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American increasing size, capacity of Columbia aircraft

Staff Report //March 29, 2018//

American increasing size, capacity of Columbia aircraft

Staff Report //March 29, 2018//

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American Airlines will double its aircraft size and seating capacity on its flights between Columbia Metropolitan Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth.

Beginning June 7, American plans to replace its current 76-seat regional jets with 140-seat mainline aircraft on its two daily flights between CAE and the airline’s Texas hub.

American has only operated regional jets from Columbia for the past 26 years, the airport said.

“Two years ago, American only operated two flights here that were on an airplane with more than 50 seats. Now, they are flying half of their schedule with larger aircraft,” CAE air service and marketing manager Anthony Gilmer said in a news release. “The jet you will board to fly from Columbia to Dallas will be the same size airplane that you would take from Charlotte or Atlanta to Dallas.

“Passengers are often saying they wish we had larger airplanes in Columbia. These are those airplanes.”

American has also increased aircraft size on its routes between CAE to Charlotte and Washington. These larger regional jets seat between 65 and 76 passengers and offer amenities such as first-class seating and in-flight wi-fi.

American Airlines operates 15 peak day departures between Columbia and its hubs in Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

“American is making a tremendous investment in the Midlands with their aircraft upgrades, and we couldn’t be happier. Improving our flight options is always a top priority, and we expect this momentum to lead to more growth at CAE,” said Mike Gula, interim airport director.

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