the two cities more efficiently.

Fayard said there is a possibility that additional flights from Little Rock to other markets could be added by the air service in the future.

"As we roll out our product in next several months, and even next year, we'll be working with the airport to explore the opportunities," he said.

Business on 09/30/2015

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