US Airways to Add Charlotte – Salt Lake City Link

US Airways is set to launch two new routes from the start of March: a daily service between Charlotte and Salt Lake City and a weekly flight between Phoenix and New York La Guardia. The US major is planning to introduce the new flight from March 4, 2012 using an Airbus A320 Family aircraft.

The Charlotte – Salt Lake City route will be the only direct link between the two cities. An estimated 63,000 O&D passengers travelled between Charlotte and Salt Lake City in the past year, with US Airways holding a 15 per cent share of this market via its Phoenix hub. Delta Air Lines currently dominates the market with a 20 per cent share via Atlanta.

Air traffic demand between the two cities has more than doubled since 2006 and in the past year numbers were up by 2.7 per cent. However, yields have also notably strengthened with average one-way fares increasing from $191 to $223 and this could have driven US Airways to introduce the new direct flight.

The new Phoenix – New York route will be US Airways’ first ever flight beyond the 1,500 mile limit set by the perimeter rule at New York's LaGuardia Airport. "We are pleased to offer our customers non-stop flights from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Phoenix with the Saturday-only exception to the LaGuardia perimeter rule,” explained Howard Kass, Vice President of Legal and Government Affairs, US Airways. “Customers in the New York area now have yet another opportunity to explore the West with convenient connections to more than 28 destinations."