American Airlines Returns to the Sarasota Market

American Airlines has recently announced plans to return to flying to the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. The airline announced that the flights will initially be operated by regionally affiliate American Eagle Airlines. This new service adds to both the number of Florida cities served by American Airlines, as well as expanding the connections available out of Sarasota Bradenton. American Airlines had previously flown to Sarasota from Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth and St. Louis, but due to the airline slump after September 11th, they pulled out.

The new service is scheduled to begin in mid-December. Sarasota Bradenton will initially see two daily flights to American Airline's hub in Miami, Florida. Both flights will are strategically timed to allow for the most possible connections with the airlines other flights. One of the two daily flights will be an early morning departure, at 6:45AM, which arrives in Miami at 7:45. This flight will allow for business travelers easy transportation between the two cities, early in the morning. The second departure from Sarasota Bradenton is at 3:30PM, arriving in Miami around 4:30. The CEO of Executive Airlines, Ed Criner, the American Eagle operator airline had the following to say about the flights, "This new service is also conveniently timed to connect on flights that are going to Central and South America, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean."

The two flights depart Miami at roughly 2:00PM and 8:00PM, with the arrival into Sarasota Bradenton approximately one hour later. Today, the Sarasota Bradenton to Miami market is vacant, with the only possibilities of the route involving flying from Sarasota to Tampa, and then on to Miami. This new flight will shave nearly 3 hours off the total trip. Prior to the new flight, the drive from Sarasota to Miami was quicker than making a connection in Tampa by flying.

Fredrick Piccolo, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport President and CEO, had the following things to say about the new service, "With the return of Eagle's Miami service, partnered with the Oneworld Alliance, it fills a void we hear repeatedly requested from the public. We also want to express our appreciation to Congressman Buchanan who has emphasized his support for service enhancements at SRQ as a member of the House Aviation Subcommittee."

The service will be flown on an ATR-72 turboprop aircraft. This aircraft accommodates 64 passengers on American Eagle, with two plus two seating (four abreast.) While the aircraft isn't a jet, it is just as fast as one on a flight of this length, due to air traffic control regulations. The aircraft flies at a speed of 325 miles per hour, which allows for an extremely fast flight. With two flights per day, there will be a total of 128 seats in both directions on the flight.