Vision Airlines, a small carrier based in Suwanee, is developing a connecting hub in Destin, Fla., that it says will enable Atlanta passengers to connect to more cities in its small but growing network.
Vision launched scheduled commercial flights in Atlanta last year and flies nonstop between Hartsfield-Jackson International and Louisville, Destin and Gulfport.
Starting June 1, the airline will also market flights that connect through Destin to other cities including Chattanooga; Ft. Lauderdale; Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda; Knoxville; Lafayette, La.; Las Vegas; Little Rock; Orlando Sanford; Savannah; St. Louis; and St. Petersburg.
Although Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines and Southwest-owned AirTran Airways have Atlanta hubs with a broad array of nonstop flights, Vision hopes to attract vacationers with connections through Destin. As an example of fares, a Vision executive said it will charge about $199 each way for Atlanta-Las Vegas flights via Destin.
“Our model wasn’t to be a business traveler airline as much as a leisure traveler airline,” Vision chief operating officer David Meers said. By collecting travelers headed to various destinations, “now we have 13 different ways to fill a flight, versus just one way to fill a flight.”
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