Small airline plans Atlanta-Louisville flights

But it is starting scheduled service because "it seemed like a logical extension of our business," said David Meers, Vision's senior vice president. "There's some significant opportunities to serve under-served cities in areas where there are extremely high fares. The route from Atlanta to Louisville . . . is one of those routes."

Delta Air Lines is the only carrier on the route nonstop, with 10 flights a day on aircraft ranging from 50-seat regional jets to 160-seat Boeing 737s. "We're essentially connecting Louisville to 300 cities with those patterns," said Delta spokesman Kent Landers. "No competitor can match the global access we bring to Louisville," along with advantages of Delta's frequent flier program, he said.

Vision fares will range from about $200 to $400 round-trip. Delta's range from less than $350 to more than $900 round trip, according to a check of various dates on Delta's website.

Meers said Vision saw opportunity in business links between Atlanta and Louisville, in industries such as health care and companies like UPS, which has its air hub in the Kentucky city. Vision plans to put larger Boeing 737 jets on the route with increased demand.

Vision, which has about 550 employees, including about 80 in the Atlanta area, is also negotiating with airports to expand scheduled service into Florida from secondary cities in the South and cities in other regions.